Understanding and controlling ion-neutral interactions. Australia faces significant environmental and technological challenges including development of clean, sustainable energy sources and technologies that do not adversely affect the terrestrial atmosphere. This project seeks to facilitate a cleaner, greener future through investigations of fundamental chemical interactions responsible for hydrogen storage in solid media, and atmospheric processes responsible for the production and destruction ....Understanding and controlling ion-neutral interactions. Australia faces significant environmental and technological challenges including development of clean, sustainable energy sources and technologies that do not adversely affect the terrestrial atmosphere. This project seeks to facilitate a cleaner, greener future through investigations of fundamental chemical interactions responsible for hydrogen storage in solid media, and atmospheric processes responsible for the production and destruction of ozone. In both cases, the key interactions between ions and neutral molecules will be elucidated through high-resolution laser studies. Ensuing experimental data will play a crucial role in controlling and predicting ion-neutral interactions in technological and environmental contexts.Read moreRead less
Towards a Microscopic Understanding of Anion Solvation. Atomic and molecular anions are ubiquitous components of oceans, rivers, lakes, and the atmosphere, and serve as key participants in natural and industrial chemical processes. In most situations ions are surrounded by a structured sheath of neutral solvent molecules which profoundly affects their physical and chemical properties. Currently, interactions between anions and solvent molecules are poorly understood. In this project we will use ....Towards a Microscopic Understanding of Anion Solvation. Atomic and molecular anions are ubiquitous components of oceans, rivers, lakes, and the atmosphere, and serve as key participants in natural and industrial chemical processes. In most situations ions are surrounded by a structured sheath of neutral solvent molecules which profoundly affects their physical and chemical properties. Currently, interactions between anions and solvent molecules are poorly understood. In this project we will use lasers to probe clusters consisting of just a few molecules attached to an anion, generating information that will enhance our ability to predict and control chemical processes involved in drug design, salination, atmospheric chemistry, and chemical waste remediation.Read moreRead less
Lighting up the charged brigade: laser spectroscopy of protonated and metal-containing complexes. Increasingly, the design of new pharmaceuticals uses computer modeling to account for the shapes of molecules and how they interact with their surroundings. The strongest forces between molecular components are those that involve charged chemical species known as ions. In this project, we will develop advanced laser-based techniques to study in unprecedented detail how molecules respond to the prese ....Lighting up the charged brigade: laser spectroscopy of protonated and metal-containing complexes. Increasingly, the design of new pharmaceuticals uses computer modeling to account for the shapes of molecules and how they interact with their surroundings. The strongest forces between molecular components are those that involve charged chemical species known as ions. In this project, we will develop advanced laser-based techniques to study in unprecedented detail how molecules respond to the presence of nearby charge, or to acquiring charge themselves. Understanding the nature of these attractions, and the structural changes that they induce eventually results in more accurate computer models. This has relevance to fields that include the architecture of proteins, recognition of signaling molecules in the brain, and drug development.Read moreRead less
Approaching anion solvation from the bottom up: infrared studies of negatively charged complexes and clusters. We will employ novel spectroscopic strategies to probe the structures of mass-selected anion complexes and clusters in the gas-phase with the purpose of exploring non-covalent forces responsible for anion solvation. The work is motivated by a recognition that anions serve as key participants in a host of natural and industrial chemical processes, and that their physical and chemical pro ....Approaching anion solvation from the bottom up: infrared studies of negatively charged complexes and clusters. We will employ novel spectroscopic strategies to probe the structures of mass-selected anion complexes and clusters in the gas-phase with the purpose of exploring non-covalent forces responsible for anion solvation. The work is motivated by a recognition that anions serve as key participants in a host of natural and industrial chemical processes, and that their physical and chemical properties depend critically upon interactions with solvent molecules. The experimental results should serve as a critical test for computational approaches to describing anion-neutral interactions, and provide new insights into the behaviour of electrolytes, acid-base chemistry, and fundamental bimolecular reactions.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354775
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Australian Synchrotron Sciences Network. A synchrotron light source is a critical piece of infrastructure for a modern technological nation. In 2001, the Victorian government announced that it would contribute $157M towards the establishment of a national synchrotron facility, becoming operational in 2007. The research performed at such a facility is exceedingly diverse, and often the underpinning technology is the only point of contact for users. A vibrant and productive facility requires a tra ....Australian Synchrotron Sciences Network. A synchrotron light source is a critical piece of infrastructure for a modern technological nation. In 2001, the Victorian government announced that it would contribute $157M towards the establishment of a national synchrotron facility, becoming operational in 2007. The research performed at such a facility is exceedingly diverse, and often the underpinning technology is the only point of contact for users. A vibrant and productive facility requires a transparent interface between the scientist and the technology. This Network will set up the communication channels within the user base, and between the users and the facility development program.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0883036
