New Electron Field Emission Films Based on Aligned Carbon Nanotube Guests in Liquid Crystalline Polymer Hosts. This project seeks to develop a new class of electron field emitting nanocomposite consisting of nanotubes in liquid crystalline polymers. Electron emitting materials are in much demand in x-ray and microwave generation, computer displays and low-energy lighting. We utilise the ready alignability of liquid crystalline units in magnetic fields to cause realignment of incorporated carbon ....New Electron Field Emission Films Based on Aligned Carbon Nanotube Guests in Liquid Crystalline Polymer Hosts. This project seeks to develop a new class of electron field emitting nanocomposite consisting of nanotubes in liquid crystalline polymers. Electron emitting materials are in much demand in x-ray and microwave generation, computer displays and low-energy lighting. We utilise the ready alignability of liquid crystalline units in magnetic fields to cause realignment of incorporated carbon nanotubes, followed by polymer solidification to maintain orientation. It involves low temperature processing, contrasting very favourably with current problematic, high temperature processes. This allows materials to be cast on flexible polymer substrates, potentially enabling construction of cathode tubes to replace existing mercury-containing fluorescent lighting.Read moreRead less
Novel Nano Particles for Advanced Automotive and Industrial Coatings. In conjunction with our industrial partner (DuPont Australia), this project will develop a new generation of automotive and industrial coatings. The technology developed from this project can integrate into the existing system. The new coatings will be environmentally friendly and will make a significant contribution to solve the emission issue of volatile organic compound (VOC) faced by the industry. The novel nano particles ....Novel Nano Particles for Advanced Automotive and Industrial Coatings. In conjunction with our industrial partner (DuPont Australia), this project will develop a new generation of automotive and industrial coatings. The technology developed from this project can integrate into the existing system. The new coatings will be environmentally friendly and will make a significant contribution to solve the emission issue of volatile organic compound (VOC) faced by the industry. The novel nano particles developed from this project will provide unique properties for automotive paint and can be commercialized at an acceptable price. The science involved in this project represents the cutting edge of world leading technology and will bring polymer science into a new field.Read moreRead less
New materials for manipulating intracellular communication. This project aims to identify new techniques for incorporating cell-signalling triggers into macromolecules, therefore enabling the development of next-generation stimuli-responsive nanoparticles that can emit signalling molecules on demand. Harnessing nanomaterials to stimulate specific sub-cellular processes is a neglected area in nanotechnology research. These nanoparticles could potentially be used to deliver signalling molecules fo ....New materials for manipulating intracellular communication. This project aims to identify new techniques for incorporating cell-signalling triggers into macromolecules, therefore enabling the development of next-generation stimuli-responsive nanoparticles that can emit signalling molecules on demand. Harnessing nanomaterials to stimulate specific sub-cellular processes is a neglected area in nanotechnology research. These nanoparticles could potentially be used to deliver signalling molecules for agricultural, pharmaceutical and veterinary applications. The project is expected to develop a new suite of materials that could ultimately be used to improve the yield of important commercial crops, or revitalise the use of medicines limited by their poor side effect profile.Read moreRead less
Hybrid photocatalytic nanomaterials for water purification. This project aims to synthesise and characterise a range of porous photocatalytic materials (materials that absorb light to catalyse a reaction), and to establish high-throughput processes to simultaneously test the effectiveness of multiple photocatalytic materials. This interdisciplinary project expects to develop two new techniques that will lead to faster materials optimisation of materials that breakdown organic pollutants in water ....Hybrid photocatalytic nanomaterials for water purification. This project aims to synthesise and characterise a range of porous photocatalytic materials (materials that absorb light to catalyse a reaction), and to establish high-throughput processes to simultaneously test the effectiveness of multiple photocatalytic materials. This interdisciplinary project expects to develop two new techniques that will lead to faster materials optimisation of materials that breakdown organic pollutants in water under light irradiation. The intended outcomes include the production of industrially relevant photocatalysts and building capability in Australia to decrease photocatalytic testing time and cost. This should provide significant benefits to industry and the environment, and have an impact on human health.Read moreRead less
Using anisotropic thermal expansion in organic semiconductor thin films. This project aims to capitalise upon the recent discovery of negative thermal expansion in high-performance organic semiconductor films. Certain molecules’ chemical structures have a planar conjugated core and flexible sidechains. When highly anisotropic thermal expansion occurs, the sidechains take up most of the thermal expansion. When a negative thermal expansion occurs, the pi-pi stacking distance decreases upon anneali ....Using anisotropic thermal expansion in organic semiconductor thin films. This project aims to capitalise upon the recent discovery of negative thermal expansion in high-performance organic semiconductor films. Certain molecules’ chemical structures have a planar conjugated core and flexible sidechains. When highly anisotropic thermal expansion occurs, the sidechains take up most of the thermal expansion. When a negative thermal expansion occurs, the pi-pi stacking distance decreases upon annealing. This effect has been linked with higher charge mobilities, and a tighter molecular packing is locked in upon cooling. The potential applications of these high performance organic semiconductors includes chemical/biosensors, electronic paper, and radio frequency identification cards.Read moreRead less
Bioinspired Ion Transporters for Efficient Energy Conversion and Storage. This project aims to fabricate bioinspired light-driven ion transporters with biological-level active ion transport efficiency for efficient energy conversion and storage. Engineering of artificial membranes with ion-pump-like pore structures, specific ion binding sites and photo-excited molecular gates by an innovative bioinspired approach is expected to generate new knowledge in the field of biomimetic design of artifici ....Bioinspired Ion Transporters for Efficient Energy Conversion and Storage. This project aims to fabricate bioinspired light-driven ion transporters with biological-level active ion transport efficiency for efficient energy conversion and storage. Engineering of artificial membranes with ion-pump-like pore structures, specific ion binding sites and photo-excited molecular gates by an innovative bioinspired approach is expected to generate new knowledge in the field of biomimetic design of artificial ion-transporter membranes and bring new technologies to applications such as in solar energy harvesting, osmotic power generation, ionic batteries, and ionic circuits. The proposed research should provide significant benefits such as new energy conversion and storage technologies for Australian manufacturing industry.Read moreRead less
Engineered ion channels for selective and switchable ion conduction. This project aims to develop an innovative bioinspired approach for fabricating angstrom-sized ion-channel membranes with specific ion selectivity, high ion conductivity and efficient gating function comparable to biological ion channels. Engineering of artificial channels with ion-channel-like shapes, ion selectivity filters and functional gates is expected to bring high-efficiency technologies to applications such as membrane ....Engineered ion channels for selective and switchable ion conduction. This project aims to develop an innovative bioinspired approach for fabricating angstrom-sized ion-channel membranes with specific ion selectivity, high ion conductivity and efficient gating function comparable to biological ion channels. Engineering of artificial channels with ion-channel-like shapes, ion selectivity filters and functional gates is expected to bring high-efficiency technologies to applications such as membrane separation and energy conversion. This project has potential to result in new knowledge of biomimetic design of artificial ion-channel membranes and directly benefit manufacturing industry for Australia.Read moreRead less