Rare isotopes as tracers of prosthesis debris. The incidence of knee replacement surgery in Australia is 30,000 per year. Limited by wear debris, the lifespan of knee implants is only 10-15 years and can be much shorter. Due to increasing life expectancy, many patients need several surgical procedures. As a multi-disciplinary team of materials-, isotope-tracing- and medical-experts, we aim to understand and monitor wear debris in prostheses. Knee replacement surgery alone imposes a high burden o ....Rare isotopes as tracers of prosthesis debris. The incidence of knee replacement surgery in Australia is 30,000 per year. Limited by wear debris, the lifespan of knee implants is only 10-15 years and can be much shorter. Due to increasing life expectancy, many patients need several surgical procedures. As a multi-disciplinary team of materials-, isotope-tracing- and medical-experts, we aim to understand and monitor wear debris in prostheses. Knee replacement surgery alone imposes a high burden of annually half a billion dollars on the Australian health budget. Controlling and reducing wear debris in prosthesis joints would reduce these costs and improve patients' quality of life.Read moreRead less
A Cost-Effective System for Monitoring Lightning Strikes Across Australasia. Lightning causes many major fires in Australia, and rural fire managers would benefit from access to lighting data. Lightning data have been prohibitively expensive because acquiring them requires a dense monitoring network. Low Frequency Electromagnetic Research Ltd (LF*EM) has developed an alternative, cost-effective technology for monitoring lightning based on a sparse network of stations monitoring VLF radiation. We ....A Cost-Effective System for Monitoring Lightning Strikes Across Australasia. Lightning causes many major fires in Australia, and rural fire managers would benefit from access to lighting data. Lightning data have been prohibitively expensive because acquiring them requires a dense monitoring network. Low Frequency Electromagnetic Research Ltd (LF*EM) has developed an alternative, cost-effective technology for monitoring lightning based on a sparse network of stations monitoring VLF radiation. We propose to translate LF*EM's basic science results into a product that can deliver lightning data to fire managers and other users across Oceania.Read moreRead less
Fibre Optic Dosimeters for Medical and Environmental Applications. We will develop fibre optic dosimeters for environmental monitoring and radiation therapy. A novel approach using refractive index gradients will be used to capture scintillator light while rejecting noise. New knowledge will be gained of the mechanisms of radiation damage in scintillators and glasses. The small, flexible, accurate fibre optic dosimeters will be equivalent in absorbing characteristics to human tissue, making them ....Fibre Optic Dosimeters for Medical and Environmental Applications. We will develop fibre optic dosimeters for environmental monitoring and radiation therapy. A novel approach using refractive index gradients will be used to capture scintillator light while rejecting noise. New knowledge will be gained of the mechanisms of radiation damage in scintillators and glasses. The small, flexible, accurate fibre optic dosimeters will be equivalent in absorbing characteristics to human tissue, making them superior to all currently available dosimeters. Fibre optic dosimeters will enable new adaptive radiotherapy techniques and provide quality assurance of dose delivery in radiotherapy. Their multiplexing capability will lead to applications in monitoring of workplaces and aerospace environments.Read moreRead less
Compact high voltage superconducting fault current limiter employing a new core architecture and novel magnetic materials. The proposed project is an example of applied research that utilises a frontier technology (superconductors) in an application with both national and community benefits. Fault current limiters are designed to protect electricity grids. The integration of superconductors in fault current limiting applications allows for this protection to be achieved in an energy efficient ma ....Compact high voltage superconducting fault current limiter employing a new core architecture and novel magnetic materials. The proposed project is an example of applied research that utilises a frontier technology (superconductors) in an application with both national and community benefits. Fault current limiters are designed to protect electricity grids. The integration of superconductors in fault current limiting applications allows for this protection to be achieved in an energy efficient manner, since negligible impedance is applied to the network during the un-faulted state. Effective and efficient protection of the electricity network is of national interest, with any failure affecting industry and individuals. The proposed research team is in a leading position to develop the potential of this technology for both national networks and a world market.Read moreRead less
Development of Magnesium Diboride Superconductor Wires with High Upper Critical Field for MRI Applications. The aim of the program is to demonstrate the superconducting magnesium diboride (MgB2) wires with improved upper critical field (Hc2,) appropriate for large-scale applications. The basic idea will be based on the two-gap superconductivity to add well-distributed impurities which will act as scatterers, increasing resistivity, and thus Hc2. The core innovation of this proposal is based on t ....Development of Magnesium Diboride Superconductor Wires with High Upper Critical Field for MRI Applications. The aim of the program is to demonstrate the superconducting magnesium diboride (MgB2) wires with improved upper critical field (Hc2,) appropriate for large-scale applications. The basic idea will be based on the two-gap superconductivity to add well-distributed impurities which will act as scatterers, increasing resistivity, and thus Hc2. The core innovation of this proposal is based on the recent breakthrough in MgB2 that was made by the CIs through nano-SiC particle doping, which achieved a record high Hc2 in bulk form and enhancement of critical current density, Jc, in magnetic fields by an order of magnitude. The expected outcome is the development of superconducting MgB2 wires and coils with high Hc2 and Jc for MRI applications.Read moreRead less
