Designing new layered materials for efficient solar energy conversion. This project will address the important material need for efficient solar energy conversion and environmental purification. These advanced materials will provide innovative solar utilisation technologies for economical water purification, self-cleaning coatings, and improved process for hydrogen production.
Solar rechargeable batteries for wearable electronics. This project aims to develop a new solar battery as a sustainable power source for future wearable electronics. The research will develop solar rechargeable Zinc-Manganese oxide batteries based on new stretchable microelectrodes and materials engineering for the direct storage of solar energy. Expected outcomes include new classes of planar-type solar batteries, functional microelectrodes and energy materials, as well as new knowledge genera ....Solar rechargeable batteries for wearable electronics. This project aims to develop a new solar battery as a sustainable power source for future wearable electronics. The research will develop solar rechargeable Zinc-Manganese oxide batteries based on new stretchable microelectrodes and materials engineering for the direct storage of solar energy. Expected outcomes include new classes of planar-type solar batteries, functional microelectrodes and energy materials, as well as new knowledge generated from collaborations across materials science, photoelectrochemistry and nanotechnology disciplines. These will not only expand the applications of solar batteries to a new domain of wearable electronics, but also may eventually lead to new industry advances in functional materials for clean energy.Read moreRead less
Addressing Challenges for the Future Grids – Harmonics Standardization. The main aim of this project is to deliver appropriate frequency standardisation to protect electricity grids and support the use of renewable energy sources. Globally, there is no harmonic standardisation within the frequency range of 2–150 kHz, which can significantly affect the reliability of electricity networks and smart grids. Electricity networks are increasingly using renewable energy sources and an efficient loads a ....Addressing Challenges for the Future Grids – Harmonics Standardization. The main aim of this project is to deliver appropriate frequency standardisation to protect electricity grids and support the use of renewable energy sources. Globally, there is no harmonic standardisation within the frequency range of 2–150 kHz, which can significantly affect the reliability of electricity networks and smart grids. Electricity networks are increasingly using renewable energy sources and an efficient loads approach based on power electronics technology. However, this can affect grid reliability and robustness. The project aims to develop advanced tools to better understand the power quality issues of Australian residential, commercial and industrial distribution networks. It also aims to develop novel techniques to improve power quality and reliability of the grids, and to develop harmonics emission and immunity levels to modify the Australian standards accordingly.Read moreRead less
New-generation flexible thermoelectrics for wearable electronics. This project aims to develop lightweight, flexible, and durable thermoelectric thin films for wearable electronics using a computation-guided approach, coupled with novel device design and materials nanoengineering strategies. The key breakthrough will overcome the stereotype of fragile thermoelectric materials and their low thermoelectric efficiency for achieving localised, instant, and controllable power generation and/or coolin ....New-generation flexible thermoelectrics for wearable electronics. This project aims to develop lightweight, flexible, and durable thermoelectric thin films for wearable electronics using a computation-guided approach, coupled with novel device design and materials nanoengineering strategies. The key breakthrough will overcome the stereotype of fragile thermoelectric materials and their low thermoelectric efficiency for achieving localised, instant, and controllable power generation and/or cooling with record-high performance in carefully designed wearable thermoelectric devices. Expected outcomes include new understanding of thermoelectrics and innovative technologies for achieving electronics/energy applications, which will provide significant economic and educational benefits for Australia.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Solar Hydrogen Production from Waste Water. The world energy demand, expected to triple by 2100, must be met from sustainable and non-polluting sources. Sunlight is the largest available carbon-neutral energy source, with enough energy striking the planet in one hour to satisfy our current requirements for about a year. With the novel catalysts designed in this project, we will use this energy to simultaneously generate hydrogen and destroy organic pollutants by oxidation. The hydr ....Sustainable Solar Hydrogen Production from Waste Water. The world energy demand, expected to triple by 2100, must be met from sustainable and non-polluting sources. Sunlight is the largest available carbon-neutral energy source, with enough energy striking the planet in one hour to satisfy our current requirements for about a year. With the novel catalysts designed in this project, we will use this energy to simultaneously generate hydrogen and destroy organic pollutants by oxidation. The hydrogen can then be used as a clean source of sustainable energy and the water recycled. Our climate, proximity to major economies of the future, and long commercial and research experience in solar energy make Australia an ideal location for a hydrogen production industry.Read moreRead less
