Synthesis and Performance of Novel Polymer Resists for 193 nm Immersion Lithography. The semiconductor industry is one of the largest world-wide, with annual revenue of $217B and employing over 1.5M people around the world. This project provides a unique opportunity for development within Australia of significant expertise in the field of polymers for short-wavelength lithography. The materials to be developed are expected to provide the basis of future genertions of microchips. In addition the ....Synthesis and Performance of Novel Polymer Resists for 193 nm Immersion Lithography. The semiconductor industry is one of the largest world-wide, with annual revenue of $217B and employing over 1.5M people around the world. This project provides a unique opportunity for development within Australia of significant expertise in the field of polymers for short-wavelength lithography. The materials to be developed are expected to provide the basis of future genertions of microchips. In addition the materials have applications in other technologies which are manufactured in Australia, for example in spectactle lenses and optical fibres. A major outcome of this project will be establishment of Australia as a world-leader in this rapidly expanding field.Read moreRead less
Between a hot place & hypoxia: Quantifying fish-kill risk in inland rivers. Native fish populations in Australian ephemeral rivers are highly valued but are subject to widespread decline. During drought waterholes serve as critical refuges for native fish, however thermal extremes and hypoxia (lack of oxygen) have led to regular fish-kill events. Whilst we know the general conditions that lead to fish-kills, we do not have a clear understanding of why some species are more tolerant than others, ....Between a hot place & hypoxia: Quantifying fish-kill risk in inland rivers. Native fish populations in Australian ephemeral rivers are highly valued but are subject to widespread decline. During drought waterholes serve as critical refuges for native fish, however thermal extremes and hypoxia (lack of oxygen) have led to regular fish-kill events. Whilst we know the general conditions that lead to fish-kills, we do not have a clear understanding of why some species are more tolerant than others, or how we can help decision-makers anticipate fish-kill risks. This project will combine laboratory ecophysiology investigations and novel field monitoring techniques to develop a next-generation fish habitat model for stakeholders to use to assess fish-kill risks and plan for restoration. Read moreRead less
Polymers for Novel Surfactants. The aim of the proposed research is to develop novel surface-active polymers with complex architectures and more efficient strategies for the synthesis of surface-active polymers in general. We will exploit the polymerization characteristics of the novel catalytic chain transfer and radical addition-fragmentation transfer polymerization techniques to achieve polymerization control that has been virtually impossible hitherto. The proposed research will thus make ....Polymers for Novel Surfactants. The aim of the proposed research is to develop novel surface-active polymers with complex architectures and more efficient strategies for the synthesis of surface-active polymers in general. We will exploit the polymerization characteristics of the novel catalytic chain transfer and radical addition-fragmentation transfer polymerization techniques to achieve polymerization control that has been virtually impossible hitherto. The proposed research will thus make accessible a wide range of novel surface-active polymers that have been impossible to synthesise to date, and which we expect to be more efficient and hence leads to greener technologies.
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Living on the edge: how do Australian plants cope with extreme temperature? Of all the climatic factors determining species distributions, temperature is arguably the most important. It is extremes – rather than averages – that drive species evolution. So it is concerning that although extreme temperature events are increasing in frequency and intensity little is known about the breadth of thermal tolerance of plants from extreme environments. This information is crucial to understand species di ....Living on the edge: how do Australian plants cope with extreme temperature? Of all the climatic factors determining species distributions, temperature is arguably the most important. It is extremes – rather than averages – that drive species evolution. So it is concerning that although extreme temperature events are increasing in frequency and intensity little is known about the breadth of thermal tolerance of plants from extreme environments. This information is crucial to understand species distribution and survival under future climate regimes. This project will ascertain the thermal breadth of Australian species growing in situ and under controlled environments. The project will contribute to development of effective conservation, restoration and rehabilitation plans for Australian native plant communities. Read moreRead less
The culture of weeds: invasion biology, identity and aesthetics in Australia. Weeds are a significant threat to Australia’s biodiversity - but when does a plant become one? Defining plants and landscapes as weedy reflects not only ecological values, but also economics, aesthetics, and national identity. The question of how and why weeds spread reveals cultural values that inform the management of all invasive species.
Reducing plate waste in hotels - which interventions are most effective? This project aims to quantify the comparative effectiveness of belief-based and choice-architecture-based interventions in reducing food waste generated by tourists at hotel buffets. Expected outcomes include: new insights into effective triggers of pro-environmental tourist behaviour; the first empirical data on carbon emissions caused by plate waste in tourism; an automatic plate waste measurement system and benchmarking ....Reducing plate waste in hotels - which interventions are most effective? This project aims to quantify the comparative effectiveness of belief-based and choice-architecture-based interventions in reducing food waste generated by tourists at hotel buffets. Expected outcomes include: new insights into effective triggers of pro-environmental tourist behaviour; the first empirical data on carbon emissions caused by plate waste in tourism; an automatic plate waste measurement system and benchmarking app for monitoring and comparison; and effective practical measures to reduce avoidable food leftovers generated by tourists. This should provide significant benefits by: lowering food cost for the struggling tourism industry, reducing carbon emissions, and contributing to Australia’s aim of halving food waste by 2030.Read moreRead less
On-demand visible light degradable dental materials. This project aims to break new ground in the field of advanced adhesives by pioneering a unique system that can be cleaved with a defined visible light trigger, enabling the removal of previously bonded material without mechanical force. This would allow two materials to be strongly bonded, including dental crowns, braces and implants. The project will advance on-demand degradable materials design, introducing an advanced class of responsive n ....On-demand visible light degradable dental materials. This project aims to break new ground in the field of advanced adhesives by pioneering a unique system that can be cleaved with a defined visible light trigger, enabling the removal of previously bonded material without mechanical force. This would allow two materials to be strongly bonded, including dental crowns, braces and implants. The project will advance on-demand degradable materials design, introducing an advanced class of responsive networks for applications where reversible bonding is critical. It will have flow on benefits in future dental material applications and also have applications where simple-to-remove, temporary adhesives are required.Read moreRead less
Triblock Copolymeric Structures As Novel Dispersants. ICI are one of the largest producers of surface-active compounds in the world. ICI are represented in Australia by National Starch & Chemicals who have significant manufacturing and research/development sites in Sydney and Melbourne. As the fastest growing market for dispersants is SE Asia, it is our intention that if the research is successful that scale up and manufacture will occur at both the Bristish and Australian sites.
Janus particles and nanorattles: new materials for paint technology. This project will pave the way for self cleaning paints that achieve opacity with greatly reduced titanium dioxide levels. Painted surfaces will maintain their clean and new look for longer and a clean town look will be much more readily maintained. More efficient use of titanium dioxide will reduce the need for sand mining and reduce the cost of quality paint.
Reduction of risk in exploration for petroleum liquids. Australia has an urgent need to establish additional reserves of crude oil. A feature of petroleum exploration in recent decades has been discovery of vast reserves of natural gas but an inability to replace our diminishing reserves of crude oil. Clearly new technology is required to enhance our capability to recognise crude oil-prone rather than gas-prone source rocks. The proposed project will establish the fundamental geochemical pro ....Reduction of risk in exploration for petroleum liquids. Australia has an urgent need to establish additional reserves of crude oil. A feature of petroleum exploration in recent decades has been discovery of vast reserves of natural gas but an inability to replace our diminishing reserves of crude oil. Clearly new technology is required to enhance our capability to recognise crude oil-prone rather than gas-prone source rocks. The proposed project will establish the fundamental geochemical processes that will support the potential exploration techniques, developed with Woodside Energy Limited support.Read moreRead less