Designed peptides as functional surfactants. Surfactants are essential in many applications for making oil-water mixtures, e.g. in dissolving drugs, extracting crude oil or spraying crops. However, chemical surfactants are toxic and can accumulate in the environment. This work will develop biodegradable surfactants that can be switched "on" and "off" as needed and do not cause toxicity to living organisms. One of many potential applications is in vaccines for use in remote Aboriginal communities ....Designed peptides as functional surfactants. Surfactants are essential in many applications for making oil-water mixtures, e.g. in dissolving drugs, extracting crude oil or spraying crops. However, chemical surfactants are toxic and can accumulate in the environment. This work will develop biodegradable surfactants that can be switched "on" and "off" as needed and do not cause toxicity to living organisms. One of many potential applications is in vaccines for use in remote Aboriginal communities. In these communities, skin infections from scabies and streptococcus are epidemic, and can lead to kidney failure and heart disease. A non-damaging skin cream based on the peptides could both treat short-term discomfort and deliver a vaccine to prevent long-term health consequences.Read moreRead less
Metallo-Supramolecular Materials for Chiral Discrimination and Enantiomeric Separation. Separating mixtures of molecules is one of the most enduring challenges in the chemical sciences and accounts for a significant cost burden in many industrial applications. This project aims to design and prepare new chiral self-assembled materials that contain cavities of predictable sizes and shapes. These materials, including molecular capsules, cages and network solids, will act to selectivity bind differ ....Metallo-Supramolecular Materials for Chiral Discrimination and Enantiomeric Separation. Separating mixtures of molecules is one of the most enduring challenges in the chemical sciences and accounts for a significant cost burden in many industrial applications. This project aims to design and prepare new chiral self-assembled materials that contain cavities of predictable sizes and shapes. These materials, including molecular capsules, cages and network solids, will act to selectivity bind different chemical substrates within their chiral encapsulated spaces, thus enabling the straight-forward separation of racemic mixtures of molecules. Small molecules with enantiomeric purity are a fundamental requirement as starting materials for drug development and a wide range of pharmaceutical applications.Read moreRead less
A top-down approach to synthesising high-value fluorocarbons. Fluorocarbons' ability to impart high stability, solubility, and unique reactivity to host molecules renders them invaluable in agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, polymers and surfactants. Their robustness also renders them environmentally persistent. There are no industrially utilised methods for the re-purposing or recycling of fluorocarbons. This project aims to generate new methods for the selective activation of carbon-fluorine bond ....A top-down approach to synthesising high-value fluorocarbons. Fluorocarbons' ability to impart high stability, solubility, and unique reactivity to host molecules renders them invaluable in agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, polymers and surfactants. Their robustness also renders them environmentally persistent. There are no industrially utilised methods for the re-purposing or recycling of fluorocarbons. This project aims to generate new methods for the selective activation of carbon-fluorine bonds in polyfluorocarbons, allowing their incorporation or repurposing into high value chemicals and/or easy derivitisation to access a plethora of new fluorocarbon products. Expected outcomes will allow new processing methods to value add to fluorocarbons while preventing their environmental release. Read moreRead less
Fighting slime with free radicals - new surface coatings for biofilm remediation. Bacterial biofilms are a major problem in a number of environmental, industrial and medical applications. They cause significant risks to human health and present an enormous economic burden to society. This project aims to develop smart polymeric coatings that will discourage bacterial attachment and ensure greater long term control over biofilm growth. These coatings represent a breakthrough in the field and will ....Fighting slime with free radicals - new surface coatings for biofilm remediation. Bacterial biofilms are a major problem in a number of environmental, industrial and medical applications. They cause significant risks to human health and present an enormous economic burden to society. This project aims to develop smart polymeric coatings that will discourage bacterial attachment and ensure greater long term control over biofilm growth. These coatings represent a breakthrough in the field and will have a profound impact in many areas, including reducing infections related to medical implants and improving the efficiency of marine engineering systems.Read moreRead less
Solving the solvent problem in chemical modelling. This project aims to produce highly accurate, user-friendly chemical solvent models using interdisciplinary theoretical chemistry techniques. The benefits of these novel models are extremely broad since chemical modelling is more impactful than traditional laboratory based techniques in solving multi-faceted modern chemical problems. The proposed outcomes of the project are significant, as they will transform how applied research solves difficul ....Solving the solvent problem in chemical modelling. This project aims to produce highly accurate, user-friendly chemical solvent models using interdisciplinary theoretical chemistry techniques. The benefits of these novel models are extremely broad since chemical modelling is more impactful than traditional laboratory based techniques in solving multi-faceted modern chemical problems. The proposed outcomes of the project are significant, as they will transform how applied research solves difficult and expensive real world chemical problems by allowing researchers to reliably include solvents in their models. It will have economic benefits for the chemical, mining and materials sectors in Australia, which represent billion-dollar industries.Read moreRead less
Theoretical modelling and design of safe covalent anti-cancer drugs. Covalent drugs are a new class of drugs with outstanding potential in cancer therapy. Detailed computer modelling studies will be performed to determine how these drugs interact with an important target in cancer therapy, the epithelial growth factor receptor, and thereby aid the development of new cancer treatments.