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
Integrated Vibrational Spectroscopic Mapping for Archeological, Biological, Geological, Materials, and Medical Research. The expected benefits that will arise will include: green chemical processes with improved environmental and economic impacts; improved treatments and diagnoses of diseases; understanding of fundamental geological processes; identification of the earliest forms; studies of archaeological artefacts; evolution of life on Earth; the design of improved dental materials. Ultimatel ....Integrated Vibrational Spectroscopic Mapping for Archeological, Biological, Geological, Materials, and Medical Research. The expected benefits that will arise will include: green chemical processes with improved environmental and economic impacts; improved treatments and diagnoses of diseases; understanding of fundamental geological processes; identification of the earliest forms; studies of archaeological artefacts; evolution of life on Earth; the design of improved dental materials. Ultimately, this research will include economic and social benefits in; industrial processes; the mining industry; medicine; and dentistry. An understanding of the origin and early evolution of life on Earth also has many social implications.Read moreRead less
Spectroscopy of Single Quantum Dots. Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots are materials with promising applications in flat panel displays, biosensors, quantum dot lasers, and optical communication elements. Many of the applications are novel and require firm understanding of the physical and chemical properties of quantum dots to optimise reliability and performance. To fulfil the technological promise of fluorescent quantum dots, problems relating to quantum yield and photostability urgently n ....Spectroscopy of Single Quantum Dots. Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots are materials with promising applications in flat panel displays, biosensors, quantum dot lasers, and optical communication elements. Many of the applications are novel and require firm understanding of the physical and chemical properties of quantum dots to optimise reliability and performance. To fulfil the technological promise of fluorescent quantum dots, problems relating to quantum yield and photostability urgently need to be resolved. These issues will be addressed through spectroscopic studies of single quantum dots both in vacuum and in condensed phases. Ultimately, the findings will guide rational design of nanoscale devices based on quantum dot luminescence.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453743
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$237,654.00
Summary
Advanced Materials Laser Characterisation Facility. A networked laser facility spanning the University of Melbourne, Monash University, the University of Adelaide, and Flinders University, will be created by integrating new laser instrumentation with existing specialised infrastructure. The facility will provide chemists at the four institutions with the necessary equipment to collaboratively investigate and optimise the properties of a diverse array of advanced materials, including nanoparticle ....Advanced Materials Laser Characterisation Facility. A networked laser facility spanning the University of Melbourne, Monash University, the University of Adelaide, and Flinders University, will be created by integrating new laser instrumentation with existing specialised infrastructure. The facility will provide chemists at the four institutions with the necessary equipment to collaboratively investigate and optimise the properties of a diverse array of advanced materials, including nanoparticles, polymers, biomaterials, and artificial photosynthetic systems. The outcome will be a world-class research network, outfitted with a suite of sophisticated techniques that are not currently available at any single university, or through any other Australian institution or consortium.Read moreRead less
Energy transforming polymers: from single molecules to devices. Climate control and the rapidly increasing demand for energy is driving the search for alternative sustainable energy sources. Flexible plastics will be a primary component of the new generation of solar harvesting and energy conversion materials. The objective of this project is to gain an understanding of the way polymers interact with light and can convert absorbed solar energy into electrical power and other useful forms of ene ....Energy transforming polymers: from single molecules to devices. Climate control and the rapidly increasing demand for energy is driving the search for alternative sustainable energy sources. Flexible plastics will be a primary component of the new generation of solar harvesting and energy conversion materials. The objective of this project is to gain an understanding of the way polymers interact with light and can convert absorbed solar energy into electrical power and other useful forms of energy. The outcomes of the project will allow the improved design of plastics for applications in solar energy conversion.Read moreRead less
Development of an efficient oxygen-thiosulfate process for the recovery of gold from ores. Gold is currently recovered from the ore by a cyanide leaching process. This high risk procedure is used because there is currently no safe alternative. The research we propose to undertake will investigate a novel thiosulfate-oxygen process to dissolve gold. Successful completion of the project will identify the mechanism of the process and could lead to the replacement of the highly toxic cyanide with th ....Development of an efficient oxygen-thiosulfate process for the recovery of gold from ores. Gold is currently recovered from the ore by a cyanide leaching process. This high risk procedure is used because there is currently no safe alternative. The research we propose to undertake will investigate a novel thiosulfate-oxygen process to dissolve gold. Successful completion of the project will identify the mechanism of the process and could lead to the replacement of the highly toxic cyanide with the non toxic thiosulfate. Thus the proposed project has the potential to substantially alter the gold recovery process, particularly in an era where environmental and public concerns exist over the use of cyanide.Read moreRead less