Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL220100016
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,738,854.00
Summary
Light-Driven Manufacturing for (Re)Programmable Materials. This Laureate Fellowship aims to develop a suite of chemical reactions independently activated by specific colours of light for the precise synthesis of functional macromolecules and the fabrication of (re)programmable polymeric materials. The outcome of this Laureate will be the direct production of advanced 3D printed objects with tuneable properties and functions by exploiting different wavelengths of light. This research unlocks the ....Light-Driven Manufacturing for (Re)Programmable Materials. This Laureate Fellowship aims to develop a suite of chemical reactions independently activated by specific colours of light for the precise synthesis of functional macromolecules and the fabrication of (re)programmable polymeric materials. The outcome of this Laureate will be the direct production of advanced 3D printed objects with tuneable properties and functions by exploiting different wavelengths of light. This research unlocks the structural precision of Nature and the next-generation capabilities of reshapability. These innovative tools will revolutionise 3D printing methods, which will create a new era of advanced manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Smart materials for atmospheric water management and water harvesting. Fresh water is a scarce resource in many parts of the globe but uncomfortably over-supplied in other regions. Dehumidifying machines, such as air conditioners, are extensively used in humid climates to enhance human comfort, but with great energy costs. Likewise, the production of potable water in remote dry regions is energy intensive. We propose novel hyper-absorbent desiccating polymers combined into sorption-powered engin ....Smart materials for atmospheric water management and water harvesting. Fresh water is a scarce resource in many parts of the globe but uncomfortably over-supplied in other regions. Dehumidifying machines, such as air conditioners, are extensively used in humid climates to enhance human comfort, but with great energy costs. Likewise, the production of potable water in remote dry regions is energy intensive. We propose novel hyper-absorbent desiccating polymers combined into sorption-powered engines inspired by nastic movements in plants to develop extremely efficient dehumidifiers and water harvesting machines. These polymer actuators can help address the auto-acceleration of climate change caused by the increasing use of air conditioners and provide cheap, clean water for remote communities.Read moreRead less
Targeted electrolyte design for high energy aqueous batteries. The Project aims to develop a new generation, high-energy aqueous battery. A range of new aqueous electrolytes with large working window at low concentration will be designed to replace traditional, flammable and toxic organic electrolytes, and; low-cost and multi-electron reaction materials will be developed as high-capacity electrodes to replace traditional intercalation-type materials. The Project will establish the structure-prop ....Targeted electrolyte design for high energy aqueous batteries. The Project aims to develop a new generation, high-energy aqueous battery. A range of new aqueous electrolytes with large working window at low concentration will be designed to replace traditional, flammable and toxic organic electrolytes, and; low-cost and multi-electron reaction materials will be developed as high-capacity electrodes to replace traditional intercalation-type materials. The Project will establish the structure-property relationship for electrolytes and interphases via advanced characterization(s) and computation. The new battery will be safe, energetic and sustainable for the billion-dollar energy storage market for electric vehicle, and smart-grid whilst addressing concurrently battery safety and boosted energy-density.Read moreRead less
Next-generation reaction-environments tunable catalysts for CO2 reduction. This project aims to design and develop next-generation reaction-environments tunable catalysts for active, selective and stable CO2 conversion to higher-value fuels/chemicals. Fundamentally new materials design in combination with modern computational methods and advanced in/ex-situ instrumental techniques will be advanced to develop a series of functional catalysts for customisable CO2 conversion. Expected outcomes incl ....Next-generation reaction-environments tunable catalysts for CO2 reduction. This project aims to design and develop next-generation reaction-environments tunable catalysts for active, selective and stable CO2 conversion to higher-value fuels/chemicals. Fundamentally new materials design in combination with modern computational methods and advanced in/ex-situ instrumental techniques will be advanced to develop a series of functional catalysts for customisable CO2 conversion. Expected outcomes include new understandings of heterogenous catalysis tailorable with reaction environments and innovations in energy conversion and CO2 utilisation applications. These will provide educational and technological benefits for Australia, spanning material sciences, advanced manufacturing, carbon utilisation and renewable energy.Read moreRead less
Synthesising novel phases of carbon by shear-induced phase transformations. Carbon forms the hardest known solids and offers the opportunity for new materials with outstanding properties. The aim of this project is to establish a new technology for synthesising dense, diamond-like carbon materials without the need for high temperatures. The approach uses shear stress caused by non-hydrostatic compressions to drive phase changes in solids. Guided by modelling and using novel experimental techniqu ....Synthesising novel phases of carbon by shear-induced phase transformations. Carbon forms the hardest known solids and offers the opportunity for new materials with outstanding properties. The aim of this project is to establish a new technology for synthesising dense, diamond-like carbon materials without the need for high temperatures. The approach uses shear stress caused by non-hydrostatic compressions to drive phase changes in solids. Guided by modelling and using novel experimental techniques, this project seeks to understand and then exploit this remarkable phase change phenomenon. Expected outcomes include hard and tough coatings for high performance tools, impermeable encapsulations to enhance the longevity of bionic implants and a possible explanation for the mystery of deep earthquakes.Read moreRead less
