Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346515
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$507,000.00
Summary
Fluorescence Detector for the Australian National Beamline Facility. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is an extremely important synchrotron radiation tool for determining the local structure around an X-ray absorbing atom. This has many applications in the study of materials, minerals, metal complexes, and metalloproteins and can often be used to obtain information that is not available by other techniques, because structural information can be obtained in the solid or solution state and in ....Fluorescence Detector for the Australian National Beamline Facility. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is an extremely important synchrotron radiation tool for determining the local structure around an X-ray absorbing atom. This has many applications in the study of materials, minerals, metal complexes, and metalloproteins and can often be used to obtain information that is not available by other techniques, because structural information can be obtained in the solid or solution state and in mixtures. The current proposal is aimed at introducing new technology into the Australian National Beamline Facility that will greatly improve the quality and quantity of experiments that can be performed and extend studies into dilute solutions and protein samples.Read moreRead less
Friction and capillary forces. Reducing friction forces is important for improving the performance of moving components in devices, and also useful for relieving people from pains at joints. In ambient conditions, confined liquids have a great influence on friction forces because an attractive force is induced by capillary condensation and adsorption between the surfaces. The correlation between capillary and friction forces will be clarified by force measurements with newly developed surface fo ....Friction and capillary forces. Reducing friction forces is important for improving the performance of moving components in devices, and also useful for relieving people from pains at joints. In ambient conditions, confined liquids have a great influence on friction forces because an attractive force is induced by capillary condensation and adsorption between the surfaces. The correlation between capillary and friction forces will be clarified by force measurements with newly developed surface force apparatuses in various conditions. Theoretical interpretation of influences of molecular layered liquids between the sliding surfaces on frictional behaviour will be also given based on thermodynamics.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0347797
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$263,000.00
Summary
A Versatile High-resolution X-ray Diffractometer for Materials Research. The aim of this project is to establish a state-of-the-art triple-axis x-ray diffraction facility capable of non-destructively analysing complex semiconductor materials and structures investigated by all Australian semiconductor-growing groups. Growers and device engineers will be able to control growth processes accurately and correlate device performance with structural analysis. Modern triple-axis instruments can also b ....A Versatile High-resolution X-ray Diffractometer for Materials Research. The aim of this project is to establish a state-of-the-art triple-axis x-ray diffraction facility capable of non-destructively analysing complex semiconductor materials and structures investigated by all Australian semiconductor-growing groups. Growers and device engineers will be able to control growth processes accurately and correlate device performance with structural analysis. Modern triple-axis instruments can also be used for high-resolution texture analysis and surface reflectivity measurements on numerous types of materials. Thus chemists, geologists, and materials scientists with interests outside of the semiconductor growth community will gain substantial benefit from this instrument for the investigation of materials of technological and economic importance.Read moreRead less
Molecular Energies and Non-Bonded Interactions. The development of new techniques that allow non-bonded chemical interactions to be modelled and predicted reliably and accurately will allow researchers in the chemical, and pharmaceutical sciences to predict the physical and chemical behaviour of moderately large molecular systems with an accuracy and efficiency that has not previously been possible. The software that will result will enable cost and time savings in molecular design within the m ....Molecular Energies and Non-Bonded Interactions. The development of new techniques that allow non-bonded chemical interactions to be modelled and predicted reliably and accurately will allow researchers in the chemical, and pharmaceutical sciences to predict the physical and chemical behaviour of moderately large molecular systems with an accuracy and efficiency that has not previously been possible. The software that will result will enable cost and time savings in molecular design within the medical and agricultural contexts.Read moreRead less
Salt, Bubbles and Life; A study of ion specificity in colloid science. A colloidal solution is a liquid that contains a finely dispersed material. The properties of these solutions are critical in many industrially important practices and in the everyday processes of life. Though not understood, it is observed that the type of salt in solution controls how the colloid behaves. Through a series of very careful experiments we seek to learn precisely how different salts influence the properties of ....Salt, Bubbles and Life; A study of ion specificity in colloid science. A colloidal solution is a liquid that contains a finely dispersed material. The properties of these solutions are critical in many industrially important practices and in the everyday processes of life. Though not understood, it is observed that the type of salt in solution controls how the colloid behaves. Through a series of very careful experiments we seek to learn precisely how different salts influence the properties of a colloidal solution. This world-leading research will enable us to improve our fundamental understanding of colloids and thereby facilitate advances in topics as diverse as enzymatic action and minerals purification, ensuring Australia remains at the forefront of science in this field.Read moreRead less
