Structural safety guidelines for accidental hydrogen explosion hazards . This project aims to develop structural safety guidelines to mitigate hydrogen explosion hazards which can be identified as a major safety concern due to the higher demand worldwide for sustainable energy sources with no carbon emission. The world’s growing demand for hydrogen and Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy to develop the industry will make Australia a core player in hydrogen production creating a massive econom ....Structural safety guidelines for accidental hydrogen explosion hazards . This project aims to develop structural safety guidelines to mitigate hydrogen explosion hazards which can be identified as a major safety concern due to the higher demand worldwide for sustainable energy sources with no carbon emission. The world’s growing demand for hydrogen and Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy to develop the industry will make Australia a core player in hydrogen production creating a massive economic opportunity. However, the high flammability and low ignition energy of hydrogen makes it vulnerable to accidental explosions. Hence, this project will address the lack of safety protocols in Australian Standards related to the handling of hydrogen by producing essential design recommendations.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
Exploration of highly regenerable boron-nitrogen based hydrides for hydrogen storage. The project will design and synthesise novel boron-nitrogen hydrides. It will employ material design strategies, such as new synthesis techniques, dopant destabilisation, and dehydrogenation catalysts to design and experimentally validate novel multicomponent hydride systems with high storage capacities (above 9 wt% under near-ambient conditions) and high reversibility. The outcomes of this project will make a ....Exploration of highly regenerable boron-nitrogen based hydrides for hydrogen storage. The project will design and synthesise novel boron-nitrogen hydrides. It will employ material design strategies, such as new synthesis techniques, dopant destabilisation, and dehydrogenation catalysts to design and experimentally validate novel multicomponent hydride systems with high storage capacities (above 9 wt% under near-ambient conditions) and high reversibility. The outcomes of this project will make a significant enhancement in the performance of solid state hydrogen storage materials and will deliver a viable storage technology for a range of fuel cell applications.Read moreRead less
Liquid-phase hydrogen carriers for energy storage and delivery. This project aims to overcome hydrogen storage and delivery issues by developing liquid-phase hydrogen storage materials with high hydrogen capacity, exceptional stability and that do not change phase during hydrogen evolution. This project will build on the recent synthesis of strategically important hydrogen storage compounds. The innovative liquid-phase hydrogen storage and delivery technology will enable effective usage of estab ....Liquid-phase hydrogen carriers for energy storage and delivery. This project aims to overcome hydrogen storage and delivery issues by developing liquid-phase hydrogen storage materials with high hydrogen capacity, exceptional stability and that do not change phase during hydrogen evolution. This project will build on the recent synthesis of strategically important hydrogen storage compounds. The innovative liquid-phase hydrogen storage and delivery technology will enable effective usage of established liquid fuel distribution techniques and infrastructure throughout the country. The project would benefit renewable energy, chemical, and manufacturing industries, where new employment opportunities would be created.Read moreRead less
Electrode-Supported Ionogels for Reversible Energy Storage. The project aims to generate an understanding of electrode-supported ionic liquid gel films to form the basis for the rational design and development of new energy storage technology. For the world to truly move into a new age of low carbon power, it needs transformational battery technology. The creation of novel ionic liquid systems to capture redox-active species would allow for revolutionary designs with the potential to eliminate m ....Electrode-Supported Ionogels for Reversible Energy Storage. The project aims to generate an understanding of electrode-supported ionic liquid gel films to form the basis for the rational design and development of new energy storage technology. For the world to truly move into a new age of low carbon power, it needs transformational battery technology. The creation of novel ionic liquid systems to capture redox-active species would allow for revolutionary designs with the potential to eliminate membranes, with major advantages for charging/discharging speed and deep cyclability. This would directly translate to storage systems that combine high power with high energy density.Read moreRead less
Electrolyte and interface engineering of solid-state sodium batteries. This project aims to develop large-scale solid-state sodium-ion batteries exhibiting better safety compared to classic liquid electrolyte batteries without compromising on performance, thus addressing the significant issue of safety in batteries. This will be achieved by novel engineering of solid-state electrolytes and electrolyte-electrode interfacing by a fundamental understanding of sodium-ion transport using statistical ....Electrolyte and interface engineering of solid-state sodium batteries. This project aims to develop large-scale solid-state sodium-ion batteries exhibiting better safety compared to classic liquid electrolyte batteries without compromising on performance, thus addressing the significant issue of safety in batteries. This will be achieved by novel engineering of solid-state electrolytes and electrolyte-electrode interfacing by a fundamental understanding of sodium-ion transport using statistical and machine-learning techniques. Expected outcomes include an understanding of ion-transport mechanisms in batteries, delivery of advanced solid-state electrolytes with high ionic conductivity, and batteries with excellent performance and safety characteristics, which benefits Australia's environment and sustainability.Read moreRead less
