Polynuclear Metal Complexes as Molecular Nanomagnets. Computer hard drives and other devices use tiny particles of magnetic materials to store digital information. Technological advances require an increase in the density of information storage and therefore even smaller magnetic particles. This project has the potential to synthesise materials where a single molecule could act as the smallest possible unit of magnetic memory. The future application of these materials may provide an increase ....Polynuclear Metal Complexes as Molecular Nanomagnets. Computer hard drives and other devices use tiny particles of magnetic materials to store digital information. Technological advances require an increase in the density of information storage and therefore even smaller magnetic particles. This project has the potential to synthesise materials where a single molecule could act as the smallest possible unit of magnetic memory. The future application of these materials may provide an increase of three orders of magnitude in information storage density. In addition, they may find employment in quantum computers, which can perform calculations exponentially faster than conventional computers.Read moreRead less
The fate of dietary selenium in vivo; a direct approach to linking chemical form with biological activity. Dietary selenium supplementation has great potential as a preventative treatment for a range of human health conditions, including cancer, that widely affect the Australian population. However, the adverse effects of such treatments are not fully recognised. This project will increase our knowledge of how selenium compounds are stored and utilised in the body and relate the information to c ....The fate of dietary selenium in vivo; a direct approach to linking chemical form with biological activity. Dietary selenium supplementation has great potential as a preventative treatment for a range of human health conditions, including cancer, that widely affect the Australian population. However, the adverse effects of such treatments are not fully recognised. This project will increase our knowledge of how selenium compounds are stored and utilised in the body and relate the information to clinical observations regarding dietary intake of selenium and other compounds. The new understanding generated will delineate the conditions for safe intake, so that the beneficial effects associated with selenium supplementation may be harnessed more effectively.Read moreRead less
Nanoprobe and Microprobe Spectroscopic Techniques in Drug Design, Probing Mechanisms of Diseases, and Bioinorganic Chemistry. Nanoprobe and microprobe spectroscopic techniques offer unparalleled opportunities to probe the structures and distributions of drugs, carcinogens, and biomolecules in cultured cells and tissues. Such techniques represent new frontiers in understanding in vivo metabolic processes at the molecular level, as well as providing unprecedented information on the metabolism and ....Nanoprobe and Microprobe Spectroscopic Techniques in Drug Design, Probing Mechanisms of Diseases, and Bioinorganic Chemistry. Nanoprobe and microprobe spectroscopic techniques offer unparalleled opportunities to probe the structures and distributions of drugs, carcinogens, and biomolecules in cultured cells and tissues. Such techniques represent new frontiers in understanding in vivo metabolic processes at the molecular level, as well as providing unprecedented information on the metabolism and distributions of pharmaceuticals and toxins involved in the treatment and cause of diseases, such as cancer. This project is aimed at pushing the boundaries of nanoprobe and microprobe (X-ray absorption, SRIXE, PIXE, Raman and two-photon fluorescence) techniques for such applications.Read moreRead less
All-solid-state: new hybrid materials for next-generation lithium batteries. The aim of the project is an economically viable design for “all-solid-state” rechargeable batteries. Eliminating organic liquid electrolytes from lithium-ion batteries will dramatically increase safety, range of operating conditions, lifetimes, and energy density. The key technical challenge is keeping solid-solid interfaces intact over thousands of charge/discharge cycles. We will address this by inserting inorganic i ....All-solid-state: new hybrid materials for next-generation lithium batteries. The aim of the project is an economically viable design for “all-solid-state” rechargeable batteries. Eliminating organic liquid electrolytes from lithium-ion batteries will dramatically increase safety, range of operating conditions, lifetimes, and energy density. The key technical challenge is keeping solid-solid interfaces intact over thousands of charge/discharge cycles. We will address this by inserting inorganic interfacial layers that change smoothly from hard ceramic to flexible glass and back again, through rigorous chemical design and synthetic control. This will reduce the stress that causes mechanical failure, while increasing chemical stability so that the latest generation of high-power electrodes can be brought into service.Read moreRead less
Smart Molecular Materials for Sensors, Displays and Nanodevices. The aims of this project are to synthesise new smart molecular materials and elucidate the chemical origin of the physical properties they exhibit. Exposure of these transition metal-based compounds to heat or light will induce changes in colour and magnetic behaviour, affording potential roles as the smallest possible electronic components or addressable entities for high density data storage. It is expected that the materials wil ....Smart Molecular Materials for Sensors, Displays and Nanodevices. The aims of this project are to synthesise new smart molecular materials and elucidate the chemical origin of the physical properties they exhibit. Exposure of these transition metal-based compounds to heat or light will induce changes in colour and magnetic behaviour, affording potential roles as the smallest possible electronic components or addressable entities for high density data storage. It is expected that the materials will also exhibit tunable thermochromic and photochromic properties, which are important for applications in photoresponsive devices or temperature sensors. The structure-function relationships determined will inform the development of molecular materials for future nanodevices, sensors or displays.Read moreRead less
