The Interface of Oil-in-Water Emulsions. The interface between two immiscible liquids controls many phenomena including the formation and properties of emulsions, the nature of many chemical separation processes and the behaviour of biological systems. There are few methods to study such interfaces and most of these are susceptible to trace contamination by adventitious surfactants, but emulsions with their large surface area avoid this problem. Significant advances are possible with the new Aus ....The Interface of Oil-in-Water Emulsions. The interface between two immiscible liquids controls many phenomena including the formation and properties of emulsions, the nature of many chemical separation processes and the behaviour of biological systems. There are few methods to study such interfaces and most of these are susceptible to trace contamination by adventitious surfactants, but emulsions with their large surface area avoid this problem. Significant advances are possible with the new Australian technique of electroacoustics, complemented by neutron scattering, nmr, rheological and dielectric response measurements on concentrated emulsions. Our surfactant-free emulsions provide a fundamental breakthrough in such studies, leading to new materials from nanostructures.Read moreRead less
Poly-crystalline Thin Films for LASER Applications. This project is based on a recent discovery which reports LASER emission in disordered media such as polycrystalline ZnO. This behaviour appears to be related to the crystallographic properties of ZnO (wurztite) material. Using a novel deposition process the defect density, size of crystallites and macroscopic orientation within such thin films will be controlled independently. This will provide an opportunity to study the fundamental basis of ....Poly-crystalline Thin Films for LASER Applications. This project is based on a recent discovery which reports LASER emission in disordered media such as polycrystalline ZnO. This behaviour appears to be related to the crystallographic properties of ZnO (wurztite) material. Using a novel deposition process the defect density, size of crystallites and macroscopic orientation within such thin films will be controlled independently. This will provide an opportunity to study the fundamental basis of such behaviour. In conjunction with this the development of structure in similarly produced GaN (wurztite) films will be examined. This work should also provide practical information concerning the potential performance of LASER devices based on disordered materials.Read moreRead less
Closing the Future: New Foundations for the Physics of Possibility. The distinction between a fixed and an open future is deeply embedded in human thought, and also central to some of the most profound puzzles in contemporary physics. By revealing the human origins of out fundamental concepts of possibility in time, this project will enhance our understanding of one of the most basic features of our experience of the world, lay foundations for a new treatment of time and possibility in foundame ....Closing the Future: New Foundations for the Physics of Possibility. The distinction between a fixed and an open future is deeply embedded in human thought, and also central to some of the most profound puzzles in contemporary physics. By revealing the human origins of out fundamental concepts of possibility in time, this project will enhance our understanding of one of the most basic features of our experience of the world, lay foundations for a new treatment of time and possibility in foundamental physics, and throw important new light on the mysteries of the quantum world.Read moreRead less
Inkjet printing bio-functional materials. The proposed research will benefit existing biomedical industries in Australia and provide opportunities for new start-up companies, as well as potentially attracting biomedical industries from overseas to establish a presence in Australia. This exciting area of research will provide an excellent multidisciplinary research environment for the proposed ARC International Fellow. The new bio-inkjet printing equipment, materials and configurations developed ....Inkjet printing bio-functional materials. The proposed research will benefit existing biomedical industries in Australia and provide opportunities for new start-up companies, as well as potentially attracting biomedical industries from overseas to establish a presence in Australia. This exciting area of research will provide an excellent multidisciplinary research environment for the proposed ARC International Fellow. The new bio-inkjet printing equipment, materials and configurations developed here may also have impact on other areas of Bionics, including the development of the next generation Bionic Ear, conduits for spinal cord regeneration as well as for muscle regeneration.Read moreRead less
Thin Films of Oxide Ceramics. Aluminium oxide films are used extensively in the Australian industries of Protective & Decorative Coatings (examples include door-knobs and cutting-tools). The industry will be offered a remarkably simple process for preparation of high quality films. In the microelectronic industry, the uses of aluminium oxide films as a dielectric alternative to silicon dioxide has just started to emerge world - wide and this new process would make a dramatic impact with commerci ....Thin Films of Oxide Ceramics. Aluminium oxide films are used extensively in the Australian industries of Protective & Decorative Coatings (examples include door-knobs and cutting-tools). The industry will be offered a remarkably simple process for preparation of high quality films. In the microelectronic industry, the uses of aluminium oxide films as a dielectric alternative to silicon dioxide has just started to emerge world - wide and this new process would make a dramatic impact with commercial benefits for Australia. Read moreRead less
