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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101371
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,592.00
Summary
Boron nitride nanosheets for low energy consumption self-cooling devices. This project aims to investigate the thermal transport mechanism of strained two-dimensional materials for self-cooling thermal management. It expects to generate new knowledge about their unique thermal properties, guiding the use of waste heat generated in electronics for self-cooling. Expected outcomes include a novel energy-effective thermal management strategy and enhanced capacity to engineer thermal transport in two ....Boron nitride nanosheets for low energy consumption self-cooling devices. This project aims to investigate the thermal transport mechanism of strained two-dimensional materials for self-cooling thermal management. It expects to generate new knowledge about their unique thermal properties, guiding the use of waste heat generated in electronics for self-cooling. Expected outcomes include a novel energy-effective thermal management strategy and enhanced capacity to engineer thermal transport in two-dimensional materials that will be deployed in miniaturised and high-density electronics to overcome overheating problems. This will provide significant benefits to the economy and the environment, such as reduced cost, energy consumption and CO2 emissions in thermal management technologies. 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
Diamane: A New Frontier in Materials Science. Single-layer diamond (‘diamane’) is a new frontier of material research although its preparation is still in infancy with many structures predicted possible but have not been made experimentally. Built on a new chemical route for 'graphite to diamane' transformation, this project will address a research gap towards synthesising new diamane(-like) nanostructures and developing an in-depth understanding of the chemically induced phase transformation an ....Diamane: A New Frontier in Materials Science. Single-layer diamond (‘diamane’) is a new frontier of material research although its preparation is still in infancy with many structures predicted possible but have not been made experimentally. Built on a new chemical route for 'graphite to diamane' transformation, this project will address a research gap towards synthesising new diamane(-like) nanostructures and developing an in-depth understanding of the chemically induced phase transformation and structure-property correlations, which will have far-reaching impact on scientific fields beyond carbon research. Preliminary data points to both feasibility and impact for discovering new materials and technologies, which will bring foreseeable scholarly, economic, and social benefits.Read moreRead less
Thermally conductive materials from boron nitride nanosheets. This project aims to produce novel two-dimensional nanomaterials, in the form of functionalised boron nitride nanosheets and investigate their chemical, thermal and mechanical properties. The project expects to design and develop unique boron nitride nanosheets with targeted thermally conductive and electrically insulating properties, to address the critical technological problem of heat management in electronic devices. The resulting ....Thermally conductive materials from boron nitride nanosheets. This project aims to produce novel two-dimensional nanomaterials, in the form of functionalised boron nitride nanosheets and investigate their chemical, thermal and mechanical properties. The project expects to design and develop unique boron nitride nanosheets with targeted thermally conductive and electrically insulating properties, to address the critical technological problem of heat management in electronic devices. The resulting new nanoscience and ground breaking design and processing techniques will have the capacity to address the current technical obstacles which are preventing further development of fast and smaller electronic devices.Read moreRead less
Mid-infrared quantum dots for room temperature photodetectors and emitters. This project aims to develop new technologies for mid-wave infrared (MWIR) cameras based on quantum dots (QDs). These will include MWIR photodetectors based on QD-sensitised photodetectors and MWIR emitters based on QD electroluminescence devices.
This project expects to generate new knowledge in MWIR QDs and in devices that sense and emit infrared light.
Expected outcomes of the project include MWIR cameras that are ....Mid-infrared quantum dots for room temperature photodetectors and emitters. This project aims to develop new technologies for mid-wave infrared (MWIR) cameras based on quantum dots (QDs). These will include MWIR photodetectors based on QD-sensitised photodetectors and MWIR emitters based on QD electroluminescence devices.
This project expects to generate new knowledge in MWIR QDs and in devices that sense and emit infrared light.
Expected outcomes of the project include MWIR cameras that are smaller, lighter, lower in power consumption and cheaper than existing technologies.
This project is expected to provide significant benefits, such as dramatic reductions in the cost of infrared cameras and sensors. The high cost of infrared cameras currently limits their use in Australia largely to defence.
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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