Engineering defect-intensive ozonation catalysts to degrade micropollutants. This project aims to engineer unique particles containing defect-intensive surfaces which are designed to accelerate the catalytic ozonation of waters contaminated with pharmaceuticals and other recalcitrant pollutants. This will enable timely treatment of industrial waste water as well as sewerage treatment plant effluents using simple and cheap catalyst materials. Wet- and flame-based particle fabrication technologies ....Engineering defect-intensive ozonation catalysts to degrade micropollutants. This project aims to engineer unique particles containing defect-intensive surfaces which are designed to accelerate the catalytic ozonation of waters contaminated with pharmaceuticals and other recalcitrant pollutants. This will enable timely treatment of industrial waste water as well as sewerage treatment plant effluents using simple and cheap catalyst materials. Wet- and flame-based particle fabrication technologies paired with unique post-synthesis treatment strategies, including either a coupled hydrogenation-illumination approach or plasma exposure, will be implemented for defect manipulation so as to produce new cheaper, stable, and higher-performing catalysts for activating ozone to treat water containing pharmaceutical and endocrine disrupting micro-pollutants under different process conditions.Read moreRead less
Wideband Silicon-Based Radio-Frequency Front-End Module for 5G New Radio . The project aims to advance knowledge in radio-frequency integrated circuit design in low-cost silicon technologies, particularly power amplifiers design with enhanced energy efficiency at output power back-off levels. The intended outcome of this project will be a wideband RF front-end module with beam steering capability that can cover the 24-50 GHz spectrum band. This will ultimately enable the creation of a low-cost a ....Wideband Silicon-Based Radio-Frequency Front-End Module for 5G New Radio . The project aims to advance knowledge in radio-frequency integrated circuit design in low-cost silicon technologies, particularly power amplifiers design with enhanced energy efficiency at output power back-off levels. The intended outcome of this project will be a wideband RF front-end module with beam steering capability that can cover the 24-50 GHz spectrum band. This will ultimately enable the creation of a low-cost and energy-efficient 5G millimetre-wave network that could potentially trigger the development of ultra-reliable low latency communications, which is critical for emerging intelligent transportation systems and will maintain Australia’s leadership position in the development of break-through wireless technology.Read moreRead less
Low-Cost Wireless Transmitter with Compact Package for Industrial Sensing . This project aims to provide a solid foundation for silicon-based transmitter design with beam-steering capability operating beyond 100 GHz. The project expects to advance knowledge in low-cost radio-frequency integrated circuit design with miniaturised packaging technology for use in industrial sensing. Expected outcomes of this project include a prototype consisting of a miniaturised 140-GHz phased-array transmitter wi ....Low-Cost Wireless Transmitter with Compact Package for Industrial Sensing . This project aims to provide a solid foundation for silicon-based transmitter design with beam-steering capability operating beyond 100 GHz. The project expects to advance knowledge in low-cost radio-frequency integrated circuit design with miniaturised packaging technology for use in industrial sensing. Expected outcomes of this project include a prototype consisting of a miniaturised 140-GHz phased-array transmitter with packaged antenna arrays, along with a developed selection guideline to choose the "best" silicon-based technology node for cost-effective design. This should provide benefits for organisations working on wireless sensing technologies and lead to new ways of using these technologies for a variety of emerging applications.Read moreRead less
Experimental investigation and constitutive modelling of reactive soils. This project aims to develop the fundamental knowledge, a mechanical framework and practical engineering design tools needed to minimise the effects of reactive soils on infrastructure. Reactive soils undergo significant swelling and weakening upon wetting or intrusion by salt-rich groundwater and shrinkage upon drying. This can result in damage to buildings and infrastructure beyond a state of repair. This project will dev ....Experimental investigation and constitutive modelling of reactive soils. This project aims to develop the fundamental knowledge, a mechanical framework and practical engineering design tools needed to minimise the effects of reactive soils on infrastructure. Reactive soils undergo significant swelling and weakening upon wetting or intrusion by salt-rich groundwater and shrinkage upon drying. This can result in damage to buildings and infrastructure beyond a state of repair. This project will develop tools, models and theories to detect weaknesses in the design of infrastructure and its foundations built on problematic reactive soils, assess the impact and implement effective remedial measures to improve performance. The project is expected to increase efficiency through improved design and reduced damage, and save infrastructure owners, government and private, tens of millions of dollars each year.Read moreRead less
Combining transient micro-reflections and multi-sensor arrays for condition assessment of buried pipes. This project will develop an accurate and reliable approach for assessing the condition of pipelines. This new approach will reduce costs and save considerable amounts of water each year, as it will assist utilities in preventing major failures such as pipe bursts, and performing strategically targeted maintenance, replacement and rehabilitation.