Bioinspired Ceramifiable Fire-Retardant Composite Coatings. This project aims to design bioinspired, adhesive, ceramifiable fire-retardant coatings through understanding their composition-property relationship and fire-retardant mechanism. The fire-retardant coatings are then applied to typical polymer foams to create fire-safe building thermal insulation materials. This project will generate new knowledge in materials science that helps to expedite next-generation advanced fire-retardant coatin ....Bioinspired Ceramifiable Fire-Retardant Composite Coatings. This project aims to design bioinspired, adhesive, ceramifiable fire-retardant coatings through understanding their composition-property relationship and fire-retardant mechanism. The fire-retardant coatings are then applied to typical polymer foams to create fire-safe building thermal insulation materials. This project will generate new knowledge in materials science that helps to expedite next-generation advanced fire-retardant coatings for a variety of flammable substrates. Expected outcomes of this project are cost-effective fire-retardant coatings and fire-safe, inexpensive thermal insulation materials. This project will bring significant economic benefits to Australia and help to create fire-resilient and energy-efficient buildings.Read moreRead less
High-Performance and Evaporative Triboelectric Nanogenerators. This project aims to create high performance triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) with outstanding moisture wicking and thermal-moisture stability, while providing a comfortable platform for biomechanical energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. The project expects to generate new knowledge on simultaneous enhancement of output power and moisture management capability of tribo-textiles using interdisciplinary approaches. This shou ....High-Performance and Evaporative Triboelectric Nanogenerators. This project aims to create high performance triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) with outstanding moisture wicking and thermal-moisture stability, while providing a comfortable platform for biomechanical energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. The project expects to generate new knowledge on simultaneous enhancement of output power and moisture management capability of tribo-textiles using interdisciplinary approaches. This should overcome the bottleneck of output deterioration of TENGs under humid conditions and provide significant benefits by offering an attractive renewable energy source for driving low power sensors in the era of IoT and opening new opportunities in healthcare, sports, virtual reality and smart homes.
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Corrosion triggered self-passivation of magnesium alloys . This project aims to sustainably protect magnesium alloys from aqueous corrosion in engineering services through an unprecedented self-passivation mechanism (analogues to stainless steel). This project is expected to generate new knowledge in the area of passivation mechanisms for magnesium alloys in corrosive environments through high-throughput screening and in-situ corrosion characterisation at atomic scale. This should provide signif ....Corrosion triggered self-passivation of magnesium alloys . This project aims to sustainably protect magnesium alloys from aqueous corrosion in engineering services through an unprecedented self-passivation mechanism (analogues to stainless steel). This project is expected to generate new knowledge in the area of passivation mechanisms for magnesium alloys in corrosive environments through high-throughput screening and in-situ corrosion characterisation at atomic scale. This should provide significant benefits, such as enabling the debut of a scientific strategy to transform the magnesium alloy market with respect to end use (such as electric car industry), energy composition and emissions, which has significant industrial interest as it will provide new opportunities to minimise carbon footprint.Read moreRead less
Fire-Retardant Composite Resins for Bushfire-Safe Wind Farm Infrastructures. This project aims to develop advanced fire-retardant composite resins for manufacturing bushfire-safe wind farm infrastructures. The innovation of the project is the development of a new class of low-cost, novel, highly effective fire retardants and their value-added fire-retardant composite resins with well-preserved physical properties. This will be achieved by understanding the composition-property relationship of fi ....Fire-Retardant Composite Resins for Bushfire-Safe Wind Farm Infrastructures. This project aims to develop advanced fire-retardant composite resins for manufacturing bushfire-safe wind farm infrastructures. The innovation of the project is the development of a new class of low-cost, novel, highly effective fire retardants and their value-added fire-retardant composite resins with well-preserved physical properties. This will be achieved by understanding the composition-property relationship of fire retardants and optimising their synthetic parameters. The project will help position Australia’s advanced composite manufacturing at the forefront of technology. It will also accelerate Australia’s energy transition to renewables by enabling bushfire-safe wind farm infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100179
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$461,000.00
Summary
Lead-free Perovskite Nanowires for Artificial Photo-synapse Arrays. This project aims to develop lead-free perovskite nanowires based nanoscale artificial photo-synapse arrays for energy-efficient and high-speed neuromorphic computing applications. The aim will be achieved through engineering the materials interfaces between the perovskite nanowires/electrodes and developing a novel orthogonal electron beam lithography process established by the candidate. The innovative nanoscale integration of ....Lead-free Perovskite Nanowires for Artificial Photo-synapse Arrays. This project aims to develop lead-free perovskite nanowires based nanoscale artificial photo-synapse arrays for energy-efficient and high-speed neuromorphic computing applications. The aim will be achieved through engineering the materials interfaces between the perovskite nanowires/electrodes and developing a novel orthogonal electron beam lithography process established by the candidate. The innovative nanoscale integration of perovskite photo-synapse circuits will be demonstrated for image recognition applications. The success of this project will advance perovskites in the next-generation memristor devices and ensure Australia as a global leader in the emerging technology of perovskite nanoelectronics for neuromorphic computations.Read moreRead less