Microprobe and Nanoprobe Studies on Intracellular Disease Processes and Their Treatment. Breakthrough microprobe and nanoprobe technologies, involving X-ray, visible and infrared light can focus into different components of mammalian cells in order to interrogate the biochemistry that is occurring therein. Each of the different wavelengths of light provides complementary biochemical information that enables a deeper understanding of changes in cells that occur as a function of drug treatments an ....Microprobe and Nanoprobe Studies on Intracellular Disease Processes and Their Treatment. Breakthrough microprobe and nanoprobe technologies, involving X-ray, visible and infrared light can focus into different components of mammalian cells in order to interrogate the biochemistry that is occurring therein. Each of the different wavelengths of light provides complementary biochemical information that enables a deeper understanding of changes in cells that occur as a function of drug treatments and disease processes. This will provide unprecedented information as to where drugs go and how they are transformed inside cells that, in turn, may revolutionalise the way in which new drugs are designed that have higher specificity and fewer side effects.Read moreRead less
Nanoprobe and Microprobe Structural and Spectroscopic Studies in Biomedical Research. Breakthrough microprobe and nanoprobe technologies, involving X-ray, visible and infrared light can focus into different components of mammalian cells in order to interrogate the biochemistry that is occurring therein. Each of the different wavelengths of light provides complementary biochemical information that enables multi-layered information on changes in cells that occur as a function of drug treatments a ....Nanoprobe and Microprobe Structural and Spectroscopic Studies in Biomedical Research. Breakthrough microprobe and nanoprobe technologies, involving X-ray, visible and infrared light can focus into different components of mammalian cells in order to interrogate the biochemistry that is occurring therein. Each of the different wavelengths of light provides complementary biochemical information that enables multi-layered information on changes in cells that occur as a function of drug treatments and disease processes. This will provide unprecedented information as to where drugs go and how they are transformed inside cells that, in turn, may revolutionalise the way in which new drugs are designed that have higher specificity and lower side effects.Read moreRead less
Enhancing single-molecule magnets. This project aims to design, synthesise and investigate single-molecule magnets that can function at higher temperatures for use in quantum computing and molecular spintronics. Materials science increasingly benefit from molecular approaches, and lanthanoid-based single-molecule magnets could achieve otherwise inaccessible technological developments such as the development of molecular materials for quantum computing and molecular spintronics. Advances in funda ....Enhancing single-molecule magnets. This project aims to design, synthesise and investigate single-molecule magnets that can function at higher temperatures for use in quantum computing and molecular spintronics. Materials science increasingly benefit from molecular approaches, and lanthanoid-based single-molecule magnets could achieve otherwise inaccessible technological developments such as the development of molecular materials for quantum computing and molecular spintronics. Advances in fundamental chemistry are anticipated, and this project is expected to benefit Australia's participation in related high-end technology industries.Read moreRead less
An Integrated Approach Towards Development of Highly Specific Chemotherapeutics. Many diseases are caused or can be treated by modifying the activities of particular enzymes. Molecules that affect enzymatic activities have potential as therapeutic agents. A successful approach to the discovery of new drug molecules is to design them based on very detailed knowledge of how the target enzyme works. In this project, a highly motivated team of scientists will use state of the art instruments and the ....An Integrated Approach Towards Development of Highly Specific Chemotherapeutics. Many diseases are caused or can be treated by modifying the activities of particular enzymes. Molecules that affect enzymatic activities have potential as therapeutic agents. A successful approach to the discovery of new drug molecules is to design them based on very detailed knowledge of how the target enzyme works. In this project, a highly motivated team of scientists will use state of the art instruments and their combined creativity to understand the intimate details of how one large group of enzymes work. The enzymes selected are the bimetallic hydrolases, many of which are associated with disorders including osteoporosis, mental illnesses, cystic fibrosis and various types of cancer.Read moreRead less
Metal-Based Molecular Materials: From Electronic Structure to Functionality. This project aims to develop and explore new metal-based molecular materials, focusing on molecules that can act as magnets or be switched between multiple states by heating/cooling. This project expects to deliver an improved understanding of how the molecular electronic structure engenders desired physical properties in the target species. This insight will allow development of design principles for robust systems for ....Metal-Based Molecular Materials: From Electronic Structure to Functionality. This project aims to develop and explore new metal-based molecular materials, focusing on molecules that can act as magnets or be switched between multiple states by heating/cooling. This project expects to deliver an improved understanding of how the molecular electronic structure engenders desired physical properties in the target species. This insight will allow development of design principles for robust systems for nanodevices or advanced materials. As well as achieving important advances in fundamental chemistry, this project is anticipated to help lay the foundations for development of novel materials for high density data storage, quantum computing, molecular electronics/spintronics, optical displays or temperature/solvent sensors.Read moreRead less