Sustainable Hydrogen Production from Used Water. The project aims to address the pressing challenge of water scarcity in hydrogen production by developing an innovative approach of using used water as the feed for water electrolysis. The project will result in an in-depth understanding of the impacts of water impurities in used water on the performance and durability of water electrolysers, and develop guidelines for the design of highly durable water electrolysers and the operation and upgrade ....Sustainable Hydrogen Production from Used Water. The project aims to address the pressing challenge of water scarcity in hydrogen production by developing an innovative approach of using used water as the feed for water electrolysis. The project will result in an in-depth understanding of the impacts of water impurities in used water on the performance and durability of water electrolysers, and develop guidelines for the design of highly durable water electrolysers and the operation and upgrade of existing wastewater treatment plants. The project will advance the practical applications of water electrolysis for scalable and sustainable hydrogen production and help Australia secure a leading position in the global emerging hydrogen economy.Read moreRead less
Ultrahigh strength maraging titanium alloys for additive manufacturing . This project aims to pioneer an unprecedented class of ultrahigh-strength titanium alloys for 3D printing by capitalising on both the alloy design theory of ultrahigh-strength steels and the unique capability of laser-based 3D printing. The planned research expects to significantly advance the knowledge base of advanced metallic materials and metal 3D printing via atomistic level characterisation and systematic mechanical p ....Ultrahigh strength maraging titanium alloys for additive manufacturing . This project aims to pioneer an unprecedented class of ultrahigh-strength titanium alloys for 3D printing by capitalising on both the alloy design theory of ultrahigh-strength steels and the unique capability of laser-based 3D printing. The planned research expects to significantly advance the knowledge base of advanced metallic materials and metal 3D printing via atomistic level characterisation and systematic mechanical property evaluation in relation to specifically tailored 3D printing conditions. Expected outcomes include a group of ultrahigh-strength novel titanium alloys for 3D printing and a new alloy design theory. This should provide significant benefits to the manufacturing industry to support the national economy and security.Read moreRead less
Computational alloy design for cold spray deposition. The aim of this project is to design a new generation of proprietary, high performance alloys and composites that are optimised for cold spray deposition. Cold spray is a new manufacturing technology that is used to create coatings for enhancement, repair, restoration and for additive manufacturing. Using a systems approach and by integrating experiment with computational models, this project will generate new knowledge for enhanced materials ....Computational alloy design for cold spray deposition. The aim of this project is to design a new generation of proprietary, high performance alloys and composites that are optimised for cold spray deposition. Cold spray is a new manufacturing technology that is used to create coatings for enhancement, repair, restoration and for additive manufacturing. Using a systems approach and by integrating experiment with computational models, this project will generate new knowledge for enhanced materials design. Partnering with Ruag Australia, a leading Defence aerospace supplier, the project will deliver a practical tool for the accelerated design of metal powders for cold spray and invent commercially useful advanced materials to improve the competitiveness of Australian manufacturing industry.Read moreRead less
Novel micro-architecture-optimised metal lattice structures by 3D printing. This project aims to research and develop a novel methodology for the design and 3D printing of micro-architectured intricate metal lattice structures that can markedly expand the boundaries of both metal property space and structural forms. This will be achieved by harnessing the synergies across topology design, manufacturing optimisation, and in-situ microstructure control. The expected outcomes are a novel milestone ....Novel micro-architecture-optimised metal lattice structures by 3D printing. This project aims to research and develop a novel methodology for the design and 3D printing of micro-architectured intricate metal lattice structures that can markedly expand the boundaries of both metal property space and structural forms. This will be achieved by harnessing the synergies across topology design, manufacturing optimisation, and in-situ microstructure control. The expected outcomes are a novel milestone methodology that will benefit Australia by enabling a new wave of innovation in materials design and 3D printing, and a new class of lightweight intricate metal lattice structures that potentially offer exceptional mechanical and/or biological properties for near-term commercial applications.Read moreRead less
Improving anti-salt crystallisation for solar-steam desalination. This project aims to solve a critical issue of solar-steam desalination by fundamental research. The solar-steam desalination technology offers an ideal strategy to utilize solar light as the energy source for desalination and water purification to produce affordable clean water. Photothermal materials play a key role in the desalination system to convert sunlight to heat and subsequently evaporate the saline water to generate ste ....Improving anti-salt crystallisation for solar-steam desalination. This project aims to solve a critical issue of solar-steam desalination by fundamental research. The solar-steam desalination technology offers an ideal strategy to utilize solar light as the energy source for desalination and water purification to produce affordable clean water. Photothermal materials play a key role in the desalination system to convert sunlight to heat and subsequently evaporate the saline water to generate steam as clean water. However, salt crystallization on the photothermal material surfaces severely limits the performance of the materials and clean water production. Solving this problem could accelerate the commercialisation and application of this technology, which will benefit millions of people worldwide.Read moreRead less
