Engineered materials for future energy technologies. The development of new technologies to be applied in fuel generation, energy conversion and environmental remediation will have wide national and international impact. The cross-disciplinary and cross-institution research program proposed will draw on expertise within Australia and in Europe for the fabrication of materials for next generation energy devices. In the future, there is the potential that these materials could be fabricated within ....Engineered materials for future energy technologies. The development of new technologies to be applied in fuel generation, energy conversion and environmental remediation will have wide national and international impact. The cross-disciplinary and cross-institution research program proposed will draw on expertise within Australia and in Europe for the fabrication of materials for next generation energy devices. In the future, there is the potential that these materials could be fabricated within Australia and therefore lead to employment nationally, and income generated through the export of advanced catalysts, solar cells and sequestration materials.Read moreRead less
Light-responsive nanomaterials as nanomedicines: new approaches to treating macular degeneration, cancer and other critical unmet therapeutic needs. Nanotechnology is enabling new medicines for the treatment of important diseases such as cancer and macular degeneration. This project will investigate novel nanomaterials for the development of new highly effective medicines that can be controlled after administration, leading to reduced side effects and increased convenience for patients.
Fundamentals and applications of dynamic interfacial forces in soft matter. The proposed program will make an internationally significant contribution to the fundamental understanding of soft matter on the nanoscale. This has a direct impact upon processes that are key to a wide range of Australian industries ranging from the manufacture of functional foods to minerals recovery to pharmaceutical formulation, where innovative solutions can substantially improve productivity, increase export pote ....Fundamentals and applications of dynamic interfacial forces in soft matter. The proposed program will make an internationally significant contribution to the fundamental understanding of soft matter on the nanoscale. This has a direct impact upon processes that are key to a wide range of Australian industries ranging from the manufacture of functional foods to minerals recovery to pharmaceutical formulation, where innovative solutions can substantially improve productivity, increase export potential and reduce environmental impact. The outcomes of this work, in the form of high impact papers and conference presentations, will build and enhance Australia's reputation as a world leader in nanotechnology and colloid science. Read moreRead less
Unravelling how liquids wet surfaces with new dynamic measurements. This project aims to transform our understanding of how liquids wet surfaces in order to provide a step-change in advanced material design. This will be achieved by developing a unifying theory of surface wetting by integrating new microscale models of dynamic wetting with new macroscale automated measurement techniques capable of rapidly generating large datasets, to determine precisely how surface chemistry and surface roughne ....Unravelling how liquids wet surfaces with new dynamic measurements. This project aims to transform our understanding of how liquids wet surfaces in order to provide a step-change in advanced material design. This will be achieved by developing a unifying theory of surface wetting by integrating new microscale models of dynamic wetting with new macroscale automated measurement techniques capable of rapidly generating large datasets, to determine precisely how surface chemistry and surface roughness influence wetting. Expected outcomes include predictive models of surface wetting across multiple scales, and robust high-throughput measurement methods informing optimal design of next-generation materials for all applications where liquids and surfaces interact.Read moreRead less
Engineering nanosheet-based novel structures. Microscopic structures will be engineered based on super thin materials, which promise to deliver significant advancements in the development of high sensitivity detectors, and efficient energy conversion and storage devices. This project will develop techniques that are not only green but also possess the flexibility to tailor-make novel structures.
Bridging the interface between nanoengineered materials and biological systems. Advances in nanotechnology have the potential to revolutionise how we treat many diseases. Nanoengineered drug carriers can deliver drugs to the areas in the body where they are required, limiting harmful side effects. This project will investigate how nanomaterials interact with biological systems and understand any potential side effects.
Surfactants and complex fluids. This project aims to design surfactants for applications in agriculture and energy, and the science needed to understand and deploy them. New molecules have been designed based around the versatile betaine core, and their synthesis could allow a systematic understanding of the relationships between molecular architecture, effectiveness and self-assembly behaviour. This strategy will use molecules that can respond to light to understand why certain molecules tend t ....Surfactants and complex fluids. This project aims to design surfactants for applications in agriculture and energy, and the science needed to understand and deploy them. New molecules have been designed based around the versatile betaine core, and their synthesis could allow a systematic understanding of the relationships between molecular architecture, effectiveness and self-assembly behaviour. This strategy will use molecules that can respond to light to understand why certain molecules tend to form valuable viscoelastic fluids. When used to form complex fluids with unique properties, these surfactants could be used as lubricants, dispersants and energy fluids for use as drilling lubricants, texture modifiers in personal care products, and dispersants in agrochemicals.Read moreRead less
Kagome metals: From Japanese basket to next generation electronic devices. This project aims to investigate a new material that is very promising for electronic devices that can operate faster, and be more energy efficient than today’s silicon-based technology. Kagome metals have topological non-trivial nature and can pass current without resistance, making them ideal for next-generation electronic devices. This project aims to grow Kagome metals in the ultra-thin layers needed to realise this p ....Kagome metals: From Japanese basket to next generation electronic devices. This project aims to investigate a new material that is very promising for electronic devices that can operate faster, and be more energy efficient than today’s silicon-based technology. Kagome metals have topological non-trivial nature and can pass current without resistance, making them ideal for next-generation electronic devices. This project aims to grow Kagome metals in the ultra-thin layers needed to realise this potential, make devices and study their electronic properties. Expected outcomes of the project will include showing Kagome metals can form the basis of ultra-low energy electronic devices, as well as having future applications in high-temperature fault-tolerant quantum computing.Read moreRead less
Explaining biodiversity. Why are there many species in some places and not in others? The aim of this project is to understand this in order to protect species, understand invasion and restore ecological systems. Using published food webs, this project will determine what factors underlie biodiversity, then use experiments to understand effects of habitat loss and climate change on food web structure.
Photonic circuitry from the noble metals: nanocrystal coupling. Linear arrays of crystalline nanoparticles are able to act in a manner analogous to an optical fibre, but with much smaller dimensions. This project will investigate the underlying principles of waveguiding within the arrays and aims to build and test sections of such optical fibres, thereby assessing their use in optical circuits.