An in-built depolymerisation solution for polyethylene waste. This project aims to design enzymes that can be embedded into polyethylene, and later activated by the elevated temperatures of a compost heap, to depolymerise the plastic to small molecules. There are no good options available for the controlled decomposition of polyethylene waste at present, and instead researchers have focussed on solutions that rely on modifications to the underlying chemistry of the backbone and or collection to ....An in-built depolymerisation solution for polyethylene waste. This project aims to design enzymes that can be embedded into polyethylene, and later activated by the elevated temperatures of a compost heap, to depolymerise the plastic to small molecules. There are no good options available for the controlled decomposition of polyethylene waste at present, and instead researchers have focussed on solutions that rely on modifications to the underlying chemistry of the backbone and or collection to a central facility. Our approach would result in an in-built decomposition that does not require collection and recycling in a central facility. Since it is based on a depolymerisation mechanism it does not result in the production of harmful, partially disintegrated microplastics.Read moreRead less
Microspheres from (Sun)Light – A Sustainable Materials Platform. This project will break new ground in light-induced step-growth precipitation polymerisation techniques for polymer particle formation that do not require any initiator, surfactants, additives or heating, thus constituting an environmentally friendly process. The project will establish the underpinning photochemical particle formation processes and establish a broad monomer base for the production of particles with a wide property ....Microspheres from (Sun)Light – A Sustainable Materials Platform. This project will break new ground in light-induced step-growth precipitation polymerisation techniques for polymer particle formation that do not require any initiator, surfactants, additives or heating, thus constituting an environmentally friendly process. The project will establish the underpinning photochemical particle formation processes and establish a broad monomer base for the production of particles with a wide property profile, including particles with tailored surface properties and the ability to degrade upon a defined trigger signal. Scaling the particles' synthesis, including using Australian sunlight, will enable multi-gram production allowing real-world applications.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Reversible Polymerisation. This project aims to address the problem of the current lack of efficient chemical recyclability of polymers. For the majority of polymers, no methods exist so far that are scalable and economic at the same time. To reach this aim, we will utilise a mixture of clever chemical concepts with continuous flow engineering. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of depolymerisation and chemical recycling methods. The expected outcome of this p ....Sustainable Reversible Polymerisation. This project aims to address the problem of the current lack of efficient chemical recyclability of polymers. For the majority of polymers, no methods exist so far that are scalable and economic at the same time. To reach this aim, we will utilise a mixture of clever chemical concepts with continuous flow engineering. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of depolymerisation and chemical recycling methods. The expected outcome of this project is a scalable process and its practical demonstration for full chemical recycling of various polymers used in everyday applications. This will provide a benefit to society as it allows to tackle plastic pollution problems, and creates avenues to green methods in plastic recycling.
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Unravelling Efficient Nucleic Acid Delivery Using Multilayer Nanoparticles. Developing smarter nanoparticles is critical for maximising the potential of biological therapeutics such as nucleic acids. Currently, the efficiency of nanoparticle delivery remains low due to the inability of carriers to migrate different biological regions. The aim of this project is to develop responsive polymer nanoparticles that can more effectively migrate cell barriers by a two-staged release based on the combina ....Unravelling Efficient Nucleic Acid Delivery Using Multilayer Nanoparticles. Developing smarter nanoparticles is critical for maximising the potential of biological therapeutics such as nucleic acids. Currently, the efficiency of nanoparticle delivery remains low due to the inability of carriers to migrate different biological regions. The aim of this project is to develop responsive polymer nanoparticles that can more effectively migrate cell barriers by a two-staged release based on the combination of different self-immolative polymers. This project will allow the development of design rules for understanding how nanoparticle structure can be optimised to improve nucleic acid delivery. This work will have important benefits such as developing new nanotechnology industry and skilled graduates for Australia.
