Opto-Microfluidics: A Rapid and Sensitive Platform for Biological Diagnostics. One in four people above 25 years suffer from diabetes-related diseases in Australia, with an associated economic cost exceeding $3 billion a year. A microdevice for continuous glucose monitoring would help patients to manage the disease, leading to huge individual, clinical and societal benefits. Life expectancy is expected to increase along with quality of life. Integration of the microdevice with insulin delivery w ....Opto-Microfluidics: A Rapid and Sensitive Platform for Biological Diagnostics. One in four people above 25 years suffer from diabetes-related diseases in Australia, with an associated economic cost exceeding $3 billion a year. A microdevice for continuous glucose monitoring would help patients to manage the disease, leading to huge individual, clinical and societal benefits. Life expectancy is expected to increase along with quality of life. Integration of the microdevice with insulin delivery would realise an 'artificial pancreas', revolutionising the management and treatment of the disease. The technology will also provide a platform for other point-of-care medical diagnostic devices, which will allow early participation in this emerging market and cement Australia's position in bionanotechnology.Read moreRead less
Lattice Boltzmann method based simulation of complex microchannels and mixing at micro-scales. The proposed study explores fundamental aspects of microfluidics using new tools, which will enhance the country's database of knowledge. It will lead to the development of a low-cost versatile software package, an important tool for solving microfluidics problems of interest to industries and academics, and will facilitate development and optimization of future microdevices. Further, it will improve A ....Lattice Boltzmann method based simulation of complex microchannels and mixing at micro-scales. The proposed study explores fundamental aspects of microfluidics using new tools, which will enhance the country's database of knowledge. It will lead to the development of a low-cost versatile software package, an important tool for solving microfluidics problems of interest to industries and academics, and will facilitate development and optimization of future microdevices. Further, it will improve Australia's competitiveness in the areas of LBM and MEMS both of which are new techniques with promising applications in their respective areas. The project falls under the National Research Priorities areas of Breakthrough Science and Frontier Technology. The potential applications of the technology encompass several key areas.Read moreRead less
Aerodynamic enhancement of the capture of fine particle emissions and gaseous pollutants by sorbents. Fine particulate emissions alone, and just within Australia's four largest cities, are estimated to be responsible for some 1600 deaths annually, and are a leading cause of asthma and other lung disease. Hence the economic and social benefits of greatly reducing fine particulate emissions is enormous. Similar benefits can be expected to arise from the enhanced capture of SOx, NOx and heavy metal ....Aerodynamic enhancement of the capture of fine particle emissions and gaseous pollutants by sorbents. Fine particulate emissions alone, and just within Australia's four largest cities, are estimated to be responsible for some 1600 deaths annually, and are a leading cause of asthma and other lung disease. Hence the economic and social benefits of greatly reducing fine particulate emissions is enormous. Similar benefits can be expected to arise from the enhanced capture of SOx, NOx and heavy metals. Many of these pollutants also contribute to the greenhouse effect, so the international exploitation of the technology will also help to mitigate climate change. Should suitable sorbents be developed for CO2 capture, the technology will also enhance carbon capture and storage.Read moreRead less
Micro Process Plants - Non-Newtonian flow and particle synthesis in confined geometries. Understanding the flow behaviour of well characterised non-Newtonian fluids within microfluidic and nanofluidic devices is of vital importance to development of novel high-value added services, products and devices within Australia's burgeoning biotechnology, environmental technology, communications and information technology industries. The outcomes of this project will provide new 'systematic' design stand ....Micro Process Plants - Non-Newtonian flow and particle synthesis in confined geometries. Understanding the flow behaviour of well characterised non-Newtonian fluids within microfluidic and nanofluidic devices is of vital importance to development of novel high-value added services, products and devices within Australia's burgeoning biotechnology, environmental technology, communications and information technology industries. The outcomes of this project will provide new 'systematic' design standards for microdevice manufacture for these industries, ultimately leading to the creation of new, exciting avenues for tailoring novel biotechnology and 'point-of-care' products for Australia.Read moreRead less
Nanotribology and Nanorheometry: A Fundamental Study of the Dynamic Interactions of Particles and Surfaces at the Molecular Level. Friction and deformation occur from the mutual motion and interaction of microscopic particles and surfaces. This research aims to develop new theories and measurement techniques for these non-equilibrium phenomena by combining mathematical analysis and numerical computations with dynamic force measurement, surface modification, and surface characterisation on nanom ....Nanotribology and Nanorheometry: A Fundamental Study of the Dynamic Interactions of Particles and Surfaces at the Molecular Level. Friction and deformation occur from the mutual motion and interaction of microscopic particles and surfaces. This research aims to develop new theories and measurement techniques for these non-equilibrium phenomena by combining mathematical analysis and numerical computations with dynamic force measurement, surface modification, and surface characterisation on nanometre and molecular length scales. These insights and data will be critically important in designing low-friction surfaces that save energy and wear, in developing nanoscopic probes for the mechanical and structural properties of soft polymeric and bio-materials, and in making high performance coatings that control adhesion and particle aggregation in technologically advanced applications.Read moreRead less