A new class of titanium alloys developed for additive manufacturing. This project aims to develop a new class of (Ti-Cu)-based alloys featuring high strength, high toughness, and high hydrogen-embrittlement resistance specifically for additive manufacturing (AM). This project expects to generate new knowledge of grain refinement and phase transformations in dynamic temperature field of metal AM process and to solve the common weakness – strong mechanical anisotropy and poor fatigue life – of AM ....A new class of titanium alloys developed for additive manufacturing. This project aims to develop a new class of (Ti-Cu)-based alloys featuring high strength, high toughness, and high hydrogen-embrittlement resistance specifically for additive manufacturing (AM). This project expects to generate new knowledge of grain refinement and phase transformations in dynamic temperature field of metal AM process and to solve the common weakness – strong mechanical anisotropy and poor fatigue life – of AM Ti components. The expected outcomes include a whole set of processing maps of AM (Ti-Cu)-based alloys tailored to demanding applications. This should provide significant benefits to aerospace, marine and biomedical industries by delivering better durability, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101503
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,590.00
Summary
Developing new, high-performance titanium alloys by metal 3D printing. This project aims to develop a new class of titanium alloys by 3D metal printing that have excellent mechanical properties. The project expects to develop the knowledge to overcome the problems of conventional titanium alloys that have undesirably coarse columnar-grained microstructures. The expected outcome is a new design strategy for the use of 3D printing to make metal alloys This should lead to the widespread adoption of ....Developing new, high-performance titanium alloys by metal 3D printing. This project aims to develop a new class of titanium alloys by 3D metal printing that have excellent mechanical properties. The project expects to develop the knowledge to overcome the problems of conventional titanium alloys that have undesirably coarse columnar-grained microstructures. The expected outcome is a new design strategy for the use of 3D printing to make metal alloys This should lead to the widespread adoption of 3D metal printing for the production of structural parts for which reliably high-quality mechanical properties are of the utmost importance, and could transform the use of titanium in the biomedical and aerospace industries.Read moreRead less
Deciphering interactions of conducting polymers in agricultural soils. The project aims to improve agricultural efficiency, productivity and yield by advancing the understanding of polymer materials interacting with fertiliser. This project will test the key assumptions behind a new sensor for real-time in-ground monitoring of fertiliser. The expected outcome from this is the rapid synthesis of conducting polymers for stable sensing of fertiliser in a range of soil types and conditions. This sho ....Deciphering interactions of conducting polymers in agricultural soils. The project aims to improve agricultural efficiency, productivity and yield by advancing the understanding of polymer materials interacting with fertiliser. This project will test the key assumptions behind a new sensor for real-time in-ground monitoring of fertiliser. The expected outcome from this is the rapid synthesis of conducting polymers for stable sensing of fertiliser in a range of soil types and conditions. This should provide the pathway to a world first real-time in-ground fertiliser sensor, providing benefit for the sensor manufacturers, farmers, consumers and the environment.Read moreRead less
Developing high performance nanocomposite coatings for domestic appliances. Insufficient robustness and durability of the polymeric coatings on precoated metal sheets has resulted in unacceptably high product defects and reject rates. This project aims to develop novel and high performance nanocomposite multilayer coatings through the systematic optimisation of epoxy and polyester/ graphene and nanoclay systems. These complex coatings are expected to have considerably improved toughness, hardnes ....Developing high performance nanocomposite coatings for domestic appliances. Insufficient robustness and durability of the polymeric coatings on precoated metal sheets has resulted in unacceptably high product defects and reject rates. This project aims to develop novel and high performance nanocomposite multilayer coatings through the systematic optimisation of epoxy and polyester/ graphene and nanoclay systems. These complex coatings are expected to have considerably improved toughness, hardness and interfacial adhesion, thus enhancing formability and wear resistance of precoated metal sheets. Successful outcomes from this study will not only solve a long-standing problem in the manufacturing of precoated metals, but generate breakthrough technologies for next-generation nanocomposite coatings. Read moreRead less
Scalable Graphene Enabled Smart Composites. The need for lightweight composite materials is increasing exponentially in the context of renewable energy, e-mobility and related emission reductions. This project aims to develop novel approaches to integrate graphene nanomaterials into structural composites, enabling damage sensing and structural health monitoring functionalities. The outcome of this project will be a new class of smart composites that will address the critical need for improving s ....Scalable Graphene Enabled Smart Composites. The need for lightweight composite materials is increasing exponentially in the context of renewable energy, e-mobility and related emission reductions. This project aims to develop novel approaches to integrate graphene nanomaterials into structural composites, enabling damage sensing and structural health monitoring functionalities. The outcome of this project will be a new class of smart composites that will address the critical need for improving structural integrity, safety and reliability, while significantly reducing lifecycle costs. This should provide significant benefits in creating confidence to increase investment in Australia for manufacturing graphene enabled smart materials and technologies with enormous export potential.Read moreRead less