Pre-blast screening of improvised explosive devices - a National counter-terrorism initiative. The proposed research is focused on the specific needs of Australian counter-terrorism interests, including those of border protection, the customs service, transport authorities, forensic laboratories, etc. The support of this proposal will ensure that Australia, and its States and Territories are protected against terrorist threats. The support provided by the collaborating organisations from the var ....Pre-blast screening of improvised explosive devices - a National counter-terrorism initiative. The proposed research is focused on the specific needs of Australian counter-terrorism interests, including those of border protection, the customs service, transport authorities, forensic laboratories, etc. The support of this proposal will ensure that Australia, and its States and Territories are protected against terrorist threats. The support provided by the collaborating organisations from the various Federal and State police and forensic agencies, and the customs service, etc, highlights the importance of this project to the nation. Finally, a PhD student and a research assistant will be involved with the project and will gain specialised skills positioning them to make strong contributions to Australia's counter-terrorism measures.Read moreRead less
Electro-Catalytic Conjugated Polymers. The Future Fellowship will tackle some of the challenging issues regarding the conversion of our society into a post-petroleum era through: Development and understanding of a new class of catalysts for efficient conversion and storage of energy. Developing cheap and effective electrodes structures for next generation transport and storage technologies i.e. fuel-cells for cars and flexible solar-cells for electricity production. Collaborating at an internati ....Electro-Catalytic Conjugated Polymers. The Future Fellowship will tackle some of the challenging issues regarding the conversion of our society into a post-petroleum era through: Development and understanding of a new class of catalysts for efficient conversion and storage of energy. Developing cheap and effective electrodes structures for next generation transport and storage technologies i.e. fuel-cells for cars and flexible solar-cells for electricity production. Collaborating at an international level with leading groups in the sustainable energy field. These outcome will contribute to National Research Priorities 2; Frontier Technologies for building and transforming Australian Industries and 1; An Environmentally Sustainable AustraliaRead moreRead less
Synthesis, Biological Interactions and Toxicity Studies of Precisely Engineered Nanoparticles. The proposed benefits of nanotechnology for industries from material sciences, to bioengineering, energy and the environment are currently driving unprecedented growth in this technology world-wide. Some of these benefits are borne out of the unique properties that different nanoparticles exhibit. However, if nanomaterials pose a threat to the health and well-being of the community, then their risks ....Synthesis, Biological Interactions and Toxicity Studies of Precisely Engineered Nanoparticles. The proposed benefits of nanotechnology for industries from material sciences, to bioengineering, energy and the environment are currently driving unprecedented growth in this technology world-wide. Some of these benefits are borne out of the unique properties that different nanoparticles exhibit. However, if nanomaterials pose a threat to the health and well-being of the community, then their risks may outweigh their benefits. This project will identify those characteristics of nanoparticles that can lead to adverse effects and therefore pose a danger to the general community. By defining these characteristics, appropriate changes in nanomaterial production can be considered by industry to minimise these dangers.Read moreRead less
DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL BIOMATERIAL FOR BONE TISSUE ENGINEERING. Tissue engineering of bone is emerging as a viable therapy for treating large defects in load-bearing bone. We wish to develop methods for combining novel heparan sulphate molecules (known to deliver growth factors to cell surfaces and thereby cause changes in bone cell phenotype) with load-bearing, macro-porous, biodegradable mineral/polymer biomaterials. Through the study of release profiles, protein adsorption and cell responses ....DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL BIOMATERIAL FOR BONE TISSUE ENGINEERING. Tissue engineering of bone is emerging as a viable therapy for treating large defects in load-bearing bone. We wish to develop methods for combining novel heparan sulphate molecules (known to deliver growth factors to cell surfaces and thereby cause changes in bone cell phenotype) with load-bearing, macro-porous, biodegradable mineral/polymer biomaterials. Through the study of release profiles, protein adsorption and cell responses to these derivatised biomaterials, a novel approach to bone replacement materials can be developed.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100118
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,000.00
Summary
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy facilities for the Sydney region. The determination of molecular structure is crucial in the chemical and biomolecular sciences, leading to the development of new drugs and other types of molecules and providing an understanding of how molecules interact with each other. The requested equipment will provide the ability for researchers in the Sydney region to advance our knowledge at this fundamental level by expanding the number and types of experiments th ....Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy facilities for the Sydney region. The determination of molecular structure is crucial in the chemical and biomolecular sciences, leading to the development of new drugs and other types of molecules and providing an understanding of how molecules interact with each other. The requested equipment will provide the ability for researchers in the Sydney region to advance our knowledge at this fundamental level by expanding the number and types of experiments that can be performed.Read moreRead less