Simulating two-phase electrodynamic flows in droplet-based microfluidic circuit elements. The knowledge, data and analysis tools developed within this project will facilitate the economical production of electrodynamically controlled integrated droplet-based microfluidic devices for critical high-demand applications such as: genome sequencing; protein evolution, synthesis and crystallisation; micro-structured pharmaceuticals; disposable devices for biomedical analysis; portable point-of-entry (b ....Simulating two-phase electrodynamic flows in droplet-based microfluidic circuit elements. The knowledge, data and analysis tools developed within this project will facilitate the economical production of electrodynamically controlled integrated droplet-based microfluidic devices for critical high-demand applications such as: genome sequencing; protein evolution, synthesis and crystallisation; micro-structured pharmaceuticals; disposable devices for biomedical analysis; portable point-of-entry (biochem)security analysis devices. Hence this project is an investment in enabling technologies to benefit Australia's growing biotech, pharmaceutical and micro/nanotechnology sectors. Tangible community benefits (e.g., in improved diagnostic technologies, pharmaceuticals) will result.Read moreRead less
DROP DEFORMATION IN CONFINED MICROFLUIDIC GEOMETRIES. Increasingly, high technology applications in biotechnology and microtechnology industries need to process complex (non-Newtonian) fluids with dispersed particles/droplets in channels as small as several microns (microfluidics). A computational fluid dynamic model of non-Newtonian droplet deformation in microfluidic geometries will be developed, and validated using experimental measurements of the flow field in this project. The aim is to und ....DROP DEFORMATION IN CONFINED MICROFLUIDIC GEOMETRIES. Increasingly, high technology applications in biotechnology and microtechnology industries need to process complex (non-Newtonian) fluids with dispersed particles/droplets in channels as small as several microns (microfluidics). A computational fluid dynamic model of non-Newtonian droplet deformation in microfluidic geometries will be developed, and validated using experimental measurements of the flow field in this project. The aim is to understand and quantify factors influencing droplet deformation. Coupling non-Newtonian characteristics with microfluidic geometries will allow the continuous manufacture of micro-particles of specified size and shape for existing and new applications, and will provide guidance for further extending the process to nano-particle manufacture.Read moreRead less
Electro-viscous effects on pressure-driven liquid flow in microchannels. Australian biotechnology, information technology and food technology industries will benefit from the development of new tailored micro- and nano-fluidic devices for processing of non-Newtonian fluids. The efficiency of functional elements such as valves, pumps, mixers, reactors, heat exchangers can be optimised for specific fluids by understanding the coupling between the fluid properties, the device geometry, surface cha ....Electro-viscous effects on pressure-driven liquid flow in microchannels. Australian biotechnology, information technology and food technology industries will benefit from the development of new tailored micro- and nano-fluidic devices for processing of non-Newtonian fluids. The efficiency of functional elements such as valves, pumps, mixers, reactors, heat exchangers can be optimised for specific fluids by understanding the coupling between the fluid properties, the device geometry, surface charge, and the numerical predictions. This understanding will complement development in related projects on non-Newtonian drop and particle formation in microfluidic flows which envisage continuous particle manufacture for novel materials possessing programmable, enhanced functional properties.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE240100049
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,200,000.00
Summary
In-situ nanomechanical testing for materials under extreme environments. This project aims to establish a state-of-the-art in-situ nanomechanical testing capability for materials under extreme environments. A cutting-edge nanoindentation stage with customisable modules, as well as an optimally configured scanning electron microscope, will enable this capability for the first time in Australia. The expected outcomes will provide valuable insights into how microstructures affect mechanical propert ....In-situ nanomechanical testing for materials under extreme environments. This project aims to establish a state-of-the-art in-situ nanomechanical testing capability for materials under extreme environments. A cutting-edge nanoindentation stage with customisable modules, as well as an optimally configured scanning electron microscope, will enable this capability for the first time in Australia. The expected outcomes will provide valuable insights into how microstructures affect mechanical properties at temperatures ranging from -150 to 1000 °C, strain rates from 10E-5/s to 10E5/s, and liquid environments. The resulting knowledge will guide the development of structural materials that withstand harsh environmental conditions, thereby advancing Australia's advanced manufacturing and sustainable energy sectors.Read moreRead less
Enhancement of heat transfer by micro-electro-mechanical devices: numerical and experimental study. The main goal of the present project is to approach a completely new concept for cooling electronic-micro-devices (EMD). We will integrate the cooling system in the EMD by mean of built micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). The area of application is so innovative, that there is no engineering experience for modelling heat transfer at such small physical scales. The first goal of this project ....Enhancement of heat transfer by micro-electro-mechanical devices: numerical and experimental study. The main goal of the present project is to approach a completely new concept for cooling electronic-micro-devices (EMD). We will integrate the cooling system in the EMD by mean of built micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). The area of application is so innovative, that there is no engineering experience for modelling heat transfer at such small physical scales. The first goal of this project is to fill this lack of knowledge and to validate the possible numerical procedure using experimental data obtained from experiments, also planned for the present project. Once a suitable procedure has been established for evaluating heat fluxes , we will optimized configurations for heat transfer enhancers in micro devices.Read moreRead less