Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100115
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
High-temperature probes for investigating phase transitions and reaction kinetics in thin films, nanostructured materials and biomaterials. This infrastructure for high temperature surface analysis and in-situ diagnostics as a function of temperature and gas environments will enhance Australia's capabilities in creating new materials for devices that will meet needs in medical, communications, environmental and security applications. The facility will enable researchers to understand and exploi ....High-temperature probes for investigating phase transitions and reaction kinetics in thin films, nanostructured materials and biomaterials. This infrastructure for high temperature surface analysis and in-situ diagnostics as a function of temperature and gas environments will enhance Australia's capabilities in creating new materials for devices that will meet needs in medical, communications, environmental and security applications. The facility will enable researchers to understand and exploit interfacial phenomena and to tailor processing-microstructure-composition correlations, so as to design new materials with the best performance possible. Probes with unique capabilities will measure surface morphology, optical properties, elemental composition and crystallographic phase.The facility will be the first in Australia to offer a comprehensive study of structure and properties at high temperature.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101495
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,000.00
Summary
Biodegradable porous shape memory alloys by additive manufacturing. This project aims to create a class of biodegradable Fe-Mn-Si based shape memory alloys and use additive manufacturing to fabricate porous structures with desired properties from these shape memory alloys. Biodegradable shape memory alloys offer great promise for biomedical applications due to their unique biodegradability, shape memory effects and superelasticity. However, a huge knowledge gap exists in developing and fabricati ....Biodegradable porous shape memory alloys by additive manufacturing. This project aims to create a class of biodegradable Fe-Mn-Si based shape memory alloys and use additive manufacturing to fabricate porous structures with desired properties from these shape memory alloys. Biodegradable shape memory alloys offer great promise for biomedical applications due to their unique biodegradability, shape memory effects and superelasticity. However, a huge knowledge gap exists in developing and fabricating biodegradable shape memory alloys with desired properties for biomedical applications. The project expects to fill the critical knowledge gap and open up new opportunities for biomedical applications of biodegradable shape memory alloys. This project will provide significant benefits through the creation of novel materials for application in the healthcare industry such as biomedical devices.Read moreRead less
Processing - Structure Relationships in Thermal Spray Coatings. Researchers in New Zealand have developed novel thermal spray processing treatments which can be used to enahnce the wear, oxidation and corrosion resisitance of materials. However, characterization of the coatings using electron microscopy is essential to understand the relationship between processing conditions and properties. The aim of this project is to draw together specialist expertise and equipment that allows integration ....Processing - Structure Relationships in Thermal Spray Coatings. Researchers in New Zealand have developed novel thermal spray processing treatments which can be used to enahnce the wear, oxidation and corrosion resisitance of materials. However, characterization of the coatings using electron microscopy is essential to understand the relationship between processing conditions and properties. The aim of this project is to draw together specialist expertise and equipment that allows integration of microscopy into the development of these films. Australian researchers will gain access to specialized preparation and testing facilities in New Zealand, whilst researchers from New Zealand will perform structural analysis of these films in Australia.Read moreRead less
Interfacial Structures in Thermal Spray Coatings. The use of coatings on the surfaces of components provides high levels of resistance to mechanical damage, corrosion, oxidation or thermal degradation. As a result, coated components exhibit increased lifetimes and reliability. However, the durability of such components is still crucially limited by the quality of the coating. An improved understanding of the bonding mechanisms that occur during the deposition of such coatings, prepared through t ....Interfacial Structures in Thermal Spray Coatings. The use of coatings on the surfaces of components provides high levels of resistance to mechanical damage, corrosion, oxidation or thermal degradation. As a result, coated components exhibit increased lifetimes and reliability. However, the durability of such components is still crucially limited by the quality of the coating. An improved understanding of the bonding mechanisms that occur during the deposition of such coatings, prepared through thermal spray methods, will provide improvements in coating structure and thus, component performance and lifetime. This will benefit a wide range of manufacturing industries that use such coatings. Read moreRead less
Stronger zinc alloys for more flexible biodegradable stents. This project aims to develop stronger zinc alloys for a new class of biodegradable metallic stents. A key challenge for biodegradable stent technology is to make stents as thin as possible while also being strong. This project will develop ultra-high strength zinc alloys that can be used to fabricate thinner biodegradable stents for easier surgical operation. The project outcomes should be a major step in the design and development of ....Stronger zinc alloys for more flexible biodegradable stents. This project aims to develop stronger zinc alloys for a new class of biodegradable metallic stents. A key challenge for biodegradable stent technology is to make stents as thin as possible while also being strong. This project will develop ultra-high strength zinc alloys that can be used to fabricate thinner biodegradable stents for easier surgical operation. The project outcomes should be a major step in the design and development of a new generation of biodegradable stents that will avoid the risks associated with existing products and potentially create a better life for millions of patients worldwide.Read moreRead less
