Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100748
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,000.00
Summary
Mechanofluorescent Surfaces for Understanding Complex Cell Traction Forces. This project aims to develop pressure-sensing surfaces that directly quantify surface forces, focused towards measuring complex cell traction forces. Understanding cell traction forces is a crucial challenge towards developing new materials for regenerative medicine. The surfaces, consisting of fluorescent polymer brushes, are expected to provide direct information on singular and clustered cell forces, which can reveal ....Mechanofluorescent Surfaces for Understanding Complex Cell Traction Forces. This project aims to develop pressure-sensing surfaces that directly quantify surface forces, focused towards measuring complex cell traction forces. Understanding cell traction forces is a crucial challenge towards developing new materials for regenerative medicine. The surfaces, consisting of fluorescent polymer brushes, are expected to provide direct information on singular and clustered cell forces, which can reveal new insight into how cells interact together. This may provide currently missing information on how cell-surface interaction forces modulate cell growth, differentiation and tissue formation. This insight is crucial to providing the underpinning science that can position Australia at the forefront of regenerative medicine.Read moreRead less
Tuning the electrolytes for high efficiency solar splitting of water. This project will develop a new technology that uses ionic liquids and sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen to be used as a clean fuel. Australia has abundant sunlight, is very close to the growing energy markets of the Asia-Pacific region, and is ideally placed to benefit from this new technology.
Plasmonic Photochemistry: A nanoscopic solution to global energy and environmental problems. Harvesting energy from light sources, including our sun, can provide a significant fraction of the world's energy need over the next century. In order to meet this critical demand, it is crucial to devise ways to transform light energy into chemical fuels. This project aims to create novel nanostructures that directly couple light energy into chemical reactions. This will be achieved by the creation of ....Plasmonic Photochemistry: A nanoscopic solution to global energy and environmental problems. Harvesting energy from light sources, including our sun, can provide a significant fraction of the world's energy need over the next century. In order to meet this critical demand, it is crucial to devise ways to transform light energy into chemical fuels. This project aims to create novel nanostructures that directly couple light energy into chemical reactions. This will be achieved by the creation of metallic nanoparticles that can transform light energy into hot electrons: entities that can efficiently drive the production of chemical fuels in a process similar to that of photosynthesis.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100121
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,000,000.00
Summary
An analytical transmission electron microscope for the investigation of functional materials, earth processes and novel condensed matter. Sustainablity depends on the delivery of clean energy, pristine water and air, and the manufacture of consumer products with small environmental footprints. Modelling long-term impacts requires an understanding of the hydro-geological cycles. The technologies are well known—efficient electronics, fuel cells, lightweight composites, and so on—but delivery is ....An analytical transmission electron microscope for the investigation of functional materials, earth processes and novel condensed matter. Sustainablity depends on the delivery of clean energy, pristine water and air, and the manufacture of consumer products with small environmental footprints. Modelling long-term impacts requires an understanding of the hydro-geological cycles. The technologies are well known—efficient electronics, fuel cells, lightweight composites, and so on—but delivery is not straightforward. It is clear, however, that novel materials manipulated at fine scales will be key. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) guides the development of sustainable technologies. The new TEM facility at ANU will accelerate current studies, by enhancing the materials research portfolio, and extending national and international collaborations in materials, geological and earth sciences.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100033
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,200,000.00
Summary
In situ Environmental Electron Microscope Facility. This project aims to establish an In situ Environmental Electron Microscope Facility to characterise real-time and dynamic changes in nanomaterials at the atomic scale. We will combine a cutting-edge 'in situ' gas/heating/electrical bias holder with new camera and analysis technology on a transmission electron microscope. This facility will be a sophisticated suite of equipment that will innovate and transform microscopy in Australia to image s ....In situ Environmental Electron Microscope Facility. This project aims to establish an In situ Environmental Electron Microscope Facility to characterise real-time and dynamic changes in nanomaterials at the atomic scale. We will combine a cutting-edge 'in situ' gas/heating/electrical bias holder with new camera and analysis technology on a transmission electron microscope. This facility will be a sophisticated suite of equipment that will innovate and transform microscopy in Australia to image structural and compositional changes of materials under stimuli at a speed and resolution previously unachievable. This project will drive pioneering research in the fields of Materials Science, Chemistry and Catalysis to solve problems in advanced manufacturing, energy, technology and the environment.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$541,705.00