Molecules as probes of the interstellar medium. It is one of the greatest challenges in Nature is to remotely identify what is in space. Interstellar molecules are identified by their spectra, but many features in these spectra are unknown, implying that there are many more molecules in space than we know about. With a stronger understanding of space chemistry, we could predict what should be there and verify it in the lab. Conversely, identification of these features will provide the tools to u ....Molecules as probes of the interstellar medium. It is one of the greatest challenges in Nature is to remotely identify what is in space. Interstellar molecules are identified by their spectra, but many features in these spectra are unknown, implying that there are many more molecules in space than we know about. With a stronger understanding of space chemistry, we could predict what should be there and verify it in the lab. Conversely, identification of these features will provide the tools to understand interstellar chemistry. In this project we combine skills in spectroscopy and astronomy to make these molecules in the laboratory, measure their spectra and thereby identify unknown molecules in space.Read moreRead less
Nanocavities and Nanoparticles in Silicon-based Materials Tailored by Ion Implantation. Nanometre sized crystals embedded in different host materials can exhibit novel optical behaviour, including light emission. However, the optical properties depend critically on the ability to tailor the size and size distribution of such nanocrystal inclusions, parameters that are extremely difficult to control. This project is based on our previous discovery that small holes of controlled size and distri ....Nanocavities and Nanoparticles in Silicon-based Materials Tailored by Ion Implantation. Nanometre sized crystals embedded in different host materials can exhibit novel optical behaviour, including light emission. However, the optical properties depend critically on the ability to tailor the size and size distribution of such nanocrystal inclusions, parameters that are extremely difficult to control. This project is based on our previous discovery that small holes of controlled size and distribution can be formed in silicon by ion irradiation and that such cavities can be filled with fast diffusing elemental species. We intend to explore this novel concept to tailor the size of desired nanocrystals in silicon-based materials for optoelectronics applications.Read moreRead less
Mechanical deformation of layered semiconductor structures. This project aims to reveal the mechanisms of mechanical deformation in thin film layered semiconductors structures. Currently, there is little knowledge in this area despite the importance of such structures in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Layered structures are not expected to respond to mechanical stress in the same way as bulk materials, as a result of size constraints in nanoscale films, the critical importance of strai ....Mechanical deformation of layered semiconductor structures. This project aims to reveal the mechanisms of mechanical deformation in thin film layered semiconductors structures. Currently, there is little knowledge in this area despite the importance of such structures in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Layered structures are not expected to respond to mechanical stress in the same way as bulk materials, as a result of size constraints in nanoscale films, the critical importance of strain, and the possibility of disparities between the mechanical properties of the individual layers. The results of this project will dramatically enhance the understanding of the deformation responses of nanoscale structures to mechanical stress.Read moreRead less
Synchrotron radiation techniques applied to melting and resolidification at a nanometric scale. By delivering underpinning knowledge of melting characteristics of nanoparticles, the proposal seeks results that can lead to breakthrough applications in advanced materials engineering. Measurements of the liquid nanoparticle structure performed at the Australian Synchrotron are unprecedented and are thus likely to include the development of new methodology. National and international exposure of Aus ....Synchrotron radiation techniques applied to melting and resolidification at a nanometric scale. By delivering underpinning knowledge of melting characteristics of nanoparticles, the proposal seeks results that can lead to breakthrough applications in advanced materials engineering. Measurements of the liquid nanoparticle structure performed at the Australian Synchrotron are unprecedented and are thus likely to include the development of new methodology. National and international exposure of Australian science and the Australian Synchrotron will have both scientific and economic ramifications. Involvement of students will contribute to developing the local synchrotron knowledge base and is beneficial to the Australian synchrotron-research community as a whole.Read moreRead less
Boron nitride nanotubes for tunable conductivity. The proposed research in nanotubes falls into the national research priority areas of advanced materials and breakthrough science. This ANU research group has a leading role in Boron Nitride (BN) nanotube research internationally. The proposed collaborative research will enhance this position and further improve the nation's research profile in nanotechnology. New intellectual properties will be generated if the project is successful, which wi ....Boron nitride nanotubes for tunable conductivity. The proposed research in nanotubes falls into the national research priority areas of advanced materials and breakthrough science. This ANU research group has a leading role in Boron Nitride (BN) nanotube research internationally. The proposed collaborative research will enhance this position and further improve the nation's research profile in nanotechnology. New intellectual properties will be generated if the project is successful, which will benefit the commercialization activity of BN nanotubes at ANU. New PhD and undergraduate students will be trained by the proposed cutting edge research project.Read moreRead less