Biodegradable magnesium alloy scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. This project aims to develop a class of porous, biocompatible, biofunctional and biodegradable magnesium alloy scaffolds with designed pore architecture and mechanical properties mimicking those of natural bone for tissue engineering applications. These magnesium alloy scaffolds will be biocompatible, able to bear loads, and will be gradually replaced by natural bone. The outcomes are expected to benefit the ageing population a ....Biodegradable magnesium alloy scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. This project aims to develop a class of porous, biocompatible, biofunctional and biodegradable magnesium alloy scaffolds with designed pore architecture and mechanical properties mimicking those of natural bone for tissue engineering applications. These magnesium alloy scaffolds will be biocompatible, able to bear loads, and will be gradually replaced by natural bone. The outcomes are expected to benefit the ageing population and people with bone abnormalities.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
Titanium Alloy Scaffolds for Osseointegration Implant Materials. Australians' life expectancies are among the highest in the world. Degeneration of load bearing bones in the elderly of age 65 and over often requires the inception of biomaterial implants. For the hip and knee replacements alone, there are over 52,000 operations performed in Australia each year at an estimated cost of over $500 million. The success of these procedures depends on the implant biomaterials. The outcomes of this proje ....Titanium Alloy Scaffolds for Osseointegration Implant Materials. Australians' life expectancies are among the highest in the world. Degeneration of load bearing bones in the elderly of age 65 and over often requires the inception of biomaterial implants. For the hip and knee replacements alone, there are over 52,000 operations performed in Australia each year at an estimated cost of over $500 million. The success of these procedures depends on the implant biomaterials. The outcomes of this project are a new category of porous bone implant materials for load bearing applications.Read moreRead less
Designs of Periodic Microstructure Materials with Prescribed Multiphysical Properties. The evolutionary structural optimization (ESO) is an Australian initiative, which has made a significant impact on modern structural optimization. In advanced materials areas, Australia has well-established infrastructure and world-class expertise. Exploitation of ESO to advanced materials design will be of "exclusive significance" to Australia. More importantly, the new material design technology will present ....Designs of Periodic Microstructure Materials with Prescribed Multiphysical Properties. The evolutionary structural optimization (ESO) is an Australian initiative, which has made a significant impact on modern structural optimization. In advanced materials areas, Australia has well-established infrastructure and world-class expertise. Exploitation of ESO to advanced materials design will be of "exclusive significance" to Australia. More importantly, the new material design technology will present to Australia an opportunity to lead in this rapidly-growing area, which will definitely underpin Australia's standing as a major contributor and developer in a global materials market. It is expected that fresh classes of futuristic materials can be developed in a cost-effective fashion and add great economic benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less
Peptides Bound To Commonly Used Orthopaedic And Dental Biomaterials:In Vitro And In Vivo Effect On Osteogenesis.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$273,428.00
Summary
In 1992, the orthopaedics industry fitted some 300,000 prosthetic devices, artificial hips, knees, giving this industry a global market of $2.1 billion with a projected market growth exceeding 10% per annum. In (1994-5) 5,717 prosthetic hips and 4,593 knees were surgically implanted in NSW of which 14% of hips and 9.5% of knees were revisions. Considerable health funding is allocated to joint replacement for the nation, although successful, outcomes are finite. Importantly, and aside from costs, ....In 1992, the orthopaedics industry fitted some 300,000 prosthetic devices, artificial hips, knees, giving this industry a global market of $2.1 billion with a projected market growth exceeding 10% per annum. In (1994-5) 5,717 prosthetic hips and 4,593 knees were surgically implanted in NSW of which 14% of hips and 9.5% of knees were revisions. Considerable health funding is allocated to joint replacement for the nation, although successful, outcomes are finite. Importantly, and aside from costs, patients morbidity is high. The major cause of long-term failure of these prosthetic replacements is aseptic loosening, the result of bone loss at the bone-device interface. Novel approaches to development of more efficient implant materials would ultimately lead to major contributions to the mobility and and quality of life for these patients. Considerable effort has been devoted to alter surface characteristics of orthopaedic implants to improve the interlocking of device and skeleton. We were the first to demonstrate that surface chemical modification of biomaterials using selected ions resulted in an enhanced bone formation. This proposal is aimed at chemically modifying the surfaces of commonly used orthopaedic and dental materials, to improve the biocompatibility of new devices and the surface coatings for existing prostheses. Furthermore, this application will build on the in vitro data showing that particular peptides specifically bind osteoblasts and therefore have the potential to provide a surface on a prosthesis that is conducive to bone formation. To date, we have coupled these peptides to metallic surfaces and will proceed to study the osteoblastic phenotype and subsequent osteogenesis. Development of these novel biocompatible surfaces is anticipated to reduce patient morbidity and result in significant health care savings.Read moreRead less