Versatile dosimetry systems for radiotherapy and industrial applications: novel storage phosphor and associated reader technologies. Radiotherapy is an important procedure in the treatment of cancer, and it is essential that the radiation dosage can be accurately measured. This project will develop technology which will enable us to monitor radiation dosage in real time and very accurately. This will be of importance in medical science and also for industrial applications.
Low-Cost Multiple Pencil-Beam Lens Antenna System. The project aims to develop a new multiple pencil beam antenna system, taking advantage of CIs' preliminary inventions in lens antennas, 3D printed antennas and arrays, and antenna feeding networks. A dual-polarised antenna array architecture will enhance the sensing quality and resolution of our partner organisation's cleaning robot. It will enable the robot to recognise human presence and movement in low-light conditions for rapid and safe dis ....Low-Cost Multiple Pencil-Beam Lens Antenna System. The project aims to develop a new multiple pencil beam antenna system, taking advantage of CIs' preliminary inventions in lens antennas, 3D printed antennas and arrays, and antenna feeding networks. A dual-polarised antenna array architecture will enhance the sensing quality and resolution of our partner organisation's cleaning robot. It will enable the robot to recognise human presence and movement in low-light conditions for rapid and safe disinfection of public spaces. The project will have an immediate socio-economic impact on local businesses and communities. The outcomes of the project will create safer public environments for people living and working in Australia, and boost economic recovery in the post-pandemic period.Read moreRead less
Engineering a physiologically-relevant blood vessel in vitro . The project will develop an in vitro blood vessel model which will mimic arterial conditions by incorporating vascular cells and silk conduits as scaffolds, for the first time. This approach will overcome the limitations of simplistic 2D cell cultures, the long maturation times of fully tissue-engineered vessels, and resource intensive animal models. The innovative bioengineered construct proposed builds on the CI’s significant advan ....Engineering a physiologically-relevant blood vessel in vitro . The project will develop an in vitro blood vessel model which will mimic arterial conditions by incorporating vascular cells and silk conduits as scaffolds, for the first time. This approach will overcome the limitations of simplistic 2D cell cultures, the long maturation times of fully tissue-engineered vessels, and resource intensive animal models. The innovative bioengineered construct proposed builds on the CI’s significant advances in materials and surface engineering and the Partner Organisation’s (Codex Research) new bioreactor platform. It will offer a solution for modelling of native vessel processes in vitro that would be more appropriate for pre-clinical drug and device development, and in the long-term, tissue replacement.Read moreRead less
Novel circuits and design strategies for sub-65 nanometre complementary metal oxide semiconductor technologies. This project will develop novel, state-of-the-art circuits and design strategies that overcome the challenges of current and future Integrated Circuit (IC) fabrication technologies. The extremely small sizes of transistors in these technologies offer advantages in speed, but at the price of a number of drawbacks, which the project will aim to overcome in this work. This research will m ....Novel circuits and design strategies for sub-65 nanometre complementary metal oxide semiconductor technologies. This project will develop novel, state-of-the-art circuits and design strategies that overcome the challenges of current and future Integrated Circuit (IC) fabrication technologies. The extremely small sizes of transistors in these technologies offer advantages in speed, but at the price of a number of drawbacks, which the project will aim to overcome in this work. This research will make a significant contribution to the field of IC design as well as providing training for students to fill the present and future needs of Australia's IC design companies. Some of the most advanced cochlear implants, mobile phone ICs, and Wireless Internet ICs have been designed in Australia, and companies in Australia desperately need graduates skilled in designing in the latest technologies.Read moreRead less
Characterization of Fast Propagating Fires in Green Buildings. This project aims to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of fast-propagating fires and to address the deficiency in current fire models in assessing the fire safety requirement of green buildings. Although there are many compelling advantages associated with green building designs, because they promote better natural ventilation they could pose a significant fire hazard to occupants due to the propensity of rapid fire and s ....Characterization of Fast Propagating Fires in Green Buildings. This project aims to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of fast-propagating fires and to address the deficiency in current fire models in assessing the fire safety requirement of green buildings. Although there are many compelling advantages associated with green building designs, because they promote better natural ventilation they could pose a significant fire hazard to occupants due to the propensity of rapid fire and smoke spread within the enclosed space. The new predictive fire model in this project is expected to promote a safer and sustainable building environment.Read moreRead less