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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100193
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
Super High Resolution Correlative Microscopy: New Research Capability for Bioengineering, Clean Energy, Mineral Processing and Environmental Sciences. Super high resolution correlative microscopy: new research capability for bioengineering, clean energy, mineral processing and environmental sciences: This project will establish the first facility for super high resolution correlative microscopy in Australia. This facility will underpin breakthrough science by providing the capability to combine ....Super High Resolution Correlative Microscopy: New Research Capability for Bioengineering, Clean Energy, Mineral Processing and Environmental Sciences. Super high resolution correlative microscopy: new research capability for bioengineering, clean energy, mineral processing and environmental sciences: This project will establish the first facility for super high resolution correlative microscopy in Australia. This facility will underpin breakthrough science by providing the capability to combine and overlay conventional and super high resolution light microscopy information with electron microscopy information on identical sample locations. This new capability will foster advances in the fundamental understanding of multiscale hybrid organic and inorganic structures and spur the development of advanced (nano)materials and devices with broad applications in bioengineering and biofouling, advanced materials for life sciences, clean energy, water and the environment and mineral processing.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.
Understanding graphitization: developing a model for activated carbons. For over 60 years it has remained a puzzle why some carbons graphitise under heating while others do not. The question is of practical importance as oxidation of non-graphitising carbons produces activated carbon, a product of high value with industrial, medical and environmental applications. Using computational and experimental techniques the project will study the graphitisation process and pinpoint the structural element ....Understanding graphitization: developing a model for activated carbons. For over 60 years it has remained a puzzle why some carbons graphitise under heating while others do not. The question is of practical importance as oxidation of non-graphitising carbons produces activated carbon, a product of high value with industrial, medical and environmental applications. Using computational and experimental techniques the project will study the graphitisation process and pinpoint the structural elements which inhibit it. Based on these findings the project aims to develop a nanoscale atomistic model for activated carbons. This is expected to be an important contribution to the field of chemical engineering in which current models of activated carbon neglect either curvature in the network or the presence of oxygen.Read moreRead less
Benchmarking of advanced scattering probes for materials characterisation. The project seeks to establish the accuracy and validity of different methods of nanoscale structure determination. Nanoscale structure is crucial to the properties of many modern materials with diverse applications: e.g. sensors and actuators in cell phones; smart shock absorbers and fuel injectors in cars; memory devices; drug delivery devices.
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
Next generation hybrid nanomaterials: bispecific antibody-targeted polymers. This project aims to develop and optimise a novel platform technology that will assist in the development of hybrid materials consisting of nanomaterials and biomolecules, which form the basis of many commercial diagnostic devices. A novel antibody, MIL38, will provide the test bed for the technology, which will aim to deliver a platform that is stable under physiological conditions and that enables facile conjugation o ....Next generation hybrid nanomaterials: bispecific antibody-targeted polymers. This project aims to develop and optimise a novel platform technology that will assist in the development of hybrid materials consisting of nanomaterials and biomolecules, which form the basis of many commercial diagnostic devices. A novel antibody, MIL38, will provide the test bed for the technology, which will aim to deliver a platform that is stable under physiological conditions and that enables facile conjugation of nanomaterials with antibodies. This project has the potential to rapidly improve the ligation process between synthetic nanomaterials and biologics, leading to more efficient synthesis of targeted diagnostics. This would provide a significant commercial advantage for any nanomaterials developed for the field, and specifically for this project, expedite translation of MIL38.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101163
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,000.00
Summary
Design of Nanostructured Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting. The project intends to develop electrocatalysts for water splitting (where a chemical reaction separates water into oxygen and hydrogen, providing clean renewable fuel). The efficient use of renewable energy to generate clean fuels will provide a direct solution to the energy issues in Australia. This project aims to develop new catalysts for the water splitting process by taking into account their electronic structures and verifying ....Design of Nanostructured Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting. The project intends to develop electrocatalysts for water splitting (where a chemical reaction separates water into oxygen and hydrogen, providing clean renewable fuel). The efficient use of renewable energy to generate clean fuels will provide a direct solution to the energy issues in Australia. This project aims to develop new catalysts for the water splitting process by taking into account their electronic structures and verifying their apparent activities in devices. The universal principles to be discovered in the project may be important for the discovery of new electrocatalysts for key energy conversion reactions to develop a feasible clean energy infrastructure and solve environmental issues.Read moreRead less