Programming anisotropy into responsive soft materials. The project aims to generate viscoelastic soft materials with programmable anisotropy using aqueous suspensions of colloidal rods that have tunable surface coatings. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the rheology and structural characteristics of this unique class of materials. A key innovation is the use of charge-directed polymer self-assembly to control colloidal interactions, suspension rheology and phase behaviour. The in ....Programming anisotropy into responsive soft materials. The project aims to generate viscoelastic soft materials with programmable anisotropy using aqueous suspensions of colloidal rods that have tunable surface coatings. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the rheology and structural characteristics of this unique class of materials. A key innovation is the use of charge-directed polymer self-assembly to control colloidal interactions, suspension rheology and phase behaviour. The intended outcome is spatial control over the orientation of nanostructures, potentially mimicking the structural hierarchy found in nature. This should provide significant benefits to the creation of viscoelastic materials with complex rheology as well as structural, mechanical and optical heterogeneity.Read moreRead less
Plant based foods: Towards sustainable and acceptable meat analogues. The project aims to address the need for engineering plant-based food products to deliver a sensory experience akin to meat. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the structural drivers for emulating meat-like texture and taste within burger products. Expected outcomes of this project include new ingredients and food characterisation methodologies, including rheology and sensory, which can be employed in rational ....Plant based foods: Towards sustainable and acceptable meat analogues. The project aims to address the need for engineering plant-based food products to deliver a sensory experience akin to meat. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the structural drivers for emulating meat-like texture and taste within burger products. Expected outcomes of this project include new ingredients and food characterisation methodologies, including rheology and sensory, which can be employed in rational food structure design. This should provide significant benefits in enhancing the consumer acceptance of plant-based foods that is required to support the rapidly growing market opportunity for them and sustainable food production.Read moreRead less
Developing a smart supervisory control system for pan stage operations in sugar factories. This project aims to develop a prototype smart supervisory control system for pan stage crystallisation operations in raw sugar processing. Intelligent systems technologies will be tailored to provide a standardised approach for pan operations by using key process measurements and combining them with the collective expertise and knowledge of pan operators. This project will lead to a significant advance in ....Developing a smart supervisory control system for pan stage operations in sugar factories. This project aims to develop a prototype smart supervisory control system for pan stage crystallisation operations in raw sugar processing. Intelligent systems technologies will be tailored to provide a standardised approach for pan operations by using key process measurements and combining them with the collective expertise and knowledge of pan operators. This project will lead to a significant advance in the development of intelligent systems techniques for industrial applications and provide a better decision making strategy for pan stage operations with the benefit of reduced costs of sugar manufacture and increased profitability of the Australian sugar industry.Read moreRead less
Development of smart material for the adsorption of oil spills on roads. The cost of road fuel spills in both Australia and worldwide is enormous. The research objective is to develop an admixture suitable for the absorption/adsorption of fuel and oil from road spills. The material will be designed to be contained within a fabric. The innovation is the application of the admixture in the form of a carpet, which is designed as easily used, non-toxic, recyclable and environmentally friendly. T ....Development of smart material for the adsorption of oil spills on roads. The cost of road fuel spills in both Australia and worldwide is enormous. The research objective is to develop an admixture suitable for the absorption/adsorption of fuel and oil from road spills. The material will be designed to be contained within a fabric. The innovation is the application of the admixture in the form of a carpet, which is designed as easily used, non-toxic, recyclable and environmentally friendly. The application is rapid. The successful development of the material has enormous economic benefits to Australia, providing a new industry with many employees. This new industry has the potential to bring great wealth to Australia.Read moreRead less
Multiscale viscoelastic lubrication of soft matter systems. The project aims to develop new principles of viscoelastic lubrication in soft contacts. New insights into friction behaviour arising from complex fluid-substrate interactions are expected to be generated using techniques and interdisciplinary approaches that bridge rheology, tribology and surface science. The intended outcome is a lubrication model that interprets the contribution of viscoelastic effects occurring across multiple lengt ....Multiscale viscoelastic lubrication of soft matter systems. The project aims to develop new principles of viscoelastic lubrication in soft contacts. New insights into friction behaviour arising from complex fluid-substrate interactions are expected to be generated using techniques and interdisciplinary approaches that bridge rheology, tribology and surface science. The intended outcome is a lubrication model that interprets the contribution of viscoelastic effects occurring across multiple length and time scales. This should provide significant benefits to diverse fields including advanced materials and complex fluids, engineering tribology, bio-lubrication and food structure design.Read moreRead less
