Physics of High Power Pulsed Plasmas for Materials Synthesis. The new science produced will have a direct benefit on the synthesis of a new generation of materials for many applications, such as transparent conductive oxides, multilayer structures, and heat mirror materials for glazings. Many of these materials will help reduce energy consumption in the built environment and hence Australia's emission of greenhouse gases. Furthermore, it will help to develop environmentally clean production met ....Physics of High Power Pulsed Plasmas for Materials Synthesis. The new science produced will have a direct benefit on the synthesis of a new generation of materials for many applications, such as transparent conductive oxides, multilayer structures, and heat mirror materials for glazings. Many of these materials will help reduce energy consumption in the built environment and hence Australia's emission of greenhouse gases. Furthermore, it will help to develop environmentally clean production methods for many existing as well as new applications by replacing liquid based production techniques such as electroplating which generate toxic liquid wastes. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882787
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,000.00
Summary
An Integrated Raman Microscope and in Situ STM-TEM Analysis System. The imaging and analytical capabilities of SEM and chemical and structural characterisation afforded by Raman spectroscopy will be unique, allowing both rapid morphological observation and elemental analysis at the macro and nanoscale. The in-situ TEM holder will further assist through in-situ characterization of advanced materials at the nano-scale level. In combination, these instruments will underpin groundbreaking research i ....An Integrated Raman Microscope and in Situ STM-TEM Analysis System. The imaging and analytical capabilities of SEM and chemical and structural characterisation afforded by Raman spectroscopy will be unique, allowing both rapid morphological observation and elemental analysis at the macro and nanoscale. The in-situ TEM holder will further assist through in-situ characterization of advanced materials at the nano-scale level. In combination, these instruments will underpin groundbreaking research in diverse research fields developing new advanced nanomaterials and bio-nanomaterials with significant impact on many industries with great economical and environmental benefits. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775715
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,000.00
Summary
Advanced facility for ultra high-speed visualisation and real-time diagnostics of particles and droplets. The proposed research facility will offer new tools for advanced manufacturing in Melbourne and provide support for research at the leading universities involved in engineering and science. Testing and characterization equipment can support activities by researchers across different faculties including those of Federation fellows working in the area of nanotechnology and advanced materials. ....Advanced facility for ultra high-speed visualisation and real-time diagnostics of particles and droplets. The proposed research facility will offer new tools for advanced manufacturing in Melbourne and provide support for research at the leading universities involved in engineering and science. Testing and characterization equipment can support activities by researchers across different faculties including those of Federation fellows working in the area of nanotechnology and advanced materials. It fills a desperate need in a niche area. The research is directly aligned to the National Research Priority of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries: Advanced Materials.Read moreRead less
The durability of geopolymeric products as a function of the nanostructured gel phase. A comprehensive physical, chemical and microscopic analysis will be conducted on a series of geopolymers and Ordinary Portland Cement samples manufactured from 1964 to 2001, with a focus on the characterisation of the nanostructured gel phase. The outcomes include (1) revealing the relationship between the nanostructured gel phase and durability; (2) the discovery of reaction mechanisms in geopolymerisation an ....The durability of geopolymeric products as a function of the nanostructured gel phase. A comprehensive physical, chemical and microscopic analysis will be conducted on a series of geopolymers and Ordinary Portland Cement samples manufactured from 1964 to 2001, with a focus on the characterisation of the nanostructured gel phase. The outcomes include (1) revealing the relationship between the nanostructured gel phase and durability; (2) the discovery of reaction mechanisms in geopolymerisation and formation of OPC; (3) computer modelling of nano-scale assemblies of atoms and molecules that will give desirable properties and durability, and (4) a tailored synthesis of geopolymers with vastly improved mechanical performance and acid, fire and bacterial resistance. This scientific understanding of long term durability will greatly enhance commercial acceptance of geopolymers.Read moreRead less
Checking the validity of photographic identification documents: Enhancing the performance of security personnel through increased understanding of unfamiliar face processing. The ability to accurately establish the identity of an individual is central to the national security of Australia. Identity checking often relies on facial photographs contained on passports and other documents. Despite the introduction of automated systems, the decision whether a photograph is of a person rests with human ....Checking the validity of photographic identification documents: Enhancing the performance of security personnel through increased understanding of unfamiliar face processing. The ability to accurately establish the identity of an individual is central to the national security of Australia. Identity checking often relies on facial photographs contained on passports and other documents. Despite the introduction of automated systems, the decision whether a photograph is of a person rests with human operators. Research by CI has demonstrated that this task is difficult and error prone. The proposed research seeks to improve performance by developing a fuller understanding of the nature of the task and the limits of the operators' abilities and by testing possible training and selection procedures.Read moreRead less
