Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occu ....Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occur naturally via various microbial means and from insects, like Galleria mellonella larvae. The overall aim of this research project is to understand plastic biodegradation and translate nature’s solutions into flexible and efficient synthetic enzyme technologies that can sustainably recycle commonly used PU foams. Read moreRead less
Advanced Materials from Automated Synthesis of Sequence-Defined Polymers. The project aims to develop industrially scalable and environmentally friendly methods for synthesis of sequence-defined multiblock copolymers (polymer chains containing segments of different polymer types) using automated synthesis methods. The materials to be explored will be largely based on renewable biomass-derived monomeric building blocks. Such polymers are able to undergo microphase separation into spatially period ....Advanced Materials from Automated Synthesis of Sequence-Defined Polymers. The project aims to develop industrially scalable and environmentally friendly methods for synthesis of sequence-defined multiblock copolymers (polymer chains containing segments of different polymer types) using automated synthesis methods. The materials to be explored will be largely based on renewable biomass-derived monomeric building blocks. Such polymers are able to undergo microphase separation into spatially periodic compositional patterns, thereby providing access to a vast range of nano-engineered materials. This would enable design and synthesis of new advanced materials, making use of renewable resources and supporting the circular economy, with diverse potential applications ranging from nanomedicine to materials science.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560758
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$187,000.00
Summary
Dynamics at Interfaces: a facility for the characterisation of the dynamics of structural reorganisation and adsorption at interfaces. Controlling the flow, stability, and general performance of finely dispersed materials is important in a great number of industries from cosmetics to minerals purification. These properties are often controlled by the addition of material that forms a film at the interface between the dispersed material and the solvent. We seek to develop a facility that will ena ....Dynamics at Interfaces: a facility for the characterisation of the dynamics of structural reorganisation and adsorption at interfaces. Controlling the flow, stability, and general performance of finely dispersed materials is important in a great number of industries from cosmetics to minerals purification. These properties are often controlled by the addition of material that forms a film at the interface between the dispersed material and the solvent. We seek to develop a facility that will enable the properties of this film to be characterized, in particular the rate at which the film responds to mechanical and chemical changes. With this knowledge we hope to relate the nanoscopic properties of the adsorbed film to macroscopic properties of the dispersion and be able to tune the structure of the surface film, in order to control the bulk properties of complex fluids.Read moreRead less
Remodelling encapsulin nanocages to help enhance plant carbon fixation. Nature has evolved mechanisms in microbial systems to improve photosynthetic efficiency by saturating the enzyme Rubisco with carbon dioxide. These carbon concentrating mechanisms are genetically complex, precluding successful introduction into crops. Our simpler approach is to use encapsulins, a new source of robust bacterial pore-containing nanocages made from a single gene. This project will optimise the development of sy ....Remodelling encapsulin nanocages to help enhance plant carbon fixation. Nature has evolved mechanisms in microbial systems to improve photosynthetic efficiency by saturating the enzyme Rubisco with carbon dioxide. These carbon concentrating mechanisms are genetically complex, precluding successful introduction into crops. Our simpler approach is to use encapsulins, a new source of robust bacterial pore-containing nanocages made from a single gene. This project will optimise the development of synthetic encapsulin-Rubisco carbon-fixing nanoreactors and transform them into leaf chloroplasts to test their impact on plant photosynthesis and growth. Our genetically simpler solution will aid ongoing global efforts to deliver overdue step change improvements in agricultural productivity.Read moreRead less
Smart materials for atmospheric water management and water harvesting. Fresh water is a scarce resource in many parts of the globe but uncomfortably over-supplied in other regions. Dehumidifying machines, such as air conditioners, are extensively used in humid climates to enhance human comfort, but with great energy costs. Likewise, the production of potable water in remote dry regions is energy intensive. We propose novel hyper-absorbent desiccating polymers combined into sorption-powered engin ....Smart materials for atmospheric water management and water harvesting. Fresh water is a scarce resource in many parts of the globe but uncomfortably over-supplied in other regions. Dehumidifying machines, such as air conditioners, are extensively used in humid climates to enhance human comfort, but with great energy costs. Likewise, the production of potable water in remote dry regions is energy intensive. We propose novel hyper-absorbent desiccating polymers combined into sorption-powered engines inspired by nastic movements in plants to develop extremely efficient dehumidifiers and water harvesting machines. These polymer actuators can help address the auto-acceleration of climate change caused by the increasing use of air conditioners and provide cheap, clean water for remote communities.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0346822