Stream power and river morphology in partly-confined valleys of coastal New South Wales, Australia. Rivers in the escarpment-dominated catchments of coastal NSW are characterised by confined and partly-confined valley-settings in which channels have little capacity to adjust. The key aim of this project is to determine controls on the distribution of floodplains in this landscape. Particular attention will be placed on the role played by stream power in determining the relationship between val ....Stream power and river morphology in partly-confined valleys of coastal New South Wales, Australia. Rivers in the escarpment-dominated catchments of coastal NSW are characterised by confined and partly-confined valley-settings in which channels have little capacity to adjust. The key aim of this project is to determine controls on the distribution of floodplains in this landscape. Particular attention will be placed on the role played by stream power in determining the relationship between valley incision and lateral expansion processes along river courses. Understanding controls on these rivers is critical in determining how they modify their form in response to various disturbance events (whether 'natural' of human-induced). Results will provide a rigorous basis with which to explain cross-catchment variability in river forms and processes, aiding our capacity to predict future adjustments to disturbance and develop river management strategies that 'work with nature'.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989492
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
Dynamic Texture Measurement Facility. A texture goniometer is an advanced tool for texture characterisation of steels, light alloys, nanomaterials, superconductors and minerals. The ability to conduct dynamic texture measurements will significantly enhance the effectiveness of four material-based research institutes at the University of Wollongong and at Deakin University, as well as collaborative research with BlueScope Steel. The research is directly aligned to the National Research Priority o ....Dynamic Texture Measurement Facility. A texture goniometer is an advanced tool for texture characterisation of steels, light alloys, nanomaterials, superconductors and minerals. The ability to conduct dynamic texture measurements will significantly enhance the effectiveness of four material-based research institutes at the University of Wollongong and at Deakin University, as well as collaborative research with BlueScope Steel. The research is directly aligned to the National Research Priority of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industry. The equipment will provide a valuable resource for industries in the Illawarra region of NSW and in regional South-West Victoria.Read moreRead less
Template-Free Synthesis of Zeolite Nanocrystals and Their Application for Zeolite-Polymer Nanocomposites. A novel method is proposed for template-free synthesis of zeolite nanocrystals, in which polymer hydrogels will be used, in-situ, to control zeolite nucleation and growth from precursor solutions. The as-synthesised and surface modified zeolite nanocrystals will be used to fabricate zeolite-polymer nanocomposites, which will have significant applications in areas including gas separation, ca ....Template-Free Synthesis of Zeolite Nanocrystals and Their Application for Zeolite-Polymer Nanocomposites. A novel method is proposed for template-free synthesis of zeolite nanocrystals, in which polymer hydrogels will be used, in-situ, to control zeolite nucleation and growth from precursor solutions. The as-synthesised and surface modified zeolite nanocrystals will be used to fabricate zeolite-polymer nanocomposites, which will have significant applications in areas including gas separation, catalysts and fuel cells.Read moreRead less
Wave Climate in the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Sea surface roughness has a major influence on global climate modelling. This project will provide a better understanding of the variability of sea waves in coastal waters. New technology of HF ocean radar can map wave fields over coastal waters and thus fill a gap between the open ocean satellite measurements and the point measurements from wave buoys. In this project we will improve the analysis of the radar echoes to produce sea wave spectra, a ....Wave Climate in the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Sea surface roughness has a major influence on global climate modelling. This project will provide a better understanding of the variability of sea waves in coastal waters. New technology of HF ocean radar can map wave fields over coastal waters and thus fill a gap between the open ocean satellite measurements and the point measurements from wave buoys. In this project we will improve the analysis of the radar echoes to produce sea wave spectra, and evaluate focussing of waves by complex currents on the continental shelf to help improve wave forecasting in coastal waters. The HF radar will be used to experimentally test current theories of wind wave spreading.Read moreRead less
The Antarctic ice sheet through the Last Glacial Cycle - numerical modelling constrained by field evidence. The response of the world's largest ice mass to climate change is important because melting leads to a rise in sea level. Our ability to predict changes in ice volume and sea level under a warming climate, will be enhanced by better understanding of past ice sheet responses to changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Improved numerical models now exist that allow realistic simulations of Ant ....The Antarctic ice sheet through the Last Glacial Cycle - numerical modelling constrained by field evidence. The response of the world's largest ice mass to climate change is important because melting leads to a rise in sea level. Our ability to predict changes in ice volume and sea level under a warming climate, will be enhanced by better understanding of past ice sheet responses to changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Improved numerical models now exist that allow realistic simulations of Antarctic ice. These models will be developed further and constrained against existing and new field evidence for the Last Glacial Cycle (last 125,000 years), the period for which we can best define past ice sheet behaviour.Read moreRead less