Water at Hydrophobic Surfaces. The properties of water define the nature of life on this planet. When water encounters a hydrophobic surface - at the air/water interface, in contact with unreactive solids such as Teflon, or at an oil drop, our recent experiments indicate that the water dissociates more readily into protons and hydroxide ions - undergoes autolysis - than in bulk water. Furthermore, the hydroxide ions are preferentially adsorbed at the surface, giving it a negative charge. This pr ....Water at Hydrophobic Surfaces. The properties of water define the nature of life on this planet. When water encounters a hydrophobic surface - at the air/water interface, in contact with unreactive solids such as Teflon, or at an oil drop, our recent experiments indicate that the water dissociates more readily into protons and hydroxide ions - undergoes autolysis - than in bulk water. Furthermore, the hydroxide ions are preferentially adsorbed at the surface, giving it a negative charge. This project will test the generality and implications of this novel concept. The results will range across physics, chemistry, biology and their associated technologies, a consequence of the ubiquitous importance of water. Read moreRead less
Sulfuric acid formation from atmospheric sulfur trioxide and disulfur oxide: is one water molecule enough? Sulfate aerosols significantly affect the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth, influencing the nett energy balance, and mitigating the greenhouse effect. A major source of these aerosols is sulfuric acid. Understanding the sources and formation rates of sulfuric acid production is of considerable importance for global climate models. This project will provide significant insight in ....Sulfuric acid formation from atmospheric sulfur trioxide and disulfur oxide: is one water molecule enough? Sulfate aerosols significantly affect the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth, influencing the nett energy balance, and mitigating the greenhouse effect. A major source of these aerosols is sulfuric acid. Understanding the sources and formation rates of sulfuric acid production is of considerable importance for global climate models. This project will provide significant insight into the sulfur oxides and their water clusters, relevant to sulfuric acid formation, providing data applicable to the modelling of planetary atmospheres, especially timely for the Venus Express mission, and more importantly, the building of comprehensive climate models.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100135
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
Federated single crystal X-ray structural analysis facility. X-ray crystallography is the most widely applied method for the determination of three-dimensional molecular structures. These structures range in size from small systems such as materials and pharmaceuticals through to large biological structures such as proteins. This application will provide a multidisciplinary facility covering the structural characterisation needs of chemistry, pharmacy, biology, and medicine. This will position l ....Federated single crystal X-ray structural analysis facility. X-ray crystallography is the most widely applied method for the determination of three-dimensional molecular structures. These structures range in size from small systems such as materials and pharmaceuticals through to large biological structures such as proteins. This application will provide a multidisciplinary facility covering the structural characterisation needs of chemistry, pharmacy, biology, and medicine. This will position local universities for key scientific breakthroughs that benefit the Australian community by providing improved healthcare technologies, and processes. Furthermore, access to this world-class facility will provide state-of-the-art training for undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0237958
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$133,000.00
Summary
An enclosive flow Cooling cell for spectroscopic studies. We wish to install a low temperature absorption cell that will be coupled to high resolution spectrometer systems operating in the infrared, visible and ultra-violet regions of the spectrum. This will enable us to further develop techniques for the study of the structures, dynamics and kinetics of molecules of biological and atmospheric significance. This will lead to a better understanding of the structures, dynamics and reaction kinetic ....An enclosive flow Cooling cell for spectroscopic studies. We wish to install a low temperature absorption cell that will be coupled to high resolution spectrometer systems operating in the infrared, visible and ultra-violet regions of the spectrum. This will enable us to further develop techniques for the study of the structures, dynamics and kinetics of molecules of biological and atmospheric significance. This will lead to a better understanding of the structures, dynamics and reaction kinetics of these species and in the case of atmospheric species also provide molecular parameters required for atmospheric monitoring.Read moreRead less
New insights into free radical reactivity via gas phase studies of radical anions. Free radicals are known to be critical reactive intermediates in chemical processes ranging from the formation of photochemical smog, through combustion to the onset of age-related diseases. This research increases our understanding of how free radicals react and will thus allow for more accurate prediction, and in some instances greater control, of the outcomes of chemical reactions and their health and environme ....New insights into free radical reactivity via gas phase studies of radical anions. Free radicals are known to be critical reactive intermediates in chemical processes ranging from the formation of photochemical smog, through combustion to the onset of age-related diseases. This research increases our understanding of how free radicals react and will thus allow for more accurate prediction, and in some instances greater control, of the outcomes of chemical reactions and their health and environmental consequences. New instrumental technologies will be developed and young Australian researchers will be trained here, and with collaborators in the USA, in state-of-the-art techniques (particularly in mass spectrometry) that are essential to our emerging technology-based economy.Read moreRead less