Microspheres from (Sun)Light – A Sustainable Materials Platform. This project will break new ground in light-induced step-growth precipitation polymerisation techniques for polymer particle formation that do not require any initiator, surfactants, additives or heating, thus constituting an environmentally friendly process. The project will establish the underpinning photochemical particle formation processes and establish a broad monomer base for the production of particles with a wide property ....Microspheres from (Sun)Light – A Sustainable Materials Platform. This project will break new ground in light-induced step-growth precipitation polymerisation techniques for polymer particle formation that do not require any initiator, surfactants, additives or heating, thus constituting an environmentally friendly process. The project will establish the underpinning photochemical particle formation processes and establish a broad monomer base for the production of particles with a wide property profile, including particles with tailored surface properties and the ability to degrade upon a defined trigger signal. Scaling the particles' synthesis, including using Australian sunlight, will enable multi-gram production allowing real-world applications.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL170100014
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,275,680.00
Summary
Light-Induced chemical modularity: a new frontier in macromolecular design. This project aims to develop powerful light-driven chemistries for the modular construction of advanced macromolecular materials. The expected outcome is a versatile, light-based precision macromolecular synthetic technology platform, enabling critical advances in soft matter material design and synthesis, ranging from selectivity control of chemical reactions and information-coded and biomimetic light-responsive macromo ....Light-Induced chemical modularity: a new frontier in macromolecular design. This project aims to develop powerful light-driven chemistries for the modular construction of advanced macromolecular materials. The expected outcome is a versatile, light-based precision macromolecular synthetic technology platform, enabling critical advances in soft matter material design and synthesis, ranging from selectivity control of chemical reactions and information-coded and biomimetic light-responsive macromolecules to advanced functional photoresists for 3D laser lithography as well as materials that self-report structural transformations by light or are reprogrammable in their properties by photonic fields. Harnessing the power of light as a precision tool for the construction of advanced macromolecular materials will provide technology outcomes for Australian manufacturing industries from electronics to health. This includes laser-driven 3D printing technology at the nano-level, light-adaptive smart reprogrammable coatings and materials, synthetic proteins responsive to light as well as tailor-made single cell niches.Read moreRead less
Bioinspired Ceramifiable Fire-Retardant Composite Coatings. This project aims to design bioinspired, adhesive, ceramifiable fire-retardant coatings through understanding their composition-property relationship and fire-retardant mechanism. The fire-retardant coatings are then applied to typical polymer foams to create fire-safe building thermal insulation materials. This project will generate new knowledge in materials science that helps to expedite next-generation advanced fire-retardant coatin ....Bioinspired Ceramifiable Fire-Retardant Composite Coatings. This project aims to design bioinspired, adhesive, ceramifiable fire-retardant coatings through understanding their composition-property relationship and fire-retardant mechanism. The fire-retardant coatings are then applied to typical polymer foams to create fire-safe building thermal insulation materials. This project will generate new knowledge in materials science that helps to expedite next-generation advanced fire-retardant coatings for a variety of flammable substrates. Expected outcomes of this project are cost-effective fire-retardant coatings and fire-safe, inexpensive thermal insulation materials. This project will bring significant economic benefits to Australia and help to create fire-resilient and energy-efficient buildings.Read moreRead less
Multilayer Graphene Based Anti-Corrosion Polymer Coated Structures. This project aims to develop a novel multilayer graphene/polymer coating for structures exposed to corrosive environment with graphene concentration varying layer-wise to eliminate galvanic corrosion yet maintain all unique advantages owing to graphene inclusion, thus offering a cost-effective design solution with significantly improved anti-corrosion performance and remarkably enhanced safety and durability for structures. Expe ....Multilayer Graphene Based Anti-Corrosion Polymer Coated Structures. This project aims to develop a novel multilayer graphene/polymer coating for structures exposed to corrosive environment with graphene concentration varying layer-wise to eliminate galvanic corrosion yet maintain all unique advantages owing to graphene inclusion, thus offering a cost-effective design solution with significantly improved anti-corrosion performance and remarkably enhanced safety and durability for structures. Expected outcomes of this project include an innovative design, experimental data on corrosion prevention, development of reliable simulation techniques and design procedures for the proposed coating. This should provide huge benefits to Australian civil, offshore and marine engineering industry and national economy.Read moreRead less
Advanced Fibre Interfaces in Active Water Management Systems. Flooding is a critical issue in Australia, generating considerable economic losses, including by stormwater contamination. The current project will pioneer an integrated solution for stormwater retention, while removing chemical pollutants. In collaboration with the company ROCKWOOL-Lapinus - based on a stonewool fibre platform - we will (i) design fibre coatings based on a versatile and chemically simple deposition process, (ii) inco ....Advanced Fibre Interfaces in Active Water Management Systems. Flooding is a critical issue in Australia, generating considerable economic losses, including by stormwater contamination. The current project will pioneer an integrated solution for stormwater retention, while removing chemical pollutants. In collaboration with the company ROCKWOOL-Lapinus - based on a stonewool fibre platform - we will (i) design fibre coatings based on a versatile and chemically simple deposition process, (ii) incorporate functionalities onto the fibres allowing active stormwater treatment to e.g. retain pollutants or target heavy metals and (iii) investigate these interfaces in-depth by advanced surface and interface characterisation methods to understand the fibre interface properties from nano- to macroscale.Read moreRead less
