High Energy Density - High Delivery Rate Thermal Energy Storage. This project aims to address the intermittency of renewable energy sources using novel thermal storage media. Advanced heat transfer modelling and in situ neutron diffraction and imaging are intended to be used to optimise the microstructure of newly developed miscibility gap thermal storage systems. The new media store energy as the latent heat of fusion of one phase in a stable, high thermal conductivity inverted microstructure. ....High Energy Density - High Delivery Rate Thermal Energy Storage. This project aims to address the intermittency of renewable energy sources using novel thermal storage media. Advanced heat transfer modelling and in situ neutron diffraction and imaging are intended to be used to optimise the microstructure of newly developed miscibility gap thermal storage systems. The new media store energy as the latent heat of fusion of one phase in a stable, high thermal conductivity inverted microstructure. The high energy density of the latent heat (0.5-4.5 Mega Joules/Litre) requires storage volumes as little as five per cent of those relying upon heat capacity and the metal matrix has a hundred-fold greater thermal conductivity than current systems. It is proposed that a range of such materials will be engineered for concentrated solar thermal and space heating applications.Read moreRead less
Thermal transport in multi-phase flows for concentrating solar applications. This project seeks to advance the field of heat transfer in high-temperature systems involving liquid metals, with emphasis on energy storage and solar power technologies. The concept couples a tubular sodium boiler with a sodium chloride phase-change storage system for continuous energy supply. Sodium chloride is low cost and has a melting temperature suitable for a wide range of industrial processes. The project plans ....Thermal transport in multi-phase flows for concentrating solar applications. This project seeks to advance the field of heat transfer in high-temperature systems involving liquid metals, with emphasis on energy storage and solar power technologies. The concept couples a tubular sodium boiler with a sodium chloride phase-change storage system for continuous energy supply. Sodium chloride is low cost and has a melting temperature suitable for a wide range of industrial processes. The project plans to address the challenge of sodium stability in highly irradiated tubes by investigating mass, momentum, energy and radiative transport in liquid metals. It is intended that this will inform the design and testing of novel sodium boilers to provide stable and isothermal process heat for continuous or on-demand production of power, chemical fuels and commodities.Read moreRead less
Spinning Nanosheets for Versatile Applications. This project seeks to develop a highly versatile and innovative fibre spinning research platform for fabricating multifunctional hybrid fibres with unprecedented mechanical, electrical and electrochemical properties. The novel fibres to be produced can be assembled into macroscale architectures or be weaved into functional textiles that can feed into relevant technologies and Australian industries such as advanced textiles for wearable energy stora ....Spinning Nanosheets for Versatile Applications. This project seeks to develop a highly versatile and innovative fibre spinning research platform for fabricating multifunctional hybrid fibres with unprecedented mechanical, electrical and electrochemical properties. The novel fibres to be produced can be assembled into macroscale architectures or be weaved into functional textiles that can feed into relevant technologies and Australian industries such as advanced textiles for wearable energy storage and conversion, microelectrodes and sensors, and smart medical/biomedical platforms. More importantly, this project will have far reaching implications across a range of research disciplines, and ultimately sectors critical to Australia’s health, social, and economic future.Read moreRead less
Improving battery safety with boron nitride nanotube separators. This project aims to improve the safety of lithium ion batteries by developing high –temperature, stable separators. The use of batteries in a hot Australian summer is a major safety issue for our society. This project will develop a new and safe battery technology with the help of boron nitride nanotubes to effectively reduce the risk of thermal runaway of battery cells. The expected outcomes will have a global impact on the safet ....Improving battery safety with boron nitride nanotube separators. This project aims to improve the safety of lithium ion batteries by developing high –temperature, stable separators. The use of batteries in a hot Australian summer is a major safety issue for our society. This project will develop a new and safe battery technology with the help of boron nitride nanotubes to effectively reduce the risk of thermal runaway of battery cells. The expected outcomes will have a global impact on the safety of the current battery technology and the innovative application of boron nitride nanotubes in battery technology. It will position industry on the cutting edge of battery technology required for energy storage development in Australia.Read moreRead less
Nanoporous nanorods with improved electrochemical properties. This project applies the latest nanotechnology to produce new nanomaterials for energy storage applications. The aim is to significantly improve supercapacitor performance for use in the storage of clean energy and harvesting of wasted energy which will contribute to a clean energy economy.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100676
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$430,582.00
Summary
