Terahertz Metamaterials for Molecular Sensing. Metamaterials are fascinating new man-made structures that can manipulate beams of light in surprising ways; eg. metamaterials are being studied as 'cloaking devices' to render objects invisible. Our proposal aims for fundamental studies and improvement of metamaterials operating in the terahertz (T-ray) frequency regime. The outcome will be the exploitation of new metamaterial devices for high performance molecular sensors and electromagnetic filte ....Terahertz Metamaterials for Molecular Sensing. Metamaterials are fascinating new man-made structures that can manipulate beams of light in surprising ways; eg. metamaterials are being studied as 'cloaking devices' to render objects invisible. Our proposal aims for fundamental studies and improvement of metamaterials operating in the terahertz (T-ray) frequency regime. The outcome will be the exploitation of new metamaterial devices for high performance molecular sensors and electromagnetic filters operating at terahertz frequencies. Socioeconomic benefits to Australia include: (i) increased knowledge-base in metamaterials operating in the terahertz range; (ii) the underpinning of applications in biophotonics and communications; and (iii) commercialisation of novel terahertz devices.Read moreRead less
Composite conductive electrodes for low energy desalination. Good quality drinking water supply is a critical issue for water security particularly for inland regional and remote communities, where seawater desalination is not a feasible option. The proposed research has the great potential to develop an alternative, low cost, robust desalination process for brackish water supplies. The superior electrode materials are the key to achieve this goal. The water industry will use the information to ....Composite conductive electrodes for low energy desalination. Good quality drinking water supply is a critical issue for water security particularly for inland regional and remote communities, where seawater desalination is not a feasible option. The proposed research has the great potential to develop an alternative, low cost, robust desalination process for brackish water supplies. The superior electrode materials are the key to achieve this goal. The water industry will use the information to assist their decision making for future water supply augmentation in regional communities. High capacity and lower energy forms of desalination are critical to ensuring desalinated water comes at an affordable price for the regional communities.Read moreRead less
The development of super-toughened epoxies using a novel nanomaterial. Epoxy resins are widely used as structural adhesives and coatings in engineering structures. This project will address the problem of the intrinsic brittleness of epoxy by making it significantly tougher with superior performance and cost-effectiveness. Our technology for producing super-toughened epoxy will lead to a wide range of applications for new and existing products in the construction, automotive, aerospace, adhesive ....The development of super-toughened epoxies using a novel nanomaterial. Epoxy resins are widely used as structural adhesives and coatings in engineering structures. This project will address the problem of the intrinsic brittleness of epoxy by making it significantly tougher with superior performance and cost-effectiveness. Our technology for producing super-toughened epoxy will lead to a wide range of applications for new and existing products in the construction, automotive, aerospace, adhesive and microelectronics industries.Read moreRead less
Nanostructured Electrocatalysts for Clean Fuels Production. This project aims to develop single-component and hybrid transition-metal and metal-free electrocatalysts with controllable nanostructures to efficiently and selectively catalyse carbon dioxide reduction and hydrogen evolution reactions for clean fuels production including hydrogen and low-carbon organic molecules. By combining experimental and theoretical modelling, this project plans to reveal the origins, mechanism and pathway of the ....Nanostructured Electrocatalysts for Clean Fuels Production. This project aims to develop single-component and hybrid transition-metal and metal-free electrocatalysts with controllable nanostructures to efficiently and selectively catalyse carbon dioxide reduction and hydrogen evolution reactions for clean fuels production including hydrogen and low-carbon organic molecules. By combining experimental and theoretical modelling, this project plans to reveal the origins, mechanism and pathway of these reactions, and the effect of catalyst composition and morphology on their performance. The resulting nanostructured catalysts are of great importance for feasible clean fuel generation and carbon dioxide reduction.Read moreRead less
Safeguarding Australia’s heritage masonry buildings from earthquake attack. The project aims to improve the guidance provided in Australian and New Zealand design codes for the seismic capacity assessment of heritage masonry buildings. The majority of culturally significant heritage buildings in Australia are constructed of unreinforced masonry, and all of these buildings were erected before seismic design guidelines or requirements existed. The risk posed by earthquakes to these important build ....Safeguarding Australia’s heritage masonry buildings from earthquake attack. The project aims to improve the guidance provided in Australian and New Zealand design codes for the seismic capacity assessment of heritage masonry buildings. The majority of culturally significant heritage buildings in Australia are constructed of unreinforced masonry, and all of these buildings were erected before seismic design guidelines or requirements existed. The risk posed by earthquakes to these important buildings is significant – as highlighted by the 2011 Christchurch earthquake where both major cathedrals in the city were heavily damaged. The project aims to develop an analysis and design method that accounts for the material properties and non-typical structural layouts used in heritage stone and clay brick masonry buildings that are most relevant to seismic response.Read moreRead less
