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Tailored porphyrins for nanoscience applications. Porphyrins are the pigments of life, the central components of haemoglobin in blood and chlorophyll in living plants. In order to expand their use into important areas of nanoscience, this project will establish a new porphyrin paradigm. It will result in the synthesis of novel porphyrins with inbuilt structural features that enhance their propensity to self-assemble into monolayers on surfaces, and into nanorods. This will lead to advanced mate ....Tailored porphyrins for nanoscience applications. Porphyrins are the pigments of life, the central components of haemoglobin in blood and chlorophyll in living plants. In order to expand their use into important areas of nanoscience, this project will establish a new porphyrin paradigm. It will result in the synthesis of novel porphyrins with inbuilt structural features that enhance their propensity to self-assemble into monolayers on surfaces, and into nanorods. This will lead to advanced materials for molecular sensing, photonics, molecular memory devices, catalysis, and organic photovoltaics. A new means of improving the efficiency of solar cells will also be explored. Well-trained graduates and strong international scientific cooperation will also result from the project.Read moreRead less
Self-Assembled Porphyrin-Fullerene Photovoltaic Electrodes: Towards Nanostructured Organic Solar Cells. Energy is arguably the single most important problem facing humanity today. The development of cheap, efficient photovoltaic technology could dramatically change this, providing humanity with renewable, environmentally acceptable energy resources. The need to replace present electrical energy generation, largely based on fossil fuel, is without argument given the detrimental effects of global ....Self-Assembled Porphyrin-Fullerene Photovoltaic Electrodes: Towards Nanostructured Organic Solar Cells. Energy is arguably the single most important problem facing humanity today. The development of cheap, efficient photovoltaic technology could dramatically change this, providing humanity with renewable, environmentally acceptable energy resources. The need to replace present electrical energy generation, largely based on fossil fuel, is without argument given the detrimental effects of global warming from increasing carbon dioxide production. The development and implementation of cheap, efficient photovoltaic technologies in Australia will not only ensure its sustainable economic growth but also contribute in a major way to the improved use of land, water, mineral and other energy resources in Australia. Read moreRead less
Supramolecular assembly in photovoltaic electrode design: Studies of ordered porphyrin/acceptor complexes on polythiophene electrodes. This research outlines an improved way to develop dye-sensitised photovoltaic solar cells for the conversion of sunlight into electricity, by increasing the molecular order of the cell components using host, guest interrelationships. As such, it addresses a problem of international concern 'How to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop global warming?' since s ....Supramolecular assembly in photovoltaic electrode design: Studies of ordered porphyrin/acceptor complexes on polythiophene electrodes. This research outlines an improved way to develop dye-sensitised photovoltaic solar cells for the conversion of sunlight into electricity, by increasing the molecular order of the cell components using host, guest interrelationships. As such, it addresses a problem of international concern 'How to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop global warming?' since solar cells do not produce carbon dioxide. To achieve our goals we draw on the skills of a team of experts from Australia (synthetic organic chemists), New Zealand (polymer and surface chemists) and Italy (photochemist and photophysicist). Such research is very appropriate for regional Australia, especially Central Queensland.Read moreRead less
Inception of a Practical, Biomimetic, Flexible Photovoltaic Device. This project will design and synthesise new, complex, functional organic molecules and assemble them to create a new type of photovoltaic cell. This device will be designed using biomimetic principles to emulate many of the efficient photosynthetic solar energy conversion processes that occur in plants. A key feature is that near atomic-level control will be achieved over the entire device structure, facilitating the establish ....Inception of a Practical, Biomimetic, Flexible Photovoltaic Device. This project will design and synthesise new, complex, functional organic molecules and assemble them to create a new type of photovoltaic cell. This device will be designed using biomimetic principles to emulate many of the efficient photosynthetic solar energy conversion processes that occur in plants. A key feature is that near atomic-level control will be achieved over the entire device structure, facilitating the establishment of a clear path towards the commercial production of solar cells that are simultaneously highly efficient, long lasting, flexible, and very cheap to manufacture.Read moreRead less
Development of a test bed for molecular memory and molecular photovoltaic devices. The development of nanostructured materials and the devices that utilize them is at the forefront of modern science and technology. Electrical devices whose functional units are structurally ordered single molecules dominate biochemical processes, especially pertinent ones being photosynthesis and cellular energy production; artificial devices promise new technologies in multi-$B markets such as long-term data st ....Development of a test bed for molecular memory and molecular photovoltaic devices. The development of nanostructured materials and the devices that utilize them is at the forefront of modern science and technology. Electrical devices whose functional units are structurally ordered single molecules dominate biochemical processes, especially pertinent ones being photosynthesis and cellular energy production; artificial devices promise new technologies in multi-$B markets such as long-term data storage and renewable solar-energy production. Interfacing molecules with macroscopic interconnects poses a great technological challenge, however, and in this project the underlying basic science will be determined through the formation of molecules into device-accessible functional materials.Read moreRead less
