Stereolithographic Additive Manufacturing of Semicrystalline Thermoplastics. This project aims to advance the development of high-throughput stereolithographic additive manufacturing of thermoplastic polymers and composites by employing a multi-colour irradiation schemes in conjunction with photopolymerisable, ring-opening monomer resin formulations. The fundamental scientific understanding, engineering expertise, and concomitant technology advances generated by this project are anticipated to e ....Stereolithographic Additive Manufacturing of Semicrystalline Thermoplastics. This project aims to advance the development of high-throughput stereolithographic additive manufacturing of thermoplastic polymers and composites by employing a multi-colour irradiation schemes in conjunction with photopolymerisable, ring-opening monomer resin formulations. The fundamental scientific understanding, engineering expertise, and concomitant technology advances generated by this project are anticipated to enable additive manufacturing to transition from the rapid prototyping of individual, unique items to the high volume production of robust, reprocessable plastic parts. By obviating the large capital expense of conventional fabrication, this developed technology should provide a path to reinvigorate Australian manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Novel network polymers with photoinduced plasticity. The production of crosslinked polymers (thermosets and rubbers) is a multi-billion dollar industry and these polymers are irreplaceable in their use in numerous applications in the household goods, medical, electronics, automotive and construction industries. However, they shrink during solidification causing internal stresses which weaken them and they can not be reshaped, repaired or recycled. This study will develop a novel range of cros ....Novel network polymers with photoinduced plasticity. The production of crosslinked polymers (thermosets and rubbers) is a multi-billion dollar industry and these polymers are irreplaceable in their use in numerous applications in the household goods, medical, electronics, automotive and construction industries. However, they shrink during solidification causing internal stresses which weaken them and they can not be reshaped, repaired or recycled. This study will develop a novel range of crosslinkable polymers which can change shape on irradiation by light (or by heating) for use in applications ranging from repairable composites, stress-free lens, non-shrinking dental filling materials and light-sensitive actuators which will have significant benefit to industry.Read moreRead less
High efficiency photoinitiators for novel photopolymerization processes. The radiation curing industry is worth several billion dollars world-wide with an Australian market of ca. $100 million and an even greater market in the Asian region. One of the main factors controlling the expansion of this industry is the development of new photoinitiator systems with improved performance. This project aims to combine the skills of three leading scientists in the photocuring field to develop more efficie ....High efficiency photoinitiators for novel photopolymerization processes. The radiation curing industry is worth several billion dollars world-wide with an Australian market of ca. $100 million and an even greater market in the Asian region. One of the main factors controlling the expansion of this industry is the development of new photoinitiator systems with improved performance. This project aims to combine the skills of three leading scientists in the photocuring field to develop more efficient, environmentally-friendly systems by controlling the initiation and polymerization mechanisms in (meth)acrylate, cyclic ether, cyanate and vinyl ethers. This should benefit local manufacturers exporting into the printing, adhesive, dental, lithography, composite industries and to the photopolymer industry generally.Read moreRead less
Chiral synthetic macromolecules - control of sequence and stereochemistry. This project aims to assemble a library of novel chiral polymers mimicking natural peptides with precisely controlled primary structures using emerging synthetic technologies. A systematic investigation of these synthetic materials will provide an in-depth understanding of how sequence and stereochemistry influence chemical and physical properties. Employing rational design principles, desired functionality could be optim ....Chiral synthetic macromolecules - control of sequence and stereochemistry. This project aims to assemble a library of novel chiral polymers mimicking natural peptides with precisely controlled primary structures using emerging synthetic technologies. A systematic investigation of these synthetic materials will provide an in-depth understanding of how sequence and stereochemistry influence chemical and physical properties. Employing rational design principles, desired functionality could be optimised through the selective modification of polymer structure. These materials should be able to emulate the unique properties and functionality of natural peptides/proteins, making them invaluable for biochemical applications, such as molecular recognition and asymmetric catalysis.Read moreRead less