Novel hydrogen-rich liquids for storing and transporting hydrogen at scale. Hydrogen is proposed as the best candidate to store large amounts of energy produced by intermittent sources such as wind and solar. This project aims to address challenges in storing and transporting large amounts of hydrogen in a safe and effective way by developing novel liquid-phase compounds that contain light elements including boron, carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen. Expected outcomes of this project include new liq ....Novel hydrogen-rich liquids for storing and transporting hydrogen at scale. Hydrogen is proposed as the best candidate to store large amounts of energy produced by intermittent sources such as wind and solar. This project aims to address challenges in storing and transporting large amounts of hydrogen in a safe and effective way by developing novel liquid-phase compounds that contain light elements including boron, carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen. Expected outcomes of this project include new liquid compounds that can effectively and safely store hydrogen at scale using the exisiting liquid hydrocarbon fuel infrastructure. This should provide significant benefits in the establishment of renewable hydrogen for domestic consumption and more for exporting sustainable and clean fuel using hydrogen as the energy carrier.Read moreRead less
High Energy Density - High Delivery Rate Thermal Energy Storage. This project aims to address the intermittency of renewable energy sources using novel thermal storage media. Advanced heat transfer modelling and in situ neutron diffraction and imaging are intended to be used to optimise the microstructure of newly developed miscibility gap thermal storage systems. The new media store energy as the latent heat of fusion of one phase in a stable, high thermal conductivity inverted microstructure. ....High Energy Density - High Delivery Rate Thermal Energy Storage. This project aims to address the intermittency of renewable energy sources using novel thermal storage media. Advanced heat transfer modelling and in situ neutron diffraction and imaging are intended to be used to optimise the microstructure of newly developed miscibility gap thermal storage systems. The new media store energy as the latent heat of fusion of one phase in a stable, high thermal conductivity inverted microstructure. The high energy density of the latent heat (0.5-4.5 Mega Joules/Litre) requires storage volumes as little as five per cent of those relying upon heat capacity and the metal matrix has a hundred-fold greater thermal conductivity than current systems. It is proposed that a range of such materials will be engineered for concentrated solar thermal and space heating applications.Read moreRead less
Potassium ion batteries for large scale renewable energy storage. The project aims to develop potassium ion batteries for renewable energy storage and conversion. Potassium ion batteries could be the most promising choice for large-scale electrical energy storage, particularly for renewable energy sources and smart electrical grids, due to their low cost, natural abundance and the advantages of potassium compared to lithium/sodium ion batteries. This study will research the electrochemical react ....Potassium ion batteries for large scale renewable energy storage. The project aims to develop potassium ion batteries for renewable energy storage and conversion. Potassium ion batteries could be the most promising choice for large-scale electrical energy storage, particularly for renewable energy sources and smart electrical grids, due to their low cost, natural abundance and the advantages of potassium compared to lithium/sodium ion batteries. This study will research the electrochemical reactions and charge transfer pathway of electrode materials with excellent potassium ion storage performance. This project is expected to develop high performance potassium ion batteries and advance the prominence of Australia in the global renewable energy market.Read moreRead less
Redox-sensitised dense graphene to boost compact supercapacitors. This project will create redox-sensitised ion-accessible dense graphene to improve the energy density of supercapacitors (SCs). The energy density of SCs is a bottle neck for long-lasting power supply to vehicles, small devices and mobile electronics. By incorporating a redox coordination framework in shrunk graphene to increase the charge storage capacity and speed up the charge movement and further incorporating ionic liquids in ....Redox-sensitised dense graphene to boost compact supercapacitors. This project will create redox-sensitised ion-accessible dense graphene to improve the energy density of supercapacitors (SCs). The energy density of SCs is a bottle neck for long-lasting power supply to vehicles, small devices and mobile electronics. By incorporating a redox coordination framework in shrunk graphene to increase the charge storage capacity and speed up the charge movement and further incorporating ionic liquids in the tailored electrodes, the project will produce SC’s with higher operating voltage and longer cycle life. Such SCs will possess dramatically high energy density, without compromising the power density. This project will improve the efficiency of modern electronics through the development of the next generation of SCs.Read moreRead less