Boron Nitride Nanotub Synthesis and Applications. Boron nitride (BN) nanotubes have an analogous structure to carbon nanotubes but offer many electronic and chemical properties. This project aims to synthesis BN nanotubes with controlled structures using a mechano-thermal method involving ball milling of boron powder at room temperature followed by thermal annealing in nitrogen gas. Systematic investigation will be conducted to clarify the fundamental formation mechanism related to various nano ....Boron Nitride Nanotub Synthesis and Applications. Boron nitride (BN) nanotubes have an analogous structure to carbon nanotubes but offer many electronic and chemical properties. This project aims to synthesis BN nanotubes with controlled structures using a mechano-thermal method involving ball milling of boron powder at room temperature followed by thermal annealing in nitrogen gas. Systematic investigation will be conducted to clarify the fundamental formation mechanism related to various nanostructures. New chemical, mechanical and thermal properties and possible applications will be explored. The outcomes of this research will be profoundly understanding of the controlled assembly of small atoms into nanosized tubules and an innovative synthesis technology.Read moreRead less
Optical-spin coupling in the nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond. Australia has made investment in the developing area of quantum information processing where information is stored and processed by manipulating the spin states in solids. One of the most promising materials for this purpose is diamond incorporating nitrogen-vacancy colour centres. The appeal with this material is that the processing can be faster and components smaller as the spins can be controlled by laser beams. This project in ....Optical-spin coupling in the nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond. Australia has made investment in the developing area of quantum information processing where information is stored and processed by manipulating the spin states in solids. One of the most promising materials for this purpose is diamond incorporating nitrogen-vacancy colour centres. The appeal with this material is that the processing can be faster and components smaller as the spins can be controlled by laser beams. This project investigates the control of spin with light to obtain optimum performance.Read moreRead less
Investigating the behaviour of semiconductor materials under extreme pressures. The study of materials at extreme pressures is important and interesting from both a technological and a fundamental perspective. This project will significantly advance the understanding of how semiconductors react to high-pressure environments by exploiting new and innovative approaches to both the application of the extreme pressure and the in-situ measurement of the resultant structures. It will establish a compr ....Investigating the behaviour of semiconductor materials under extreme pressures. The study of materials at extreme pressures is important and interesting from both a technological and a fundamental perspective. This project will significantly advance the understanding of how semiconductors react to high-pressure environments by exploiting new and innovative approaches to both the application of the extreme pressure and the in-situ measurement of the resultant structures. It will establish a comprehensive understanding of the deformation behaviour of semiconductors that will be essential in the search for advanced materials with entirely new properties that may be useful in semiconducting device applications.Read moreRead less
Controlled manipulation of matter-waves in atomic waveguiding structures. This project will enable Australian researchers to actively participate in the cutting edge, internationally competitive research that investigates ways to manipulate and guide large ensembles of ultra-cold atoms and underpins future technological applications in ultra-high-precision metrology and sensors. Australia is currently moving into a prominent position amongst world leaders in this fast-paced research field. The o ....Controlled manipulation of matter-waves in atomic waveguiding structures. This project will enable Australian researchers to actively participate in the cutting edge, internationally competitive research that investigates ways to manipulate and guide large ensembles of ultra-cold atoms and underpins future technological applications in ultra-high-precision metrology and sensors. Australia is currently moving into a prominent position amongst world leaders in this fast-paced research field. The outcomes of this proposal will further raise the prestige of Australian research overseas, and lead to greater acceptance of Australia as a major player in fundamental research. It will also provide outstanding training opportunities for young researchers.Read moreRead less
Swift Heavy Ion Tracks in Semiconductors and Insulators: New Insights using Synchrotron Scattering Experiments. The proposed research will broaden the domestic knowledge base and enhance the national research profile in an important cross-disciplinary and technologically-relevant field with a potential high impact in areas with considerable national activity. It will train young scientists, particularly in the use of two national facilities: the Australian Synchrotron and the ANU Heavy-Ion Accel ....Swift Heavy Ion Tracks in Semiconductors and Insulators: New Insights using Synchrotron Scattering Experiments. The proposed research will broaden the domestic knowledge base and enhance the national research profile in an important cross-disciplinary and technologically-relevant field with a potential high impact in areas with considerable national activity. It will train young scientists, particularly in the use of two national facilities: the Australian Synchrotron and the ANU Heavy-Ion Accelerator facility. Furthermore, domestic capabilities in materials characterization will be bolstered and the collaboration with overseas investigators will facilitate mutually beneficial transfer of expertise. The proposal is consistent with National Research Priority 3 and the Priority Goals: Breakthrough Science and Frontier Technologies. Read moreRead less
