The characterization and pocessing of Australian grown hemp fibres. This project will, for the first time, systematically examine the characteristics and processing behaviour of Australian grown hemp fibres. The hemp industry is an emerging new industry in rural Australia. This research will tackle a number of complex problems concerning characterization, degumming, and processing of Australian grown hemp, and will engineer the finest and softest yarns as well as industrial products from this he ....The characterization and pocessing of Australian grown hemp fibres. This project will, for the first time, systematically examine the characteristics and processing behaviour of Australian grown hemp fibres. The hemp industry is an emerging new industry in rural Australia. This research will tackle a number of complex problems concerning characterization, degumming, and processing of Australian grown hemp, and will engineer the finest and softest yarns as well as industrial products from this hemp. This will position the local hemp industry as well fibre processing industry in a very strong position to meet the growing demand world wide on this "green" fibre.Read moreRead less
Formation and characterisation of continuous electrospun nanofibre yarns. Australia historically has a strong fibre and textile industry that can be augmented by embracing emerging nanotechnology. The proposed research will develop a technology that can greatly improve the productivity of nanofibres. These fibres can then be spun into continuous yarns and other form of textile products. The nanostructured products offer exceptional functions for biomedical and environmental applications. This ne ....Formation and characterisation of continuous electrospun nanofibre yarns. Australia historically has a strong fibre and textile industry that can be augmented by embracing emerging nanotechnology. The proposed research will develop a technology that can greatly improve the productivity of nanofibres. These fibres can then be spun into continuous yarns and other form of textile products. The nanostructured products offer exceptional functions for biomedical and environmental applications. This new technology has the potential to transform the Australian textile technology and fibre processing industry. Read moreRead less
Scouring and Dehairing Australian Cashmere Fibres. The project aims to develop a viable method of dehairing greasy Australian cashmere materials. Traditionally, cashmere materials are scoured or washed first, followed by dehairing to extract the useful fine cashmere fibres. This is expensive and water consumption for scouring is also high. The current project will overcome the difficulties in dehairing greasy cashmere and optimise the process of scouring dehaired cashmere fibres. Technology deve ....Scouring and Dehairing Australian Cashmere Fibres. The project aims to develop a viable method of dehairing greasy Australian cashmere materials. Traditionally, cashmere materials are scoured or washed first, followed by dehairing to extract the useful fine cashmere fibres. This is expensive and water consumption for scouring is also high. The current project will overcome the difficulties in dehairing greasy cashmere and optimise the process of scouring dehaired cashmere fibres. Technology developed in this project will reduce scouring cost and water consumption, improve dehairing yield, and increase the flexibility of cashmere scouring and processing, leading to a more sustainable Australian cashmere industry.Read moreRead less
Multifunctional Three-Dimensional Non-Crimp Fibre Preforms for Polymer Composites: Innovative High-Value Products for the Australian Textiles Industry. This project aims to develop a new three-dimensional (3D) weaving technology for fabricating multi-functional fabrics for advanced fibre-reinforced composites. 3D woven fabrics with low fibre waviness for high structural performance, integrally woven optical fibre sensors for loads monitoring and damage detection, and woven thermoplastic filament ....Multifunctional Three-Dimensional Non-Crimp Fibre Preforms for Polymer Composites: Innovative High-Value Products for the Australian Textiles Industry. This project aims to develop a new three-dimensional (3D) weaving technology for fabricating multi-functional fabrics for advanced fibre-reinforced composites. 3D woven fabrics with low fibre waviness for high structural performance, integrally woven optical fibre sensors for loads monitoring and damage detection, and woven thermoplastic filaments for self-healing aim to meet the emerging demands of industry for light-weight high-performance composites. This new technology aims to deliver to the Australian textiles and clothing industry a new capability in manufacturing carbon-fibre based fabrics as reinforcements in advanced composites, thus helping reinvigorate and realign an important Australian industry sector.Read moreRead less
Three-Dimensional Polymer Fibre Scaffolds with Functional Nano-structured Surface. The Partner Organisation to this research, CyGenics Ltd, is a world leader in cell biotechnology. A key challenge faced by the CyGenics and other biotech companies is the provision of tissue scaffolding materials that have the right three-dimensional macroscopic structure plus a suitable nano-structured surface micro-environment, similar to the natural extracellular matrix. This joint project combines expertise in ....Three-Dimensional Polymer Fibre Scaffolds with Functional Nano-structured Surface. The Partner Organisation to this research, CyGenics Ltd, is a world leader in cell biotechnology. A key challenge faced by the CyGenics and other biotech companies is the provision of tissue scaffolding materials that have the right three-dimensional macroscopic structure plus a suitable nano-structured surface micro-environment, similar to the natural extracellular matrix. This joint project combines expertise in polymer fibres, surface engineering and cell culture to tackle the key challenge. The outcome will help position the local polymer fibre and cell culture industries at the forefront of tissue scaffolding materials research and development. Read moreRead less