Engineering Nanostructured Bio-inspired Products. New nanostructured products that draw on biology promise to revolutionise our lives and economy. Designer emulsions and self-assembling particles inspired by viruses are two such products that form the focus for this research programme. The constitutive behaviour of bio-molecular films that control emulsion performance will be characterised and linked to molecular properties and manufacturing conditions. A broad-based technology platform for t ....Engineering Nanostructured Bio-inspired Products. New nanostructured products that draw on biology promise to revolutionise our lives and economy. Designer emulsions and self-assembling particles inspired by viruses are two such products that form the focus for this research programme. The constitutive behaviour of bio-molecular films that control emulsion performance will be characterised and linked to molecular properties and manufacturing conditions. A broad-based technology platform for the in vitro creation of self-assembling biological nanoparticles will also be developed. Key outcomes will be valuable IPR and fundamental engineering science knowledge to ensure that the value chain for this class of products can deliver commercial outcomes.Read moreRead less
Enabling the design of superior healthy snack foods and beverages through innovative assessment of oral processing and mucosal film interactions. Reducing sugar and fat in foods generally leads to products that are perceived as less flavoursome and appealing. A significant contributor to this is the interaction of foods and beverages with oral mucosal substrates, which play a key role in perceptual processes that drive unacceptable mouthfeel sensations. This project seeks to develop and use oral ....Enabling the design of superior healthy snack foods and beverages through innovative assessment of oral processing and mucosal film interactions. Reducing sugar and fat in foods generally leads to products that are perceived as less flavoursome and appealing. A significant contributor to this is the interaction of foods and beverages with oral mucosal substrates, which play a key role in perceptual processes that drive unacceptable mouthfeel sensations. This project seeks to develop and use oral mimetic substrates to permit objective and quantified rheological and tribological responses, imitating the underlying physics occurring during food oral processing that drive dynamic sensory responses. The project aims to enable a mechanism-based approach to minimise the amounts of fat, salt and sugar required for sensory properties that meet consumer expectations.Read moreRead less
Engineering biomimetic lubrication with mucin. Engineering coatings for water to be an effective lubricant is a significant challenge. The project seeks to emulate how nature builds highly lubricating water-rich polymer films on biological surfaces. This is intended to be achieved by directing the self-assembly of mucin macromolecules onto polymer brushes attached to a substrate, and then cross-linking the constituents to obtain a hydrated gel-like lubricating coating. This research is expected ....Engineering biomimetic lubrication with mucin. Engineering coatings for water to be an effective lubricant is a significant challenge. The project seeks to emulate how nature builds highly lubricating water-rich polymer films on biological surfaces. This is intended to be achieved by directing the self-assembly of mucin macromolecules onto polymer brushes attached to a substrate, and then cross-linking the constituents to obtain a hydrated gel-like lubricating coating. This research is expected to provide new insights on the mechanisms by which mucin-rich fluids lubricate and protect biosurfaces, which is important to human health, nutrition and well-being. It may also lead to new discoveries for engineering surface coatings for biomaterials and nanomaterials.Read moreRead less
Very thin, highly oriented and featured diamond films. The technology for making very thin diamond films, having sculpted surface features and fabricated from tiny and highly oriented individual diamond crystallites, would enable widespread potential applications, including eg surface acoustic wave devices, optical biosensors for ?lab-on-a-chip?, and field emitter arrays for paper thin, bright and wide angle flat panel displays, amongst others. Diamond is uniquely suited to these applications, ....Very thin, highly oriented and featured diamond films. The technology for making very thin diamond films, having sculpted surface features and fabricated from tiny and highly oriented individual diamond crystallites, would enable widespread potential applications, including eg surface acoustic wave devices, optical biosensors for ?lab-on-a-chip?, and field emitter arrays for paper thin, bright and wide angle flat panel displays, amongst others. Diamond is uniquely suited to these applications, and the capability to manipulate film properties and features which is the key requirement, is within grasp.Read moreRead less
Production of structured designer particles with high encapsulation capacities and efficiencies. This project aims to develop a superior encapsulation technology that is capable of producing particles with precisely controlled physical and chemical properties. The technology has application in a wide range of industries requiring packaging active ingredients into particle form to achieve desirable end-use performances. It has an economic impact of multibillion dollars per annum. In particular, i ....Production of structured designer particles with high encapsulation capacities and efficiencies. This project aims to develop a superior encapsulation technology that is capable of producing particles with precisely controlled physical and chemical properties. The technology has application in a wide range of industries requiring packaging active ingredients into particle form to achieve desirable end-use performances. It has an economic impact of multibillion dollars per annum. In particular, it will facilitate the release of new drugs to the market for the pharmaceutical industry, and increase the range and improve the availability of quality foods for the food industry. This will bring about a healthier life style to the Australian population.Read moreRead less