Fabrication of Magnesium Diboride (MgB2) thick films. The recent discovery of superconductivity at 39 K in MgB2 has stimulated considerable interest in terms of both fundamental research and applications. The purpose of the proposed project is to conduct fundamental studies on the synthesis, structures and microstructures, and physical properties of doped and undoped MgB2 thick films. The ultimate goal of this study is to fabricate high quality MgB2 thick films on different substrates and to gai ....Fabrication of Magnesium Diboride (MgB2) thick films. The recent discovery of superconductivity at 39 K in MgB2 has stimulated considerable interest in terms of both fundamental research and applications. The purpose of the proposed project is to conduct fundamental studies on the synthesis, structures and microstructures, and physical properties of doped and undoped MgB2 thick films. The ultimate goal of this study is to fabricate high quality MgB2 thick films on different substrates and to gain a better understanding of their various properties with a view to device application.Read moreRead less
Magnesium diboride superconductor magnets for applications. The proposed development of magnesium diboride magnets is one of the core technologies that underlie applications in magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic separators, and other devices. The proposed international research consortium is in a leading position to explore the potential of these superconductor magnets for various applications. A breakthrough in the current proposal will lead to widespread commercial activities in a number of ....Magnesium diboride superconductor magnets for applications. The proposed development of magnesium diboride magnets is one of the core technologies that underlie applications in magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic separators, and other devices. The proposed international research consortium is in a leading position to explore the potential of these superconductor magnets for various applications. A breakthrough in the current proposal will lead to widespread commercial activities in a number of industry sectors: mineral separation, health, electric power, transportation, water purification, drug delivery, and space/aviation. Application of the proposal's outcomes will lead to enormous energy savings and environmental benefits. Read moreRead less
Power scaling of remote plasma sources for gallium nitride film growth with real-time monitoring of activated nitrogen species. Domestic, industrial and community lighting currently accounts for ~20% of the world's overall energy consumption. Commonly used incandescent lights are based on inefficient, century-old technologies. In contrast, light emitting diodes (LEDs) use ~80% less energy and last ~100 times longer. LED deployment will bring substantial economic and environmental benefits for Au ....Power scaling of remote plasma sources for gallium nitride film growth with real-time monitoring of activated nitrogen species. Domestic, industrial and community lighting currently accounts for ~20% of the world's overall energy consumption. Commonly used incandescent lights are based on inefficient, century-old technologies. In contrast, light emitting diodes (LEDs) use ~80% less energy and last ~100 times longer. LED deployment will bring substantial economic and environmental benefits for Australia and globally. Next generation high-efficiency LEDs for lighting, will operate with reduced energy consumption, thus contributing to reaching future national targets for CO2 emission reduction. This project will achieve reduced production cost of a key LED material, and will support Australia's leadership in a growing global semiconductor manufacturing industry.Read moreRead less
Development of superconducting leads with ultra-low thermal conductivity for cryoelectronic applications. Superconducting systems are revolutionary technologies that have the potential to make a significant impact on society. The development of the new technology of superconducting wiring, which would effectively eliminate heat generation and its transfer to the cryogenic electronics, and its subsequent employment will enable superconductive electronics to become price competitive, significantly ....Development of superconducting leads with ultra-low thermal conductivity for cryoelectronic applications. Superconducting systems are revolutionary technologies that have the potential to make a significant impact on society. The development of the new technology of superconducting wiring, which would effectively eliminate heat generation and its transfer to the cryogenic electronics, and its subsequent employment will enable superconductive electronics to become price competitive, significantly outperforming conventional systems. The establishment of this new frontier technology of heat-switch current leads will benefit Australian industries and have a dramatic impact in the future on the field of cryogenic quantum electronics (such as quantum computing), which is currently under profound exploration in Australia.Read moreRead less
A novel approach to direct nanopatterning of silicon for advanced phase-changed devices. This project will exploit key research developments at ANU in the field of nanotechnology, specifically nanofabrication of entirely new devices. In particular, this work will be exploited by a new Australian high-tech company, WRiota, to produce novel silicon phase change devices. The instrumentation developments will be commercialized by a leading nanoindentation company and the materials and device-related ....A novel approach to direct nanopatterning of silicon for advanced phase-changed devices. This project will exploit key research developments at ANU in the field of nanotechnology, specifically nanofabrication of entirely new devices. In particular, this work will be exploited by a new Australian high-tech company, WRiota, to produce novel silicon phase change devices. The instrumentation developments will be commercialized by a leading nanoindentation company and the materials and device-related outcomes and IP will be retained and used by WRiota. This project will further provide valuable opportunities for a number of research students and ECRs to gain experience in both the industrial and academic worlds.Read moreRead less