Design and synthesis of transparent conducting metal oxides. With advances in solar cell and flexible display technologies the demand and performance requirements for transparent conductors used as electrodes in these devices will increase dramatically. This research program is focused on developing new materials to meet the demand and the challenges of new, more advanced technologies. The project has the potential to generate valuable intellectual property in the form of new generation transpar ....Design and synthesis of transparent conducting metal oxides. With advances in solar cell and flexible display technologies the demand and performance requirements for transparent conductors used as electrodes in these devices will increase dramatically. This research program is focused on developing new materials to meet the demand and the challenges of new, more advanced technologies. The project has the potential to generate valuable intellectual property in the form of new generation transparent conducting oxide materials for a rapidly growing set of applications. The new devices will directly improve our standard of living and additional economic benefits will come from commercialisation of the technology both here and overseas.Read moreRead less
Computer Modelling of the Morphology and Crystallography of Diffusion-controlled Phase Transformations. An analytical, phenomenological version of the successful "edge-to edge" matching approach to the morphology and crystallography of diffusion-controlled phase transformations will be developed. This will be incorporated in a Windows based computer program that can predict the essential features of precipitation (orientation relationships, habit planes, morphology and interface structure), fro ....Computer Modelling of the Morphology and Crystallography of Diffusion-controlled Phase Transformations. An analytical, phenomenological version of the successful "edge-to edge" matching approach to the morphology and crystallography of diffusion-controlled phase transformations will be developed. This will be incorporated in a Windows based computer program that can predict the essential features of precipitation (orientation relationships, habit planes, morphology and interface structure), from readily available input data for the two phases involved. It will provide a fuller understanding of diffusion-controlled phase transformations and the computer simulation will assist in the development of improved precipitation hardening alloys. In addition, a database of crystallographic data for typical metallic materials will be established in the project.Read moreRead less
Evolution of Contact Damage in Layer Structures. Brittle layer structures (eg brittle coating on ceramic substrate) can be much more damage tolerant than their constituent material components - cracks tend to remain contained within the coating. Very little is known about the factors that control this behaviour. This project will exploit unique local expertise in modelling damage evolution to fill a niche in a large study being carried out at the National Institute of Standards (NIST) in the U ....Evolution of Contact Damage in Layer Structures. Brittle layer structures (eg brittle coating on ceramic substrate) can be much more damage tolerant than their constituent material components - cracks tend to remain contained within the coating. Very little is known about the factors that control this behaviour. This project will exploit unique local expertise in modelling damage evolution to fill a niche in a large study being carried out at the National Institute of Standards (NIST) in the U.S.A. An understanding of the factors that maximise the containment of cracks is essential to the design and development of the next generation of advanced layer composites for many biomechanical and other engineering applications.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms and modelling of gels for protein separation. Gradipore approached Sydney University to collaborate on fundamental science needed to improve polymer gels for separation and characterization of proteins. These gels have many applications: e.g. proteomics and diagnostics. Presently, control of polymer microstructure in the synthesis of these gels is by trial and error. This project will create an accurate model of the process so pore size can be predicted. This involves novel work in ex ....Mechanisms and modelling of gels for protein separation. Gradipore approached Sydney University to collaborate on fundamental science needed to improve polymer gels for separation and characterization of proteins. These gels have many applications: e.g. proteomics and diagnostics. Presently, control of polymer microstructure in the synthesis of these gels is by trial and error. This project will create an accurate model of the process so pore size can be predicted. This involves novel work in experimental and theoretical methods developed by the Sydney University group. The result will be qualitative and quantitative understanding which can be subsequently used to tailor-make gels for new applications.Read moreRead less
Preparations, Properties, and Applications of New Hydrogels. This project aims to develop a new polymeric matrix system for improved biological separations such as fibrinogen, DNA and RNA. These new hydrogels and membranes will not only be capable of separating biomacromolecules, not possible within the existing systems, but will also develop a new size exclusion type separation system for electrophoresis. The success of the project will have a significant impact in the biotechnology industry. P ....Preparations, Properties, and Applications of New Hydrogels. This project aims to develop a new polymeric matrix system for improved biological separations such as fibrinogen, DNA and RNA. These new hydrogels and membranes will not only be capable of separating biomacromolecules, not possible within the existing systems, but will also develop a new size exclusion type separation system for electrophoresis. The success of the project will have a significant impact in the biotechnology industry. Particularly, it will provide efficient methodologies to fractionate a number of important blood products and strengthen Australian's leading role in this field.Read moreRead less