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Developing vitrimers: next generation reusable plastics. This project aims to develop a new class of advanced multifunctional polymer materials with the potential to underpin significant breakthrough capabilities for soft materials in general. The proposed work will relocate biological catalysts from their native, wet environment to solid organic engineering bio-sourced resins. Suitably selected enzymes will allow creation of polymer-based products that can be fully recyclable, with built-in pro ....Developing vitrimers: next generation reusable plastics. This project aims to develop a new class of advanced multifunctional polymer materials with the potential to underpin significant breakthrough capabilities for soft materials in general. The proposed work will relocate biological catalysts from their native, wet environment to solid organic engineering bio-sourced resins. Suitably selected enzymes will allow creation of polymer-based products that can be fully recyclable, with built-in properties such as self-healing, shape morphing, which are mechanically tunable, and have the ability to be reprocessed/recycled multiple times. This research will initiate a disruptive change in the application of biocatalysts for bio-based polymers.Read moreRead less
Sequence-Defined Polymers with Optical Information Readout. The project aim is to introduce the first optically readable sequence-defined polymers based on fluorophore excimers, whose information content can be read as simply as conventional barcodes. These macromolecular barcodes, embedded in solid polymer matrices, will overcome the current limitations of reading information from synthetic macromolecules. An interdisciplinary effort will fuse chemistry, law, and criminology to develop the tec ....Sequence-Defined Polymers with Optical Information Readout. The project aim is to introduce the first optically readable sequence-defined polymers based on fluorophore excimers, whose information content can be read as simply as conventional barcodes. These macromolecular barcodes, embedded in solid polymer matrices, will overcome the current limitations of reading information from synthetic macromolecules. An interdisciplinary effort will fuse chemistry, law, and criminology to develop the technology in ways that are expected to address illicit plastic waste trafficking – ending the anonymity of polymer waste by creating a regulatory and criminological paradigm for tracing plastic waste to hold actors in the value chain responsible.Read moreRead less
A platform technology for developing mesoporous polymer particles. This project aims to apply polymerisation-induced self-assembly process to develop triggerable mesoporous polymer particles as advanced functional materials for various applications. By combining this scalable process and automated synthesis technique, mesoporous polymer particles that can disassemble in response to external triggers, such as light, redox conditions and enzymes, will be developed. The knowledge gained from this r ....A platform technology for developing mesoporous polymer particles. This project aims to apply polymerisation-induced self-assembly process to develop triggerable mesoporous polymer particles as advanced functional materials for various applications. By combining this scalable process and automated synthesis technique, mesoporous polymer particles that can disassemble in response to external triggers, such as light, redox conditions and enzymes, will be developed. The knowledge gained from this research will allow researchers to fully understand the formation and evolution mechanism of inverse bicontinuous structures observed in nature and produced in synthetic labs. Importantly, the applications of these novel stimuli-responsive particles as nano-carriers and templating scaffolds will be investigated.Read moreRead less
Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals Using New Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of highly persistent chemicals that are linked to a number of human diseases, however existing approaches for removal of PFAS are highly inefficient. This project aims to develop and evaluate novel, reusable polymer sorbents for effective PFAS removal. The polymer sorbents will enable efficient, selective and continuous sorption of PFAS, while maintaining excellent ....Removal of Perfluorinated Chemicals Using New Fluorinated Polymer Sorbents. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of highly persistent chemicals that are linked to a number of human diseases, however existing approaches for removal of PFAS are highly inefficient. This project aims to develop and evaluate novel, reusable polymer sorbents for effective PFAS removal. The polymer sorbents will enable efficient, selective and continuous sorption of PFAS, while maintaining excellent environmental stability for long-term implementation in practical devices. The project will develop novel polymer sorbents to revolutionize the remediation of PFAS with high technical, economic and environmental feasibility, creating a pathway to a PFAS-free world, and ultimately protecting the natural environment.Read moreRead less
Mid-Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IM230100090
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,053,046.00
Summary
Multi material 3D Printing. This project aims to further develop a new 3D printing technique commercialised by an Australian start-up company. Current electronics manufacturing is extremely capital intensive, slow and restrictive in 3D design. The 3D printing method proposed in this application will disrupt the current advanced manufacturing eco system; creating unique methods to unlock advances in diverse markets for example, photovoltaics, printed circuit boards and sensors. The expected outco ....Multi material 3D Printing. This project aims to further develop a new 3D printing technique commercialised by an Australian start-up company. Current electronics manufacturing is extremely capital intensive, slow and restrictive in 3D design. The 3D printing method proposed in this application will disrupt the current advanced manufacturing eco system; creating unique methods to unlock advances in diverse markets for example, photovoltaics, printed circuit boards and sensors. The expected outcomes of this project are to create new commercial opportunities for the next generation of 3D printed electronics. This will provide significant benefits, creating unique capability to manufacture devices in 3D - faster, cheaper and with reduced reliance on global supply chains.Read moreRead less
Innovative Double Patterning Strategies for Integrated Circuit Manufacture. The global computer chips industry is predicted to be worth in excess of 1.5 trillion USD by 2030. Despite its success, the industry is under threat due to rising costs of manufacture of the latest chips, in large part because of the complexity of the manufacturing process. This project aims to introduce new polymers for production of computer chips and, in collaboration with our industry partner, develop new methods of ....Innovative Double Patterning Strategies for Integrated Circuit Manufacture. The global computer chips industry is predicted to be worth in excess of 1.5 trillion USD by 2030. Despite its success, the industry is under threat due to rising costs of manufacture of the latest chips, in large part because of the complexity of the manufacturing process. This project aims to introduce new polymers for production of computer chips and, in collaboration with our industry partner, develop new methods of manufacture to enable the next generation of chips. The project has potential to generate valuable intellectual property, support new processes and equipment for our partners, and help train the next generation of Australian researchers in the growing field of polymeric nanotechnology. Read moreRead less