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$538,000.00
Summary
Polymer Optical Fibre Drawing Facility. A revolutionary new technology is emerging in polymer optical fibres, sparked by an important breakthrough in polymer optical fibres that was achieved last year by researchers at the University of Sydney. Therefore, Australia currently has a unique and short-lived opportunity to firmly establish themselves as the world leaders of this technology, provided the infrastructure to realise the novel concepts is available. We request funding for a high-quality p ....Polymer Optical Fibre Drawing Facility. A revolutionary new technology is emerging in polymer optical fibres, sparked by an important breakthrough in polymer optical fibres that was achieved last year by researchers at the University of Sydney. Therefore, Australia currently has a unique and short-lived opportunity to firmly establish themselves as the world leaders of this technology, provided the infrastructure to realise the novel concepts is available. We request funding for a high-quality polymer optical fibre draw tower to enable this. The collaborating institutions will be fabricating a range of different polymer optical fibres, targeting specific applications in optical sensing and telecommunications.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100195
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,000,000.00
Summary
Field-emission gun transmission electron microscope for the research in nanomaterials, metal alloys and biological sciences. The proposed facility is required by a large range of world-leading research programs in light metals, nanomaterials, fibres and biomaterials. These research programs are strongly supported by automobile, textile, mineral and advanced materials industries that have important roles in the current national economy and local communities. The facility will improve significan ....Field-emission gun transmission electron microscope for the research in nanomaterials, metal alloys and biological sciences. The proposed facility is required by a large range of world-leading research programs in light metals, nanomaterials, fibres and biomaterials. These research programs are strongly supported by automobile, textile, mineral and advanced materials industries that have important roles in the current national economy and local communities. The facility will improve significantly our current research ability and help the creation of new research areas in nanotechnology and energy materials beneficial to clean energy, environmental protections and health care. It is also important equipment for new research student training.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453426
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$235,000.00
Summary
Access for Australian Researchers to Advanced Neutron Beam Techniques. Neutron scattering is one of the most powerful and important investigative tools in the study of materials. Australia has only a low-flux neutron source, HIFAR, which provides no cold or hot neutrons. This excludes large, important areas of science, such as functional films, polymers, self-assembly systems, biological materials, colloids and emulsions, and real-time in-situ studies.
This application aims to continue Australi ....Access for Australian Researchers to Advanced Neutron Beam Techniques. Neutron scattering is one of the most powerful and important investigative tools in the study of materials. Australia has only a low-flux neutron source, HIFAR, which provides no cold or hot neutrons. This excludes large, important areas of science, such as functional films, polymers, self-assembly systems, biological materials, colloids and emulsions, and real-time in-situ studies.
This application aims to continue Australia's partnership with the world's most intense neutron source, ISIS in the UK, in order to sustain the considerable Australian scientific momentum which now relies on ISIS.
The outcomes will be new science that cannot be generated solely within Australia.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882725
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,000,000.00
Summary
Access for Australian Researchers to Advanced Neutron Beam Techniques. The major national benefit will be access, by peer review, to the 35 specialised instruments at the world's leading pulsed Neutron and Muon source, ISIS. This complements the access to the eight neutron instruments that will operate at the Australian Reactor OPAL. This will support (or enable) high quality research into areas as diverse as materials development, mineral processing and aspects of biological and medical scien ....Access for Australian Researchers to Advanced Neutron Beam Techniques. The major national benefit will be access, by peer review, to the 35 specialised instruments at the world's leading pulsed Neutron and Muon source, ISIS. This complements the access to the eight neutron instruments that will operate at the Australian Reactor OPAL. This will support (or enable) high quality research into areas as diverse as materials development, mineral processing and aspects of biological and medical science. It will facilitate international collaborations that are important for both research and post-graduate student training.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668044
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$240,000.00
Summary
Access for Australian Researchers to Advanced Neutron Beam Techniques. The access to ISIS is of strategic benefit to Australia. In the 'run up' to the Replacement Research Reactor that benefit will be increased because of the current upgrade to ISIS and the imminent construction of a second target station to provide the world's best 'cold neutron' facilities.