Computer-Aided Design of High-Performance Photocatalysts for Solar Hydrogen Production Based on Red Titanium Dioxide. Large-scale generation of energy by solar conversion is critical for future sustainability. This project aims to develop high performance materials to efficiently convert solar energy to hydrogen - a clean fuel. Starting from the newly developed material red titanium dioxide, novel strategies for improved photocatalytic materials will be proposed and evaluated by advanced computa ....Computer-Aided Design of High-Performance Photocatalysts for Solar Hydrogen Production Based on Red Titanium Dioxide. Large-scale generation of energy by solar conversion is critical for future sustainability. This project aims to develop high performance materials to efficiently convert solar energy to hydrogen - a clean fuel. Starting from the newly developed material red titanium dioxide, novel strategies for improved photocatalytic materials will be proposed and evaluated by advanced computational approaches. Key issues for solar-to-hydrogen conversion will be clarified. The materials, knowledge and strategies achieved by this project will dramatically enhance current solar technology and in particular will advance the development of low-cost hydrogen production from water. Read moreRead less
Permanent Concentration Gradients Captured in Molecular and Framework Co-Crystals. This project aims to design, synthesise and characterise molecular and framework co-crystals in which the molecular components are arranged in permanent concentration gradients. Synthetic crystals of this type are unprecedented. The concentration gradient has significant implications for the physical properties of the crystals (for example, optical, magnetic and electronic) as these must also vary in concert with ....Permanent Concentration Gradients Captured in Molecular and Framework Co-Crystals. This project aims to design, synthesise and characterise molecular and framework co-crystals in which the molecular components are arranged in permanent concentration gradients. Synthetic crystals of this type are unprecedented. The concentration gradient has significant implications for the physical properties of the crystals (for example, optical, magnetic and electronic) as these must also vary in concert with the changing local molecular composition. These co-crystals promise unique magnetic and optical properties that will influence design of new smart solid-state materials with potential for use in future high-technology applications.Read moreRead less
Transformer 3D Nanostructures: Stimuli Responsive Polymers. This research program will develop smart nanostructures that will be capable of producing high value added products using cheap polymer materials but achieving a much greater design capacity for end-use functions. The knowledge gained from this project will have potential applications in many areas where nanomaterials and polymers are used, including high strength coatings, conducting coatings for the electronic industry, drug and vacci ....Transformer 3D Nanostructures: Stimuli Responsive Polymers. This research program will develop smart nanostructures that will be capable of producing high value added products using cheap polymer materials but achieving a much greater design capacity for end-use functions. The knowledge gained from this project will have potential applications in many areas where nanomaterials and polymers are used, including high strength coatings, conducting coatings for the electronic industry, drug and vaccine delivery devices, tissue scaffolds, nanosensors, and gene delivery. These polymer techniques will enable Australian Industry to significantly improve product performance by providing advanced features and capabilities previously unavailable.Read moreRead less
A novel path to environmental and human health risk assessment of transformation products. Chemical pollution is a threat to our rivers and drinking water supplies. Degradation during water treatment and in the environment may lead to persistent and toxic transformation products. This project will provide a practical and cost-efficient risk assessment strategy for transformation products - to help ensure that our drinking water is safe.