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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101549
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Creating a baker's yeast chassis cell via shikimate pathway engineering for production of sustainable, carbon-neutral plastic precursors for the future. From air bags to carpets, tyres and garden hoses, plastics shape our every day life. Coming from fossil fuels most are currently neither sustainable nor renewable. This project will engineer baker's yeast to produce plastic precursors from cane sugar in a fermentation process. This lays the basis for a sugar cane based chemical industry.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101096
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$427,098.00
Summary
Programming Polymer Function via Ring-opening Polymerisation of Peptides. The project aims to set the foundation of a class of intelligent polymers, whose structure and function – including catalytic activity and biodegradability – can be readily programmed. In contrast to well-established radical polymerization techniques leading to all-carbon based backbones, the outlined research will develop technologies to incorporate short peptides into the backbones of synthetic polymers. The syntheticall ....Programming Polymer Function via Ring-opening Polymerisation of Peptides. The project aims to set the foundation of a class of intelligent polymers, whose structure and function – including catalytic activity and biodegradability – can be readily programmed. In contrast to well-established radical polymerization techniques leading to all-carbon based backbones, the outlined research will develop technologies to incorporate short peptides into the backbones of synthetic polymers. The synthetically adjustable amino acid sequence of the main chain embedded peptides will translate into the structure and function of the modular polymer. The DECRA will deliver unprecedented access towards tailor-made mechanical properties, catalytic activity and biodegradability of polymeric materials.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170101249
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Polymers with controllable networks. This project aims to understand the mechanism and molecular level factors controlling the network flexibility, reversibility and rapid curing of cross-linked polymer structures. A highly formable, rapidly curing polymer network could improve manufacture of composites where a fibre material is embedded in a polymer matrix. The key challenges for these materials are achieving high rates of production (one part per minute) and end of life recyclability. Expected ....Polymers with controllable networks. This project aims to understand the mechanism and molecular level factors controlling the network flexibility, reversibility and rapid curing of cross-linked polymer structures. A highly formable, rapidly curing polymer network could improve manufacture of composites where a fibre material is embedded in a polymer matrix. The key challenges for these materials are achieving high rates of production (one part per minute) and end of life recyclability. Expected outcomes are polymer materials with tailorable properties and the uptake of lightweight composite materials into mass transport systems.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101788
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$415,498.00
Summary
Advanced Macromolecular Architecture via Selenium. The overarching aim of this project is to drastically expand the scale and scope of selenium-based macromolecular chemistry via safe, odor-free multicomponent reactions utilising elemental selenium. This project will develop new methods and techniques in drastically reducing the cost while increasing worker and environmental safety of industrial elastomers such as Spandex. Next the project will exploit selenium's sensitivity to ozonolysis to des ....Advanced Macromolecular Architecture via Selenium. The overarching aim of this project is to drastically expand the scale and scope of selenium-based macromolecular chemistry via safe, odor-free multicomponent reactions utilising elemental selenium. This project will develop new methods and techniques in drastically reducing the cost while increasing worker and environmental safety of industrial elastomers such as Spandex. Next the project will exploit selenium's sensitivity to ozonolysis to design a new instrument capable of extreme precision in monitoring oxidative damage in polymeric materials. Finally, selenium's unique reactivity will lend itself towards the next generation of smart materials which will be capable of completely reorganizing their structure down to the molecular level.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100917
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,647.00
Summary
Manufacturing Nanostructured Metallic Materials via 3D Printed Polymers. This project aims to develop additive manufacturing processes capable of rapidly producing nanostructured polymer and metallic materials with tuneable physical and chemical properties. This project expects to develop new knowledge and chemical processes, allowing the rational design of functional materials with applications in catalysis, energy storage, and chemical separations. Expected outcomes include more energy efficie ....Manufacturing Nanostructured Metallic Materials via 3D Printed Polymers. This project aims to develop additive manufacturing processes capable of rapidly producing nanostructured polymer and metallic materials with tuneable physical and chemical properties. This project expects to develop new knowledge and chemical processes, allowing the rational design of functional materials with applications in catalysis, energy storage, and chemical separations. Expected outcomes include more energy efficient and environmentally benign methods for functional materials synthesis, and increased understanding of structure-property-performance relationships in nanostructured materials. This should provide benefits to Australia by providing cost-effective routes for materials used in energy, health, and water.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100616