High-density mobile fronthaul optical interconnects using few-mode fibers. This project aims to develop a prototype of high-density optical interconnects for mobile fronthaul systems using few-mode transmission techniques. This is required to meet the high bandwidth demand from 5G mobile standard, which is to be rolled out worldwide in the near future. The project expects to advance knowledge of space-division-multiplexing techniques using cost-effective direct detection. The methodologies and t ....High-density mobile fronthaul optical interconnects using few-mode fibers. This project aims to develop a prototype of high-density optical interconnects for mobile fronthaul systems using few-mode transmission techniques. This is required to meet the high bandwidth demand from 5G mobile standard, which is to be rolled out worldwide in the near future. The project expects to advance knowledge of space-division-multiplexing techniques using cost-effective direct detection. The methodologies and technologies developed through this project will enhance the competitiveness of the Australian’s telecommunication sector, especially on the deployment of 5G services to the broader community. This technology will be critical to Australia’s digital economy, from supporting virtual reality to autonomous driving and will provide significant benefits to the Australian optical communication industry.
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Value Adding to Australian Cashmere Fleece. This project will lead to major technical advance in the processing of both cashmere fibres and cashmere guard hair. Reducing the level of breakage in fine cashmere fibres will add significant premium to the price of cashmere fibres and products. In addition, the large amount of coarse guard hair removed from cashmere dehairing process will be converted into quality fine powders, which will add significant value to an otherwise 'waste' product. This pr ....Value Adding to Australian Cashmere Fleece. This project will lead to major technical advance in the processing of both cashmere fibres and cashmere guard hair. Reducing the level of breakage in fine cashmere fibres will add significant premium to the price of cashmere fibres and products. In addition, the large amount of coarse guard hair removed from cashmere dehairing process will be converted into quality fine powders, which will add significant value to an otherwise 'waste' product. This project will benefit the entire animal fibre industry, particularly the rare animal fibre industry.Read moreRead less
Tough bio-derived and biodegradable wood plastic composites. This project aims for the development of tough bio-based and biodegradable wood plastic composites (WPCs), directly addressing a key end-user demand that performance of bio-WPCs must be at least comparable with existing commercial WPCs. The project expects to generate key innovations such as developing a new, high performance, bio-based and biodegradable WPC by incorporating native spinifex-derived nano-cellulose fibres, ensuring excel ....Tough bio-derived and biodegradable wood plastic composites. This project aims for the development of tough bio-based and biodegradable wood plastic composites (WPCs), directly addressing a key end-user demand that performance of bio-WPCs must be at least comparable with existing commercial WPCs. The project expects to generate key innovations such as developing a new, high performance, bio-based and biodegradable WPC by incorporating native spinifex-derived nano-cellulose fibres, ensuring excellent, molecular-level dispersion with a novel low-cost and energy-efficient wet-mix technology. This will provide significant benefits as it will lead to new products and markets for the Australian forestry industry and for rural and indigenous Australia, maximising Australia’s competitive advantage in biomass-derived products.Read moreRead less
A versatile optical wavelength and mode switching device for future telecommunication networks. This project will develop a next generation switching device for future fibre optical communication networks that will divide their information among several modes of specialty fibre. This device will be a key component for allowing network operators to move to these novel mode-multiplexed networks in order to overcome the looming capacity crunch.
High performance bioderived hybrid fillers for rubber composite. This project aims to address a significant problem in polymer composite synthesis by production and application of high performance bioderived hybrid silica fillers from renewable biomass feedstock. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of advanced manufacturing using interdisciplinary approaches in biorefining, filler and composite production and characterization. Expected outcomes of this project include a mo ....High performance bioderived hybrid fillers for rubber composite. This project aims to address a significant problem in polymer composite synthesis by production and application of high performance bioderived hybrid silica fillers from renewable biomass feedstock. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of advanced manufacturing using interdisciplinary approaches in biorefining, filler and composite production and characterization. Expected outcomes of this project include a more sustainable filler production process for producing novel bioderived silica fillers with properties superior to commercial silica fillers. The successful implementation of this project will lead to the development of a new advanced manufacturing industry, creating jobs in regional Australia. Read moreRead less