Molecular Electronics: from electron transfer through photosynthesis towards functional nano devices. Molecular Electronics, the use of molecules to perform specific electronic functions, is a new and very rapidly expanded area of nanotechnology. We will elucidate basic principles of electrical conduction through single molecules, understand and mimic natural photosynthetic molecular electronic processes, and establish by synthesis of "molecular wires" and extension of current technology, new m ....Molecular Electronics: from electron transfer through photosynthesis towards functional nano devices. Molecular Electronics, the use of molecules to perform specific electronic functions, is a new and very rapidly expanded area of nanotechnology. We will elucidate basic principles of electrical conduction through single molecules, understand and mimic natural photosynthetic molecular electronic processes, and establish by synthesis of "molecular wires" and extension of current technology, new methods for probing nanoscale electron transfer. We will combine these aspects to develop applications in photovoltaic design and in the design of molecular-level circuitry. Possible long-term applications range from solar energy conversion to molecular recognition and sensing to new types of electronic processing akin to quantum computing.Read moreRead less
Understanding Electron Transfer through Surface Bound Rigid Molecular Constructs: From Fundamental Studies to New Sensing and Photovoltaic Applications. Electron transfer is not only a vital process in biological systems but is the cornerstone of the new generation of nanoscale devices such as molecular electronics, photovoltaic devices and biosensors. For most applications electron transfer occurs close to a surface but the influence of the surface is not well understood. This project aims ....Understanding Electron Transfer through Surface Bound Rigid Molecular Constructs: From Fundamental Studies to New Sensing and Photovoltaic Applications. Electron transfer is not only a vital process in biological systems but is the cornerstone of the new generation of nanoscale devices such as molecular electronics, photovoltaic devices and biosensors. For most applications electron transfer occurs close to a surface but the influence of the surface is not well understood. This project aims to increase our understanding of the role of surfaces on the electron transfer behaviour using a novel range of rigid 'molecular wires'. The knowledge gained will be exploited in the development of novel biosensors for environmental and health monitoring and new highly efficient solar cells for energy conversion.Read moreRead less
Reactions of Nanoparticles of Metal Oxides and Hydrous Oxides and their Applications in Photocatalysts and Electrode Materials. Australia is a world-leading producer of raw materials of many metallic elements, most of which are exported at low-values. This project will yield important knowledge in new synthetic techniques for making nanostructures of metal oxides. These tiny particles already have a large worldwide market, but the discovery of particles with superior properties or new applicatio ....Reactions of Nanoparticles of Metal Oxides and Hydrous Oxides and their Applications in Photocatalysts and Electrode Materials. Australia is a world-leading producer of raw materials of many metallic elements, most of which are exported at low-values. This project will yield important knowledge in new synthetic techniques for making nanostructures of metal oxides. These tiny particles already have a large worldwide market, but the discovery of particles with superior properties or new applications could lead to new industries and high-value exports. This project aims to devise novel photocatalysts for solar energy conversion and environmental protection, and electrode materials for lithium batteries. It will contribute to the overall competitiveness and productivity of Australian R&D by advancing scientific knowledge and training young researchers.Read moreRead less
New Methods to Harvest Light: Towards Better Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) technology has emerged as a complementary energy source to silicon photovoltaic technology. The efficiency of the DSC relies heavily on sensitizing molecules to absorb solar photons and then transfer electrons to a semi-conducting particle. This project will investigate new sensitizing methods using a combination of different dyes which work cooperatively to absorb a large part of the solar ....New Methods to Harvest Light: Towards Better Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. Dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) technology has emerged as a complementary energy source to silicon photovoltaic technology. The efficiency of the DSC relies heavily on sensitizing molecules to absorb solar photons and then transfer electrons to a semi-conducting particle. This project will investigate new sensitizing methods using a combination of different dyes which work cooperatively to absorb a large part of the solar spectrum and efficiently inject electrons into a semi-conducting particles. The development and understanding of these new methods to sensitize the dye-sensitized solar cell should lead to new and better solar cells.Read moreRead less
An Innovative Solid-State Approach to Enhanced Solar-Hydrogen Production. The project will make a major step towards the development of solar-hydrogen technology, which promises to deliver a clean and renewable fuel - hydrogen - from water (seawater or other) using sunlight and a suitable photo-catalytic material. Not only will solar-hydrogen assist Australia to reduce its dependence on imported energy, but will also reduce Australia's carbon emissions and overall contribution to climate change. ....An Innovative Solid-State Approach to Enhanced Solar-Hydrogen Production. The project will make a major step towards the development of solar-hydrogen technology, which promises to deliver a clean and renewable fuel - hydrogen - from water (seawater or other) using sunlight and a suitable photo-catalytic material. Not only will solar-hydrogen assist Australia to reduce its dependence on imported energy, but will also reduce Australia's carbon emissions and overall contribution to climate change. When commercialized, solar-hydrogen technology may also enable Australia to become a global leader in the export of clean fuel, which will have very positive, far-reaching consequences for the economy.Read moreRead less