Developing high performance nanocomposite coatings for domestic appliances. Insufficient robustness and durability of the polymeric coatings on precoated metal sheets has resulted in unacceptably high product defects and reject rates. This project aims to develop novel and high performance nanocomposite multilayer coatings through the systematic optimisation of epoxy and polyester/ graphene and nanoclay systems. These complex coatings are expected to have considerably improved toughness, hardnes ....Developing high performance nanocomposite coatings for domestic appliances. Insufficient robustness and durability of the polymeric coatings on precoated metal sheets has resulted in unacceptably high product defects and reject rates. This project aims to develop novel and high performance nanocomposite multilayer coatings through the systematic optimisation of epoxy and polyester/ graphene and nanoclay systems. These complex coatings are expected to have considerably improved toughness, hardness and interfacial adhesion, thus enhancing formability and wear resistance of precoated metal sheets. Successful outcomes from this study will not only solve a long-standing problem in the manufacturing of precoated metals, but generate breakthrough technologies for next-generation nanocomposite coatings. Read moreRead less
Photochemical Design of Microstructured Aerospace Materials. Commercial aviation and shipping spend over US$300 billion on fuel and emit almost 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually at an enormous environmental cost. This project will provide the material chemistry innovation basis for the production of drag reduction surfaces that can be applied to enable a more effective airflow over an aircraft, thus reducing fuel consumption. Critically, the material design approach will not only deliv ....Photochemical Design of Microstructured Aerospace Materials. Commercial aviation and shipping spend over US$300 billion on fuel and emit almost 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually at an enormous environmental cost. This project will provide the material chemistry innovation basis for the production of drag reduction surfaces that can be applied to enable a more effective airflow over an aircraft, thus reducing fuel consumption. Critically, the material design approach will not only deliver a high performance coating for the production of drag reduction surfaces, but allow these surfaces to be tailored to specific application profiles including UV resistance and anti-fouling properties. The project will place an Australian company at the forefront of drag reduction technologyRead moreRead less
Precision-built dynamic and functional polymer vesicles. The project aims to create new precision-built polymer vesicles with controlled size, stability, functionality and environmental responsiveness to mimic some of the key dynamic functions of the cell. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the dynamic interplay between the polymer and its bilayer including on-demand activated polymerisations and reactions, logic gates and in situ sensors. Expected outcomes of this project include ....Precision-built dynamic and functional polymer vesicles. The project aims to create new precision-built polymer vesicles with controlled size, stability, functionality and environmental responsiveness to mimic some of the key dynamic functions of the cell. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the dynamic interplay between the polymer and its bilayer including on-demand activated polymerisations and reactions, logic gates and in situ sensors. Expected outcomes of this project include new synthetic polymer techniques and new quantitative insights into the role of compartmentalisation on chemical reactions and polymerisations. This project will provide fundamental knowledge on bio/polymer vesicles with great potential to advance the polymer industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Fire-Retardant Composite Resins for Bushfire-Safe Wind Farm Infrastructures. This project aims to develop advanced fire-retardant composite resins for manufacturing bushfire-safe wind farm infrastructures. The innovation of the project is the development of a new class of low-cost, novel, highly effective fire retardants and their value-added fire-retardant composite resins with well-preserved physical properties. This will be achieved by understanding the composition-property relationship of fi ....Fire-Retardant Composite Resins for Bushfire-Safe Wind Farm Infrastructures. This project aims to develop advanced fire-retardant composite resins for manufacturing bushfire-safe wind farm infrastructures. The innovation of the project is the development of a new class of low-cost, novel, highly effective fire retardants and their value-added fire-retardant composite resins with well-preserved physical properties. This will be achieved by understanding the composition-property relationship of fire retardants and optimising their synthetic parameters. The project will help position Australia’s advanced composite manufacturing at the forefront of technology. It will also accelerate Australia’s energy transition to renewables by enabling bushfire-safe wind farm infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Biomimetic hydrogels. Hydrogels are promising materials to repair and regenerate damaged tissues, but their weak mechanical properties limit their applications. This project aims to develop hydrogels with better mechanical properties by mimicking the way natural tissues, such as cartilage, work. Specifically, we aim to develop a new class of hydrogels by adding molecular polymer brushes to traditional materials. We will design the hydrogels with long-term stability and render them suitable as vi ....Biomimetic hydrogels. Hydrogels are promising materials to repair and regenerate damaged tissues, but their weak mechanical properties limit their applications. This project aims to develop hydrogels with better mechanical properties by mimicking the way natural tissues, such as cartilage, work. Specifically, we aim to develop a new class of hydrogels by adding molecular polymer brushes to traditional materials. We will design the hydrogels with long-term stability and render them suitable as viable hosts for chondrocytes. Through this project, we will grow fundamental knowledge in polymer chemistry and tissue engineering, and pave the way for new technologies to repair damaged joints and tissues.Read moreRead less