Realising highly selective catalysts for continuous chlorine production. The aim is to directly electrocatalytic low concentration NaCl solution under mild conditions, to form chlorine gas for the polymers and pharmaceuticals production, enabled by the low dimensional metal-organic framework based catalysts. The project will also gain an atomic-level understanding of the mechanism of CER, based on in-situ spectroscopies e.g., X-ray absorption and Raman. Unlike electrocatalytic chlorine evolution ....Realising highly selective catalysts for continuous chlorine production. The aim is to directly electrocatalytic low concentration NaCl solution under mild conditions, to form chlorine gas for the polymers and pharmaceuticals production, enabled by the low dimensional metal-organic framework based catalysts. The project will also gain an atomic-level understanding of the mechanism of CER, based on in-situ spectroscopies e.g., X-ray absorption and Raman. Unlike electrocatalytic chlorine evolution using membrane cell with one membrane only, the project will design a novel integrated reactor system to alleviate the naturally sluggish chlorine evolution reaction, CER, significantly improving the yield and selectivity. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100716
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$367,420.00
Summary
Novel Boron Carbon Nitride (BCN) Nanosheets for Future Electrochemical Energy Storage. This project will develop new two-dimensional nanomaterials of boron carbon nitride (BCN nanosheets) with excellent electrochemical properties for energy storage application. New chemical approaches will be used to produce BCN nanosheets with a few layered structure, controlled chemical composition, high porosity and large surface area leading to a high electrical conductivity and enhanced electrochemical perf ....Novel Boron Carbon Nitride (BCN) Nanosheets for Future Electrochemical Energy Storage. This project will develop new two-dimensional nanomaterials of boron carbon nitride (BCN nanosheets) with excellent electrochemical properties for energy storage application. New chemical approaches will be used to produce BCN nanosheets with a few layered structure, controlled chemical composition, high porosity and large surface area leading to a high electrical conductivity and enhanced electrochemical performances. The BCN nanosheets will be used as the anode in lithium ion batteries and expected to improve capacity, rate capability and cycling stability. The expected outcomes include a new class of light and safe electrode materials, new production techniques and high-performance batteries.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL170100101
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,843,970.00
Summary
Towards sustainable electrochemical energy storage technology. This project aims to address fundamental issues on electrochemical energy storage technology using sodium-ion capacitors, by designing novel electrode materials and utilising advanced, in-situ and ex-situ instrumental techniques in combination with modern computational simulation methods. The project will lead to a complete understanding of the charge storage mechanism and transport kinetics in sodium-ion capacitors, providing guide ....Towards sustainable electrochemical energy storage technology. This project aims to address fundamental issues on electrochemical energy storage technology using sodium-ion capacitors, by designing novel electrode materials and utilising advanced, in-situ and ex-situ instrumental techniques in combination with modern computational simulation methods. The project will lead to a complete understanding of the charge storage mechanism and transport kinetics in sodium-ion capacitors, providing guidelines for developing sustainable electrochemical energy storage technology. The project expects to generate new knowledge in energy storage including capacity building, training of young scientists, and intellectual property with potential commercialised products.Read moreRead less
Self-assembling nanoporous graphene with dialable pore sizes for green energy production. The biggest barrier to the Sun being our main energy source is it is not always available. This can be overcome by having an economical means of storing solar energy as it is produced. This project will demonstrate such a technology by using nanoporous graphene to support artificial photosynthesis to produce fuel from water and carbon dioxide using sunlight.
Sustainable high energy sodium batteries with enhanced safety & cycle life. This project aims to deliver a high specific energy, ambient temperature sodium metal battery that is more sustainable, safer and better performing than existing technologies. Innovative chemistry will be used to replace the current flammable and toxic organic solvent-based systems, while novel tools and capabilities will be forged to retain Australian leadership in this sector. These advances will provide a technology ....Sustainable high energy sodium batteries with enhanced safety & cycle life. This project aims to deliver a high specific energy, ambient temperature sodium metal battery that is more sustainable, safer and better performing than existing technologies. Innovative chemistry will be used to replace the current flammable and toxic organic solvent-based systems, while novel tools and capabilities will be forged to retain Australian leadership in this sector. These advances will provide a technology and materials platform to generate and support emerging energy storage industries in Australia. It will strengthen international collaborations with leading research teams and provide opportunities and training for the next generation of energy storage research leaders in both academia and industry.Read moreRead less