Designing reactivity of homogeneous and heterogeneous water-splitting catalysts using muti-dimensional site-selective spectroscopies. New classes of heterogeneous manganese-calcium water splitting catalysts analogous to the unique biological water splitting cofactor have recently emerged but with far lower catalytic rates than seen for the biological system. These new materials are promising targets for large-scale hydrogen fuel production with low cost, high efficiency and ease of manufacture. ....Designing reactivity of homogeneous and heterogeneous water-splitting catalysts using muti-dimensional site-selective spectroscopies. New classes of heterogeneous manganese-calcium water splitting catalysts analogous to the unique biological water splitting cofactor have recently emerged but with far lower catalytic rates than seen for the biological system. These new materials are promising targets for large-scale hydrogen fuel production with low cost, high efficiency and ease of manufacture. To achieve this, the performance gap between these materials and the homogenous biological catalyst must be bridged. Multi-dimensional site-selective spectroscopies, including magneto/optical resonance methods which are aimed to be developed in this project are expected to provide new, atomic level understanding of properties needed to achieve high catalytic efficiency, thus guiding rational catalyst design.Read moreRead less
Piezoelectric nanofibre membranes with built-in p-n junction: new self-rectifying piezoelectric power generators. This project will aim to develop new knowledge about how to efficiently convert small mechanical energy into directly usable electric power using piezoelectric nanofibre membranes and will fill this knowledge gap by systematically understanding the influence of doping agents on the charge transport during energy conversion.
Robust Bulk Thermoelectric Technology for Harvesting Waste Energy. This project aims to develop robust thermoelectric technology to harvest waste energy from the use of fossil fuels by (i) establishing new strategies for enhancing thermoelectric properties, (ii) creating mass-production synthesis to reduce the materials cost, and (iii) exploring computation methods to guide the device assembly. Its focus is to improve the average thermoelectric performance, overcome the brittleness of materials, ....Robust Bulk Thermoelectric Technology for Harvesting Waste Energy. This project aims to develop robust thermoelectric technology to harvest waste energy from the use of fossil fuels by (i) establishing new strategies for enhancing thermoelectric properties, (ii) creating mass-production synthesis to reduce the materials cost, and (iii) exploring computation methods to guide the device assembly. Its focus is to improve the average thermoelectric performance, overcome the brittleness of materials, and ensure thermal stability. This project expects to generate new knowledge in manipulating transport properties. The intended outcome of affordable, robust, and functional thermoelectrics can be used for recovering waste heat, which will significantly benefit Australia’s economy, environment, and energy industry.Read moreRead less
Interface engineering of complex oxide heterostructures for high efficiency thermoelectric energy conversion. Thermoelectric materials offer an opportunity for economic recovery of the waste heat from exhaust gases to reduce operational costs and greenhouse emissions. Success of this program will facilitate the development of thermoelectric materials with high energy conversion efficiency for viable applications.
Developing an Essential Research Platform for the Molecular Engineering of Photosystem II. Sunlight reaching the earth is used by plants and algae to drive photosynthesis and to store chemical energy. Possibly the most fundamental contribution photosynthesis makes to earth is to generate gaseous oxygen, the result of solar driven water-splitting chemistry. However, the mechanism behind water-splitting is not exactly known. In this proposal we will construct a new model cyanobacteria host to stu ....Developing an Essential Research Platform for the Molecular Engineering of Photosystem II. Sunlight reaching the earth is used by plants and algae to drive photosynthesis and to store chemical energy. Possibly the most fundamental contribution photosynthesis makes to earth is to generate gaseous oxygen, the result of solar driven water-splitting chemistry. However, the mechanism behind water-splitting is not exactly known. In this proposal we will construct a new model cyanobacteria host to study water splitting. The host organism will be genetically modified to enable mechanistic questions of water oxidation to be tested and will provide new and pure forms of isolated protein. This model organism will provide team of international researchers with a remarkable tool new to study photosynthesis.Read moreRead less