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$421,574.00
Summary
Development of high-performance flame-retardant one-component epoxy resins. This project will create a new class of phosphorus/imidazole oligomers for single-component epoxy resins with superior storage stability, fire retardancy and mechanical properties. By establishing a fundamental understanding of the structure-composition-property relationships of one-component epoxy resins, it will address two major challenges - high reactivity and short shelf life, and poor flame retardancy and mechanica ....Development of high-performance flame-retardant one-component epoxy resins. This project will create a new class of phosphorus/imidazole oligomers for single-component epoxy resins with superior storage stability, fire retardancy and mechanical properties. By establishing a fundamental understanding of the structure-composition-property relationships of one-component epoxy resins, it will address two major challenges - high reactivity and short shelf life, and poor flame retardancy and mechanical properties, which limit practical applications. This project will develop environmentally benign, flame-retardant oligomers, reducing fire hazards, protecting lives, property and the environment, by replacing current flammable epoxy resins used in electrical, construction and transportation.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101550
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Functional polymer encapsulation to enhance biological performance of implantable materials. This project will develop biomaterial films from essential oils using a low-cost 'green' technology. Applied to commercial biomaterials, these films will minimise infections and inflammations commonly associated with implants. These films will also enable clinical use of metallic resorbable implants for tissue engineering and function restoration.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100449
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,600.00
Summary
Diversity Oriented Clicking - Streamlined Synthesis of Molecular Frameworks. Innovation in synthetic chemistry drives the discovery of new life-changing drugs, agrochemicals and functional materials. This project aims to use a novel chemical concept, termed Diversity Oriented Clicking, for new sustainable and streamlined synthetic transformations. The new chemical processes are expected to deliver improved economy, efficiency and precision in the synthesis of bioactive molecules and functional m ....Diversity Oriented Clicking - Streamlined Synthesis of Molecular Frameworks. Innovation in synthetic chemistry drives the discovery of new life-changing drugs, agrochemicals and functional materials. This project aims to use a novel chemical concept, termed Diversity Oriented Clicking, for new sustainable and streamlined synthetic transformations. The new chemical processes are expected to deliver improved economy, efficiency and precision in the synthesis of bioactive molecules and functional materials that are inaccessible or challenging to prepare with existing technologies. The conceptual and practical outcomes of this project are expected to benefit both academia and industry as the synthetic routes to diverse complex molecules can be greatly streamlined, and reducing chemical waste and required purification.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100770
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$325,375.00
Summary
Lignin in ionic liquids: electrochemical approaches towards delignification and depolymerisation. Wood contains a wealth of biomaterials, such as cellulose which can be used to make biofuel and lignin which can be used to make pharmaceuticals. Separating out the cellulose is essential yet difficult, plus lignin must be broken up into smaller fragments; this project will look at using electrochemistry to achieve these processes more efficiently.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100053
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,710.00
Summary
Computational Discovery & Design of New Catalytic Halogenophilic Reactions. Computational chemistry will be used to discover and predict new halogenophilic (halogeno = halogen; philic = like) substitution reactions (SN2X) catalysed by positively charged (cationic) catalysts. SN2X is a less known substitution reaction compared to accepted textbook nucleophilic (nucleo = electron-rich) substitution reactions. This proposal capitalises on previous theoretical-experimental understanding of a cation- ....Computational Discovery & Design of New Catalytic Halogenophilic Reactions. Computational chemistry will be used to discover and predict new halogenophilic (halogeno = halogen; philic = like) substitution reactions (SN2X) catalysed by positively charged (cationic) catalysts. SN2X is a less known substitution reaction compared to accepted textbook nucleophilic (nucleo = electron-rich) substitution reactions. This proposal capitalises on previous theoretical-experimental understanding of a cation-catalysed SN2X to develop new chemical reactions using SN2X synthetic strategies to access difficult-to-make molecules of potential medicinal relevance with heavily substituted carbon-carbon and carbon heteroatom bonds. Read moreRead less