Future sodium based electrochemical energy storage technologies. New rechargeable batteries will be developed through the use of breakthrough electrolytes based on liquid salts. These batteries are vital for the widespread use of renewables in Australia's electricity grid. They will also enable new generations of environmental sensor technology.
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
Advanced Na battery technology; key to transforming society's energy use. This project aims to advance energy storage technology based on low cost and sustainable sodium chemistry through understanding new electrode and electrolyte materials combinations, particularly to enhance the way charge is moved across the electrolyte–electrode interface. Sodium batteries represent a low-cost alternative to existing lithium devices and their development will affect a broad range of technologies. This is e ....Advanced Na battery technology; key to transforming society's energy use. This project aims to advance energy storage technology based on low cost and sustainable sodium chemistry through understanding new electrode and electrolyte materials combinations, particularly to enhance the way charge is moved across the electrolyte–electrode interface. Sodium batteries represent a low-cost alternative to existing lithium devices and their development will affect a broad range of technologies. This is especially relevant to electric vehicles and renewable energy where large, expensive batteries are needed.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100017
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
An integrated system for measuring thermoelectric properties of advanced materials. This facility will establish an integrated measuring system which will form the key step in developing thermoelectric materials. The instruments will support groundbreaking research in developing advanced materials with significant economic and environmental benefits for many industries, such as materials manufacturing and improving automobile energy efficiency.
Future electrochemical energy storage technologies. New rechargeable batteries will be developed through the use of breakthrough electrolytes based on liquid salts. These batteries are vital for the widespread use of renewables in Australia's electricity grid. They will also enable new generations of environmental sensor technology.
Understanding and controlling of photoferroelectricity for photoenergy uses. The project seeks to develop high performance photoferroelectric materials for a wide range of photoenergy conversion technologies like photovoltaics and photocatalytics. For the past 50 years, ferroelectric photovoltaics have only been an academic curiosity due to their low energy conversion efficiency relative to the popular semiconductor photovoltaics. This project aims to unlock the potential of ferroelectric photov ....Understanding and controlling of photoferroelectricity for photoenergy uses. The project seeks to develop high performance photoferroelectric materials for a wide range of photoenergy conversion technologies like photovoltaics and photocatalytics. For the past 50 years, ferroelectric photovoltaics have only been an academic curiosity due to their low energy conversion efficiency relative to the popular semiconductor photovoltaics. This project aims to unlock the potential of ferroelectric photovoltaics by introducing an ion co-substitution, which is coupled with electron-pinning, into promising ferroelectric materials and investigating the resultant photo-excited electronic and electrical properties. It is anticipated that the outcomes from this proposed project will provide a solution for optimal ferroelectric visible light absorption to achieve high power conversion efficiency in ferroelectric materials for practical photoenergy applications.Read moreRead less
High-performance smart solar powered on-chip capacitive energy storage. High performance and environmentally friendly on-chip power system is the key bottleneck issue limiting the further performance improvement and miniaturisation of ever-increasing portable optoelectronic devices. Building on previous work, including recent breakthroughs of on-chip photonic devices in patterned graphene oxide thin film and the record-breaking nanophotonics solar cells, the project aims to investigate a new con ....High-performance smart solar powered on-chip capacitive energy storage. High performance and environmentally friendly on-chip power system is the key bottleneck issue limiting the further performance improvement and miniaturisation of ever-increasing portable optoelectronic devices. Building on previous work, including recent breakthroughs of on-chip photonic devices in patterned graphene oxide thin film and the record-breaking nanophotonics solar cells, the project aims to investigate a new concept of super-resolution direct laser printing and simultaneous dopant activation of graphene oxide thin films. It is expected that the conceptually new development of the functional graphene oxide film patterning will allow for smart solar-powered on-chip power systems that outperform the state-of-the-art pollution generating batteries.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100427
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$446,000.00
Summary
Engineered multifunctional membranes for aqueous organic redox flow battery. This project aims to develop multifunctional membranes with high ion conductivity and selectivity and high energy density to address the key challenges in the development of aqueous organic redox flow battery for renewable energy storage. The project will develop novel methodologies for precisely tuning and functionalising microporous materials to achieve cost-effective and scalable fabrication of membranes with multi-f ....Engineered multifunctional membranes for aqueous organic redox flow battery. This project aims to develop multifunctional membranes with high ion conductivity and selectivity and high energy density to address the key challenges in the development of aqueous organic redox flow battery for renewable energy storage. The project will develop novel methodologies for precisely tuning and functionalising microporous materials to achieve cost-effective and scalable fabrication of membranes with multi-functions, thus improving the energy efficiency and retaining the cycling capacity of redox flow batteries. The advancement of multifunctional membranes will enhance the efficiency of storage of intermittent and fluctuating renewable resources, thereby contributing to the reduction of carbon footprint in Australia. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100188
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,000,000.00
Summary
Epitaxial growth facility for advanced materials. An advanced materials fabrication facility accessible to all Australian researchers will be established. This will allow crystal growth at the atomic level for novel materials with applications including fundamental physics, nanocomposites, energy storage and conversion systems, and solar cells.
Probing microbial emulsions to break barriers to green oil production. This project aims to understand ultrasonic processing of concentrated slurries of oil-bearing yeast and algae. Humans must reduce their dependency on petroleum. While microorganisms can produce oils as replacement fuels and base chemicals, the processes for extracting these oils are inefficient. Ultrasound could improve oil recovery by replacing toxic solvents. Understanding the effects of ultrasound on microbial emulsions is ....Probing microbial emulsions to break barriers to green oil production. This project aims to understand ultrasonic processing of concentrated slurries of oil-bearing yeast and algae. Humans must reduce their dependency on petroleum. While microorganisms can produce oils as replacement fuels and base chemicals, the processes for extracting these oils are inefficient. Ultrasound could improve oil recovery by replacing toxic solvents. Understanding the effects of ultrasound on microbial emulsions is expected to develop solvent-free oil recovery processes that improve the economic and environmental benefits of microbial oil production. Such processes would greatly increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of producing microbial oils that can be used as green alternatives to petroleum fuels and chemicals.Read moreRead less