Liquid metal composite tactile sensor. Tactile sensing electronic skin is a key enabling technology for smart robotic grippers and neuroprosthetics. However, traditional electronic skin is still underdeveloped in sensing of slip and force direction. Therefore, this project aims to imitate human skin structure to develop a highly sensitive liquid metal-enabled electronic skin that can achieve high-performance multiple tactile sensation capabilities, including normal-tangential force decoupling a ....Liquid metal composite tactile sensor. Tactile sensing electronic skin is a key enabling technology for smart robotic grippers and neuroprosthetics. However, traditional electronic skin is still underdeveloped in sensing of slip and force direction. Therefore, this project aims to imitate human skin structure to develop a highly sensitive liquid metal-enabled electronic skin that can achieve high-performance multiple tactile sensation capabilities, including normal-tangential force decoupling and slip detection. The expected outcome will enable future manipulator and prosthetics to detect complex forces for precision manipulation, which will provide benefits to advanced manufacturing and bring significant economic and social benefits.Read moreRead less
Bioinspired Ceramifiable Fire-Retardant Composite Coatings. This project aims to design bioinspired, adhesive, ceramifiable fire-retardant coatings through understanding their composition-property relationship and fire-retardant mechanism. The fire-retardant coatings are then applied to typical polymer foams to create fire-safe building thermal insulation materials. This project will generate new knowledge in materials science that helps to expedite next-generation advanced fire-retardant coatin ....Bioinspired Ceramifiable Fire-Retardant Composite Coatings. This project aims to design bioinspired, adhesive, ceramifiable fire-retardant coatings through understanding their composition-property relationship and fire-retardant mechanism. The fire-retardant coatings are then applied to typical polymer foams to create fire-safe building thermal insulation materials. This project will generate new knowledge in materials science that helps to expedite next-generation advanced fire-retardant coatings for a variety of flammable substrates. Expected outcomes of this project are cost-effective fire-retardant coatings and fire-safe, inexpensive thermal insulation materials. This project will bring significant economic benefits to Australia and help to create fire-resilient and energy-efficient buildings.Read moreRead less
Microspheres from (Sun)Light – A Sustainable Materials Platform. This project will break new ground in light-induced step-growth precipitation polymerisation techniques for polymer particle formation that do not require any initiator, surfactants, additives or heating, thus constituting an environmentally friendly process. The project will establish the underpinning photochemical particle formation processes and establish a broad monomer base for the production of particles with a wide property ....Microspheres from (Sun)Light – A Sustainable Materials Platform. This project will break new ground in light-induced step-growth precipitation polymerisation techniques for polymer particle formation that do not require any initiator, surfactants, additives or heating, thus constituting an environmentally friendly process. The project will establish the underpinning photochemical particle formation processes and establish a broad monomer base for the production of particles with a wide property profile, including particles with tailored surface properties and the ability to degrade upon a defined trigger signal. Scaling the particles' synthesis, including using Australian sunlight, will enable multi-gram production allowing real-world applications.Read moreRead less
Corrosion triggered self-passivation of magnesium alloys . This project aims to sustainably protect magnesium alloys from aqueous corrosion in engineering services through an unprecedented self-passivation mechanism (analogues to stainless steel). This project is expected to generate new knowledge in the area of passivation mechanisms for magnesium alloys in corrosive environments through high-throughput screening and in-situ corrosion characterisation at atomic scale. This should provide signif ....Corrosion triggered self-passivation of magnesium alloys . This project aims to sustainably protect magnesium alloys from aqueous corrosion in engineering services through an unprecedented self-passivation mechanism (analogues to stainless steel). This project is expected to generate new knowledge in the area of passivation mechanisms for magnesium alloys in corrosive environments through high-throughput screening and in-situ corrosion characterisation at atomic scale. This should provide significant benefits, such as enabling the debut of a scientific strategy to transform the magnesium alloy market with respect to end use (such as electric car industry), energy composition and emissions, which has significant industrial interest as it will provide new opportunities to minimise carbon footprint.Read moreRead less
Precision-built dynamic and functional polymer vesicles. The project aims to create new precision-built polymer vesicles with controlled size, stability, functionality and environmental responsiveness to mimic some of the key dynamic functions of the cell. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the dynamic interplay between the polymer and its bilayer including on-demand activated polymerisations and reactions, logic gates and in situ sensors. Expected outcomes of this project include ....Precision-built dynamic and functional polymer vesicles. The project aims to create new precision-built polymer vesicles with controlled size, stability, functionality and environmental responsiveness to mimic some of the key dynamic functions of the cell. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the dynamic interplay between the polymer and its bilayer including on-demand activated polymerisations and reactions, logic gates and in situ sensors. Expected outcomes of this project include new synthetic polymer techniques and new quantitative insights into the role of compartmentalisation on chemical reactions and polymerisations. This project will provide fundamental knowledge on bio/polymer vesicles with great potential to advance the polymer industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Metallic materials with combined chemical and structural heterogeneities. This project aims to explore how combined spatial gradients in composition and microstructure affect the mechanical properties of metallic materials. Manipulation of composition and microstructure has been widely used to strengthen materials but this often deteriorates the ductility. The trade-off could be overcome through the introduction of gradient structures because the variations in both composition and microstructure ....Metallic materials with combined chemical and structural heterogeneities. This project aims to explore how combined spatial gradients in composition and microstructure affect the mechanical properties of metallic materials. Manipulation of composition and microstructure has been widely used to strengthen materials but this often deteriorates the ductility. The trade-off could be overcome through the introduction of gradient structures because the variations in both composition and microstructure would trigger simultaneous activation of multiple deformation mechanisms. This project is expected to provide guidance in the design of gradient metallic structures with optimum mechanical properties, which will significantly benefit Australian metallurgical and related industries.Read moreRead less
Bioinspired Flexible Haptic Memory Materials for Artificial Sensory Nerves. This project aims to develop next generation haptic memory materials for the applications of artificial sensory nerves, which can precisely detect, process and respond to mechanical stimuli. The project expects to achieve this aim by mimicking the functions of biological haptic memory system and integrating highly sensitive tactile sensors and synaptic devices into artificial sensory nerves. The anticipated outcomes wil ....Bioinspired Flexible Haptic Memory Materials for Artificial Sensory Nerves. This project aims to develop next generation haptic memory materials for the applications of artificial sensory nerves, which can precisely detect, process and respond to mechanical stimuli. The project expects to achieve this aim by mimicking the functions of biological haptic memory system and integrating highly sensitive tactile sensors and synaptic devices into artificial sensory nerves. The anticipated outcomes will be new electronic materials for a wide range of end uses in next-generation flexible sensor technologies including healthcare monitoring devices, intelligent soft robotic systems and neural prosthetics.Read moreRead less
Unlocking the ion selectivity of lithium superionic conductor membranes. This project aims to address a longstanding challenge in designing advanced membranes to enable sustainable lithium refining by unlocking the ion selectivity of lithium superionic conductors. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of membrane science and emerging nanoionics by using interdisciplinary approaches. Expected outcomes of this project include a novel class of lithium separation membranes and ....Unlocking the ion selectivity of lithium superionic conductor membranes. This project aims to address a longstanding challenge in designing advanced membranes to enable sustainable lithium refining by unlocking the ion selectivity of lithium superionic conductors. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the areas of membrane science and emerging nanoionics by using interdisciplinary approaches. Expected outcomes of this project include a novel class of lithium separation membranes and their fabrication techniques. This should provide significant benefits in improving lithium extraction and recycling efficiency, reducing their environmental impact and building the research capacity in advanced membrane manufacturing and critical mineral refining in Australia. Read moreRead less
High-performance green concrete containing lithium refinery residue . This project aims to investigate the potential use of lithium refinery residue as a partial replacement for cement in concrete. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of green concrete through fundamental investigation of its properties and to incorporate this residue as a new supplementary cementitious material in existing Australian standard. The expected outcomes of the project include characterisation ....High-performance green concrete containing lithium refinery residue . This project aims to investigate the potential use of lithium refinery residue as a partial replacement for cement in concrete. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of green concrete through fundamental investigation of its properties and to incorporate this residue as a new supplementary cementitious material in existing Australian standard. The expected outcomes of the project include characterisation and benchmarking of lithium residue as an alternative supplementary cementitious material in concrete. This will provide significant environmental benefits in both a reduction in lithium waste and reduction of CO2 emission of cement in high-performance green concrete. Read moreRead less
Orthogonal Sensing Strategies for Soft Sensors to Discern Multiple Stimuli . The project seeks to create new orthogonal sensing technologies that enable a single soft sensor to detect multiple mechanical and thermal stimuli, overcoming the challenge of cross-talk between stimuli. The project expects to generate new knowledge of orthogonal sensing mechanisms and the effects of microstructure designs. The expected outcomes include novel soft sensors capable of accurately detecting pressure, stretc ....Orthogonal Sensing Strategies for Soft Sensors to Discern Multiple Stimuli . The project seeks to create new orthogonal sensing technologies that enable a single soft sensor to detect multiple mechanical and thermal stimuli, overcoming the challenge of cross-talk between stimuli. The project expects to generate new knowledge of orthogonal sensing mechanisms and the effects of microstructure designs. The expected outcomes include novel soft sensors capable of accurately detecting pressure, stretch, shear, and temperature simultaneously. The new technologies are expected to support Australian companies in developing, producing and exporting sensors for soft robots and wearable devices for health monitoring, an area recognized as a key priority by the Federal Government’s Industry Growth Centres.Read moreRead less