Advanced Materials from Automated Synthesis of Sequence-Defined Polymers. The project aims to develop industrially scalable and environmentally friendly methods for synthesis of sequence-defined multiblock copolymers (polymer chains containing segments of different polymer types) using automated synthesis methods. The materials to be explored will be largely based on renewable biomass-derived monomeric building blocks. Such polymers are able to undergo microphase separation into spatially period ....Advanced Materials from Automated Synthesis of Sequence-Defined Polymers. The project aims to develop industrially scalable and environmentally friendly methods for synthesis of sequence-defined multiblock copolymers (polymer chains containing segments of different polymer types) using automated synthesis methods. The materials to be explored will be largely based on renewable biomass-derived monomeric building blocks. Such polymers are able to undergo microphase separation into spatially periodic compositional patterns, thereby providing access to a vast range of nano-engineered materials. This would enable design and synthesis of new advanced materials, making use of renewable resources and supporting the circular economy, with diverse potential applications ranging from nanomedicine to materials science.Read moreRead less
Faster, greener, stronger: a new approach to synthesis of polymer materials. The project will investigate new approaches towards polymer material synthesis in the complete absence of hazardous solvents, with the aim of creating materials that have superior physical or chemical properties compared to those prepared using existing methods. This project is significant for driving advances in material design and characterization using simple starting materials and environmentally sustainable conditi ....Faster, greener, stronger: a new approach to synthesis of polymer materials. The project will investigate new approaches towards polymer material synthesis in the complete absence of hazardous solvents, with the aim of creating materials that have superior physical or chemical properties compared to those prepared using existing methods. This project is significant for driving advances in material design and characterization using simple starting materials and environmentally sustainable conditions. Expected outcomes include the production of unique nanomaterials, hydrogels and polymer monoliths with targeted applications, in addition to advances in 3D printing. This project will significantly benefit the sustainable material manufacturing industry into the future.Read moreRead less
An in-built depolymerisation solution for polyethylene waste. This project aims to design enzymes that can be embedded into polyethylene, and later activated by the elevated temperatures of a compost heap, to depolymerise the plastic to small molecules. There are no good options available for the controlled decomposition of polyethylene waste at present, and instead researchers have focussed on solutions that rely on modifications to the underlying chemistry of the backbone and or collection to ....An in-built depolymerisation solution for polyethylene waste. This project aims to design enzymes that can be embedded into polyethylene, and later activated by the elevated temperatures of a compost heap, to depolymerise the plastic to small molecules. There are no good options available for the controlled decomposition of polyethylene waste at present, and instead researchers have focussed on solutions that rely on modifications to the underlying chemistry of the backbone and or collection to a central facility. Our approach would result in an in-built decomposition that does not require collection and recycling in a central facility. Since it is based on a depolymerisation mechanism it does not result in the production of harmful, partially disintegrated microplastics.Read moreRead less
Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occu ....Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occur naturally via various microbial means and from insects, like Galleria mellonella larvae. The overall aim of this research project is to understand plastic biodegradation and translate nature’s solutions into flexible and efficient synthetic enzyme technologies that can sustainably recycle commonly used PU foams. Read moreRead less
Innovative Double Patterning Strategies for Integrated Circuit Manufacture. The global computer chips industry is predicted to be worth in excess of 1.5 trillion USD by 2030. Despite its success, the industry is under threat due to rising costs of manufacture of the latest chips, in large part because of the complexity of the manufacturing process. This project aims to introduce new polymers for production of computer chips and, in collaboration with our industry partner, develop new methods of ....Innovative Double Patterning Strategies for Integrated Circuit Manufacture. The global computer chips industry is predicted to be worth in excess of 1.5 trillion USD by 2030. Despite its success, the industry is under threat due to rising costs of manufacture of the latest chips, in large part because of the complexity of the manufacturing process. This project aims to introduce new polymers for production of computer chips and, in collaboration with our industry partner, develop new methods of manufacture to enable the next generation of chips. The project has potential to generate valuable intellectual property, support new processes and equipment for our partners, and help train the next generation of Australian researchers in the growing field of polymeric nanotechnology. Read moreRead less
Carbon fibre thermoplastics as next-generation carbon fibre composites. By combining sizing, chemical grafting, and nano-reinforcement strategies, this project develops chemically and thermally robust thermoplastic interfacial sizing for carbon fiber/thermoplastic composites for rapid manufacturing. Thermostamped carbon fiber/thermoplastic composite prototypes will be used to verify the sizing. In order to demonstrate industrial viability, recyclability and reprocessability analyses will be cond ....Carbon fibre thermoplastics as next-generation carbon fibre composites. By combining sizing, chemical grafting, and nano-reinforcement strategies, this project develops chemically and thermally robust thermoplastic interfacial sizing for carbon fiber/thermoplastic composites for rapid manufacturing. Thermostamped carbon fiber/thermoplastic composite prototypes will be used to verify the sizing. In order to demonstrate industrial viability, recyclability and reprocessability analyses will be conducted. This sizing method can enable high-performance thermoplastic composites in nonaerospace applications with its atomistic level modelling and comprehensive characterisation routine. A key objective of this study is to produce sustainably manufactured composite materials that are also commercially relevant.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Reversible Polymerisation. This project aims to address the problem of the current lack of efficient chemical recyclability of polymers. For the majority of polymers, no methods exist so far that are scalable and economic at the same time. To reach this aim, we will utilise a mixture of clever chemical concepts with continuous flow engineering. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of depolymerisation and chemical recycling methods. The expected outcome of this p ....Sustainable Reversible Polymerisation. This project aims to address the problem of the current lack of efficient chemical recyclability of polymers. For the majority of polymers, no methods exist so far that are scalable and economic at the same time. To reach this aim, we will utilise a mixture of clever chemical concepts with continuous flow engineering. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of depolymerisation and chemical recycling methods. The expected outcome of this project is a scalable process and its practical demonstration for full chemical recycling of various polymers used in everyday applications. This will provide a benefit to society as it allows to tackle plastic pollution problems, and creates avenues to green methods in plastic recycling.
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Sequence-Defined Polymers with Optical Information Readout. The project aim is to introduce the first optically readable sequence-defined polymers based on fluorophore excimers, whose information content can be read as simply as conventional barcodes. These macromolecular barcodes, embedded in solid polymer matrices, will overcome the current limitations of reading information from synthetic macromolecules. An interdisciplinary effort will fuse chemistry, law, and criminology to develop the tec ....Sequence-Defined Polymers with Optical Information Readout. The project aim is to introduce the first optically readable sequence-defined polymers based on fluorophore excimers, whose information content can be read as simply as conventional barcodes. These macromolecular barcodes, embedded in solid polymer matrices, will overcome the current limitations of reading information from synthetic macromolecules. An interdisciplinary effort will fuse chemistry, law, and criminology to develop the technology in ways that are expected to address illicit plastic waste trafficking – ending the anonymity of polymer waste by creating a regulatory and criminological paradigm for tracing plastic waste to hold actors in the value chain responsible.Read moreRead less