Matter-wave vortices in engineered nanostructures. This project tackles some of the key problems which must be solved before any applications of manipulating and controlling Bose-Einstein condensates with nanostructures can be realised. This project is therefore of National Benefit for its advances in critical fundamental research and for the potential applications which may be ultimately derived from harnessing the power of this new state of matter. Australia is at the forefront of this revol ....Matter-wave vortices in engineered nanostructures. This project tackles some of the key problems which must be solved before any applications of manipulating and controlling Bose-Einstein condensates with nanostructures can be realised. This project is therefore of National Benefit for its advances in critical fundamental research and for the potential applications which may be ultimately derived from harnessing the power of this new state of matter. Australia is at the forefront of this revolution in quantum technology. This project furthers Australia's competitive position and opens up new opportunities for ground-breaking research and applications in an area which has the potential to be as revolutionary as the development of the laser.Read moreRead less
Nanoclusters with Extraordinary Properties Made out of Ordinary Materials. Ultrafast laser deposition - a process pioneered by the Applicants - has already demonstrated record yields in the production of carbon-based nano-clustered materials with better control over the size of the nano-particles than any other process. This project aims to improve fundamental understanding of the ultra-fast laser deposition method of nano-fabrication through theoretical and experimental studies, which accurate ....Nanoclusters with Extraordinary Properties Made out of Ordinary Materials. Ultrafast laser deposition - a process pioneered by the Applicants - has already demonstrated record yields in the production of carbon-based nano-clustered materials with better control over the size of the nano-particles than any other process. This project aims to improve fundamental understanding of the ultra-fast laser deposition method of nano-fabrication through theoretical and experimental studies, which accurately correlate the ablation conditions to the structural, electronic, magnetic and optical properties of resulting nano-particles. The results will be applied to efficiently produce nano-clustered materials with tuneable properties for a wide range of new technologies such as spintronics, biophotonics, and nanoclinics.Read moreRead less
High-energy electron scattering of surfaces: new spectroscopies and new physics. Electrons sometimes behave as particles, and sometimes as waves. Both aspects are used when investigating nano-structures with electron beams. In this research program we design and perform experiments to measure sample composition using the particle nature, and the atom positions by using the wave nature of electrons. These novel experiments, using unique spectrometers designed and developed in Australia, are aime ....High-energy electron scattering of surfaces: new spectroscopies and new physics. Electrons sometimes behave as particles, and sometimes as waves. Both aspects are used when investigating nano-structures with electron beams. In this research program we design and perform experiments to measure sample composition using the particle nature, and the atom positions by using the wave nature of electrons. These novel experiments, using unique spectrometers designed and developed in Australia, are aimed at making new forms of electron microscopy possible, but will also result in a better understanding of existing electron microscopies and synchrotron-based measurements.Read moreRead less
Meta-microscopy of insect tissue: How nature grows bicontinuous nanosolids. Several butterfly species grow a complex nano-sculptured matrix whose chiral network structure confers remarkable optical properties, including jewel-like reflections. The formation process remains mysterious and a spectacular case of bottom-up self-assembly at far larger scales than accessible in the lab. The project aims to decipher this process, by (a) tomography of a species where arrested growth sites represent time ....Meta-microscopy of insect tissue: How nature grows bicontinuous nanosolids. Several butterfly species grow a complex nano-sculptured matrix whose chiral network structure confers remarkable optical properties, including jewel-like reflections. The formation process remains mysterious and a spectacular case of bottom-up self-assembly at far larger scales than accessible in the lab. The project aims to decipher this process, by (a) tomography of a species where arrested growth sites represent time-frozen snapshots of the development, and (b) by a combination of micron-resolved in-vivo microscopy of a developing butterfly wing with a growth model to infer nanometer-scale information. This insight will lead to blueprints for self-assembly strategies and shed light on function and form of inner-cellular membranes. Read moreRead less
Single spin molecular microscope. This project aims to create a new tool for imaging and analysing material at the atomic level. The tool is based on individual quantum coherent spins in diamond which can be manipulated and optically read. The project expects to generate knowledge in quantum metrology and an understanding of molecular dynamics at the nanoscale. The expected outcome is a new type of device capable of imaging complex physical systems at the level of their individual constituent co ....Single spin molecular microscope. This project aims to create a new tool for imaging and analysing material at the atomic level. The tool is based on individual quantum coherent spins in diamond which can be manipulated and optically read. The project expects to generate knowledge in quantum metrology and an understanding of molecular dynamics at the nanoscale. The expected outcome is a new type of device capable of imaging complex physical systems at the level of their individual constituent components. This has significant benefits in improving designer materials, energy production, information storage, and drug design.Read moreRead less