Atomically thin membranes to transform chemical separations. Energy-efficient chemical separation is at the heart of modern resource and manufacturing industries, central to a prosperous and sustainable Australia. This project aims to develop next generation membrane technologies to transform chemical separations by employing recent breakthrough in materials discovery and nanofluidics. Expected outcomes include new fundamental understandings on sub-continuum transport physics and new atomically ....Atomically thin membranes to transform chemical separations. Energy-efficient chemical separation is at the heart of modern resource and manufacturing industries, central to a prosperous and sustainable Australia. This project aims to develop next generation membrane technologies to transform chemical separations by employing recent breakthrough in materials discovery and nanofluidics. Expected outcomes include new fundamental understandings on sub-continuum transport physics and new atomically thin membranes that enable energy-efficient separations for processing challenging streams beyond water purification. This project aims to position Australia at the forefront of sustainable separation technology and make the local resource and manufacturing industries more sustainable and globally competitive.Read moreRead less
Development of high-performance lead-free piezoelectric superlattices for environmentally-friendly and biocompatible piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) applications. This program is aimed at development of environmentally friendly and biocompatible lead-free piezoelectric thin films and superlattices for the potential applications in pMUTs. The expected outcome includes deposition of BNT and BZT-based thin films and superlattices, and enhancement of their physical propert ....Development of high-performance lead-free piezoelectric superlattices for environmentally-friendly and biocompatible piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) applications. This program is aimed at development of environmentally friendly and biocompatible lead-free piezoelectric thin films and superlattices for the potential applications in pMUTs. The expected outcome includes deposition of BNT and BZT-based thin films and superlattices, and enhancement of their physical properties by strain and interface engineering.Read moreRead less
Development of high efficiency nanocatalysts using novel electron beam fabrication and imaging techniques. This project will develop a new approach for fabricating and studying nanocatalysts based on our expertise in electron beam induced deposition (EBID) of nanostructured materials and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). ESEM will be used to conduct unique, time-resolved studies of nano-scale, catalysed chemical reactions at elevated temperatures and pressures. The project will ....Development of high efficiency nanocatalysts using novel electron beam fabrication and imaging techniques. This project will develop a new approach for fabricating and studying nanocatalysts based on our expertise in electron beam induced deposition (EBID) of nanostructured materials and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). ESEM will be used to conduct unique, time-resolved studies of nano-scale, catalysed chemical reactions at elevated temperatures and pressures. The project will advance fundamental understanding and applicability of EBID, ESEM and nanocatalysis. It will yield novel, highly efficient, industrially relevant nanocatalysts for the production of renewable (green) and low emission (clean) energy, with particular applications in hydrogen fuel cells and the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide.Read moreRead less
Helium recovery from liquefied natural gas waste stream using nanoporous mxene materials. The waste streams from many liquefied natural gas (LNG) industries still contains valuable helium, a possible next mineral to sustain our economic growth. This project aims to efficiently separate helium from methane and nitrogen via the layered two dimensional materials. This project will seek to understand the assembling behaviour of these nano-sized Mxene flakes and their molecular sieving properties. Au ....Helium recovery from liquefied natural gas waste stream using nanoporous mxene materials. The waste streams from many liquefied natural gas (LNG) industries still contains valuable helium, a possible next mineral to sustain our economic growth. This project aims to efficiently separate helium from methane and nitrogen via the layered two dimensional materials. This project will seek to understand the assembling behaviour of these nano-sized Mxene flakes and their molecular sieving properties. Australia is playing a leading role in the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and trade. This project expects to further position Australia at the forefront of intellectual leadership in the field of gas processing and material development. This will have significant benefits, such as further improving these LNG projects economics by cost-effectively producing helium as a valuable by-product via advanced porous nano-materials.Read moreRead less
A highly sensitive and selective nano-engineered sensor for the online monitoring of mercury vapour emissions from harsh industrial processes. The Australian alumina and aluminium industries contribute over $11 billion export income annually. All refineries, except one, operate in rural areas and are the main economic drivers in these regions. In order to maintain the industry's commitment to reduce the environmental impact of its processes and remain economically sustainable, innovative technol ....A highly sensitive and selective nano-engineered sensor for the online monitoring of mercury vapour emissions from harsh industrial processes. The Australian alumina and aluminium industries contribute over $11 billion export income annually. All refineries, except one, operate in rural areas and are the main economic drivers in these regions. In order to maintain the industry's commitment to reduce the environmental impact of its processes and remain economically sustainable, innovative technologies are required to monitor mercury emissions. The aim of this project is to develop robust sensors, for online monitoring of mercury vapours, that operate under challenging industrial environments. This project will also provide excellent training for young researchers in established international industrial research groups, thereby meeting skill shortages in the Australian resource sector.Read moreRead less
Development of nanostructured sensors for ultra-sensitive, label-free and selective detection of biological and chemical species. Outcomes will significantly advance the technical and fundamental understanding of sensor assembly and provide guidelines for developing and manufacturing nanostructured sensors, which is critical for next generation nanoscale sensing platforms for health care, medical diagnostics and chemical detection and Australia's emerging sensor industries.