Tailoring nanocomposites with controllable structural-property relationship. This project aims to process and fabricate graphene-based materials into useful devices. Understanding nanocomposite structure-property relationships are crucial to rapidly develop functional devices. This project will use graphene in the form of nanocomposites and precisely construct them in devices via three-dimensional printing. This will be achieved through the polymer chemistry and interfacial engineering of graphe ....Tailoring nanocomposites with controllable structural-property relationship. This project aims to process and fabricate graphene-based materials into useful devices. Understanding nanocomposite structure-property relationships are crucial to rapidly develop functional devices. This project will use graphene in the form of nanocomposites and precisely construct them in devices via three-dimensional printing. This will be achieved through the polymer chemistry and interfacial engineering of graphene for enhanced dispersibility and self-assembly in the targeted polymer matrix, thus affording maximum synergistic properties. The project expects to develop three-dimensional printing techniques and control and understand the effect of micro-patterning and nano-structuring on printed graphene nanocomposites.Read moreRead less
Nanostructured non-precious metal and metal-free catalysts for sustainable clean energy generation. The innovative technologies for substitution of precious metal catalysts will be developed and used in fuel cells for clean energy generation in a highly efficient and sustainable form. This effort will lead to the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and the alleviation of environmental and climate change problems.
Photocatalysts for solar hydrogen production. This project aims to develop photocatalysts with adjustable nano-structures and compositions to efficiently and stably catalyse water splitting for hydrogen production using sunlight. This project will include theoretical computations to predict the electronic band structure, adsorption energetics and active sites of photocatalysts, and to guide the design and synthesis of high-performance photocatalysts. These photocatalysts are important for clean ....Photocatalysts for solar hydrogen production. This project aims to develop photocatalysts with adjustable nano-structures and compositions to efficiently and stably catalyse water splitting for hydrogen production using sunlight. This project will include theoretical computations to predict the electronic band structure, adsorption energetics and active sites of photocatalysts, and to guide the design and synthesis of high-performance photocatalysts. These photocatalysts are important for clean and cost-effective solar hydrogen production with zero-emission of greenhouse gases. This project could help resolve Australia and the world’s energy and environmental challenges.Read moreRead less
Preventing biological growth – a new generation anti-biofouling coatings. The project aims to improve anti-biofouling technology by developing a ‘smart and green’ coating that requires no toxic biocides and makes use of copper already present in the water. Biofouling is the unwanted attachment and growth on surfaces in water; it causes significant problems on ships and in drinking water systems, and damages infrastructure and capital investment. Biofouling also carries a significant risk of spre ....Preventing biological growth – a new generation anti-biofouling coatings. The project aims to improve anti-biofouling technology by developing a ‘smart and green’ coating that requires no toxic biocides and makes use of copper already present in the water. Biofouling is the unwanted attachment and growth on surfaces in water; it causes significant problems on ships and in drinking water systems, and damages infrastructure and capital investment. Biofouling also carries a significant risk of spreading diseases and environmental damage through the introduction of invasive marine species. Existing coatings release highly toxic substances into the water, causing untold environmental damage. This project offers a single, comprehensive solution for all of the above problems.Read moreRead less
Cluster hardening of metastable steel alloys produced by thin strip casting. The goal of this project is to generate sufficient knowledge to apply strip casting to a wider range of steel grades and reduce the global energy cost of steel sheet production. Over 1 billion tonnes of steel is produced every year. Direct strip casting is an emerging green technology that reduces the energy required to process liquid steel into thin sheet product by up to 90 per cent. This study plans to use advanced a ....Cluster hardening of metastable steel alloys produced by thin strip casting. The goal of this project is to generate sufficient knowledge to apply strip casting to a wider range of steel grades and reduce the global energy cost of steel sheet production. Over 1 billion tonnes of steel is produced every year. Direct strip casting is an emerging green technology that reduces the energy required to process liquid steel into thin sheet product by up to 90 per cent. This study plans to use advanced atomic-scale characterisation techniques such as atom probe tomography and high-resolution electron microscopy to understand the non-equilibrium microstructures that develop as a result of the extremely rapid cooling rates experienced during strip casting.Read moreRead less