Summary
National facility for nanoscale characterisation of luminescent materials. The project aims to establish a national facility for nanoscale characterisation of advanced optoelectronic materials, including atomically-thin materials, luminescent nanocrystals, metamaterials, and plasmonic nanostructures. The combination of a highly focused electron beam, and novel light detection optics, will enable temperature-dependent, angle, polarisation and time-resolved luminescence analysis with unprecedented ....National facility for nanoscale characterisation of luminescent materials. The project aims to establish a national facility for nanoscale characterisation of advanced optoelectronic materials, including atomically-thin materials, luminescent nanocrystals, metamaterials, and plasmonic nanostructures. The combination of a highly focused electron beam, and novel light detection optics, will enable temperature-dependent, angle, polarisation and time-resolved luminescence analysis with unprecedented resolution. It is expected this will yield discoveries in nanoscale physics and materials science. It will create interdisciplinary collaborations by linking Australian scientists who use high-resolution multimodal characterisation methods to innovate and develop materials and device technologies.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100541
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,220.00
Summary
Fabrication of Free-Standing Plasmonic Nanopeapods for Nanophotonic Applications. Nanoparticle plasmonics is an emerging field in nanoscience and nanotechnology, which exploits the unique optical properties of metallic nanostructures to route and manipulate light without diffraction limit. However, it remains challenging to construct structurally well-defined nanostructures with high throughput at large scale. This project aims to develop inexpensive strategy to fabricate free-standing one-dimen ....Fabrication of Free-Standing Plasmonic Nanopeapods for Nanophotonic Applications. Nanoparticle plasmonics is an emerging field in nanoscience and nanotechnology, which exploits the unique optical properties of metallic nanostructures to route and manipulate light without diffraction limit. However, it remains challenging to construct structurally well-defined nanostructures with high throughput at large scale. This project aims to develop inexpensive strategy to fabricate free-standing one-dimensional ordered assemblies of plasmonic nanoparticles for their applications in future nanophotonic circuits and next generation computing technology. This will generate new knowledge and patentable technologies.Read moreRead less
Boolean plasmonics: the design of nano-optical logic gates. The success of this project will see the development of an all-optical nano-scale logic gate. Such a device will drastically improve communications and information technology. Standard lithographic techniques will be used ensuring reproducibility and mass production, placing Australia at the forefront of the photonic market.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100592
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Fabrication strategies for nanophotonic devices. The project will develop novel strategies to engineer nanophotonic entities to control and guide light at the nanoscale. These nanostructures will open up new avenues for integrated multifunctional devices spanning sensing, light emission and quantum communications, positioning Australia at the frontier of nanoscience and quantum technologies.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100715
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,000.00
Summary
Tunable plasmonics in ultra-doped transition metal oxides and chalcogenides. The project is designed to explore new classes of plasmonic materials based on low-dimensional transition metal oxide and chalcogenide nanostructures. These crystals, with stratified structures and high surface affinities to charged particles, present a new frontier in plasmonics by allowing reversible stimuli induced doping and defect embedding. The project plans to focus on achieving tunable plasmonic properties acros ....Tunable plasmonics in ultra-doped transition metal oxides and chalcogenides. The project is designed to explore new classes of plasmonic materials based on low-dimensional transition metal oxide and chalcogenide nanostructures. These crystals, with stratified structures and high surface affinities to charged particles, present a new frontier in plasmonics by allowing reversible stimuli induced doping and defect embedding. The project plans to focus on achieving tunable plasmonic properties across a broad spectrum from ultraviolet to infrared light. Targets are systems with low propagation losses or ultra-sensitivity towards environmental changes. The anticipated outcomes will serve as a base to establish the next generation plasmonic communication and sensing systems with active on-chip controllability, which could be used as the base of future telecommunications, energy harvesting and sensing systems.Read moreRead less