Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0237874
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$424,000.00
Summary
Active Polymer Research Facility. Sustainable economic growth for Australia requires renewable, environmentally acceptable energy resources. Solar cells made from conducting polymers present the tantalising possibility of producing cheap electricity from sunlight. Future development of these devices depends critically upon ready access to the advanced equipment necessary to investigate their material, device and photovoltaic characteristics. This project aims to establish the first integrated ch ....Active Polymer Research Facility. Sustainable economic growth for Australia requires renewable, environmentally acceptable energy resources. Solar cells made from conducting polymers present the tantalising possibility of producing cheap electricity from sunlight. Future development of these devices depends critically upon ready access to the advanced equipment necessary to investigate their material, device and photovoltaic characteristics. This project aims to establish the first integrated characterisation facility in Australia dedicated to developing efficient polymer solar cells. The Active Polymer Research Facility will allow researchers from Newcastle, Wollongong and Massey University to maintain their position at the forefront of international research into polymer photovoltaic devices.Read moreRead less
Time and frequency resolved magnetometry. Magnetism is well known as a source of fundamental unsolved problems in material physics and condensed matter. It is also an area famous for practical application: the ability to record and read information from magnetic materials is the basis of nearly all mass data storage devices. The aim of this project is to provide first measures of certain key energies and rates associated with magnetic processes. Through a combination of theoretical modelling and ....Time and frequency resolved magnetometry. Magnetism is well known as a source of fundamental unsolved problems in material physics and condensed matter. It is also an area famous for practical application: the ability to record and read information from magnetic materials is the basis of nearly all mass data storage devices. The aim of this project is to provide first measures of certain key energies and rates associated with magnetic processes. Through a combination of theoretical modelling and experiment design, a new experimental technique will be developed into a powerful analysis tool. This work will establish the technique in Australia and create new opportunities for future study.
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Theoretical and experimental studies of exchange bias in thin films. Films containing layers of different types of magnetic materials - in particular, ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic - have properties which are being exploited in magneto-electronic devices used in recording and manipulation of computer data. These properties are determined by new types of magnetisation processes in the interface between layers. In this project investigations of the magnetic behaviour of interfaces will be ma ....Theoretical and experimental studies of exchange bias in thin films. Films containing layers of different types of magnetic materials - in particular, ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic - have properties which are being exploited in magneto-electronic devices used in recording and manipulation of computer data. These properties are determined by new types of magnetisation processes in the interface between layers. In this project investigations of the magnetic behaviour of interfaces will be made to provide information of value in the design and optimisation of new and existing devices. The procedures to be developed in this project will be applicable to the understanding of the behaviour of a new range of atomically engineered magnetic structures.Read moreRead less
Plastic Solar Cells: Polymers that Harvest Sunlight. Sustainable economic growth for Australia requires renewable, environmentally acceptable energy resources. The most attractive option for the future generation of electrical energy is via the direct conversion of sunlight. The utilisation of solar energy has significant advantages over other energy sources in that it is inexhaustible and does not produce carbon dioxide or other pollutants. Conventional photovoltaic technology is not cost effe ....Plastic Solar Cells: Polymers that Harvest Sunlight. Sustainable economic growth for Australia requires renewable, environmentally acceptable energy resources. The most attractive option for the future generation of electrical energy is via the direct conversion of sunlight. The utilisation of solar energy has significant advantages over other energy sources in that it is inexhaustible and does not produce carbon dioxide or other pollutants. Conventional photovoltaic technology is not cost effective. Solar cells made from conducting polymers present the tantalising possibility of producing cheap electricity from sunlight. This project brings together experts in the physics and chemistry of conducting polymers with the goal of developing efficient plastic solar cells.Read moreRead less
Minimising charge carrier recombination at silicon surfaces with improved dielectric coatings. The project will help to develop a vibrant PV industry in Australia, creating substantial employment opportunities. Spark Solar - one of the project partners - is the first dedicated PV manufacturer in Australia. There is a large and rapidly expanding overseas export market for solar panels. In addition, the large scale deployment of photovoltaic systems will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ....Minimising charge carrier recombination at silicon surfaces with improved dielectric coatings. The project will help to develop a vibrant PV industry in Australia, creating substantial employment opportunities. Spark Solar - one of the project partners - is the first dedicated PV manufacturer in Australia. There is a large and rapidly expanding overseas export market for solar panels. In addition, the large scale deployment of photovoltaic systems will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thus mitigate the magnitude and severity of the effects of global warming. Read moreRead less
Enhancing the performance of high voltage direct current power cables by studying space charge accumulation in their synthetic polymeric insulation. Synthetic polymeric insulation has proved very successful in high voltage alternating current power transmission cables, and cable manufacturers have therefore sought to use it in high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables, for which there is a rapidly growing demand. Yet the accumulation of space charge in such cables presently severely limits the m ....Enhancing the performance of high voltage direct current power cables by studying space charge accumulation in their synthetic polymeric insulation. Synthetic polymeric insulation has proved very successful in high voltage alternating current power transmission cables, and cable manufacturers have therefore sought to use it in high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables, for which there is a rapidly growing demand. Yet the accumulation of space charge in such cables presently severely limits the maximum operating voltage and transmitted power. Nearly all this space charge is due to the temperature gradient in the insulation. We will analyze space charge profiles in polyethylene and other synthetic polymers, and derive basic scientific data which will inform the design of HVDC cables with greatly enhanced performance.Read moreRead less
Photoemission studies of Fermi surfaces, of wide bandgap semi-conductors and quasi crystals. Knowledge of the detailed shape of the Fermi surface of a conducting material is vital for an understanding of its electrical and magnetic properties. We will use angle resolved photo-emission in conjunction with synchrotron radiation to explore the Fermi surfaces of technologically important magnetic alloys, the mechanism driving the occurance of charge density waaves in layer compounds and the electron ....Photoemission studies of Fermi surfaces, of wide bandgap semi-conductors and quasi crystals. Knowledge of the detailed shape of the Fermi surface of a conducting material is vital for an understanding of its electrical and magnetic properties. We will use angle resolved photo-emission in conjunction with synchrotron radiation to explore the Fermi surfaces of technologically important magnetic alloys, the mechanism driving the occurance of charge density waaves in layer compounds and the electronic properties of wide band-gap semi-conductors such as GaN, SiC and of selected quasi crystals. These measurements will be performed using a unique high resolution toroidal spectrometer currently under construction at La Trobe university.Read moreRead less
Search for spin liquids and novel physics of strongly correlated electrons. This project aims to identify new physics in quantum magnets and emergent phenomena in solids where the electrons are strongly coupled and intertwined in a complex manner. As a consequence, quantum effects are dramatically enhanced and, in certain situations, force the electrons to split into different exotic particles. Expected outcomes of this project include identification of suitable physical systems, candidate mater ....Search for spin liquids and novel physics of strongly correlated electrons. This project aims to identify new physics in quantum magnets and emergent phenomena in solids where the electrons are strongly coupled and intertwined in a complex manner. As a consequence, quantum effects are dramatically enhanced and, in certain situations, force the electrons to split into different exotic particles. Expected outcomes of this project include identification of suitable physical systems, candidate materials and appropriate conditions required for the experimental observation of this phenomena with neutron scattering methods. Such particles host an unexplored potential for future electronic devices and might be key for next generation technologies. The advanced materials and exotic particles identified in this project will inform the development of next generation technologies, becoming the quantum bits in future quantum computers.Read moreRead less