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
Mid-Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IM230100048
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,052,296.00
Summary
Developing a recyclable carbon fibre composite capability for Australia. This project will use innovative surface modification techniques on reclaimed and virgin carbon fibres to enhance their compatibility with thermoplastic polymers. Valorising reclaimed carbon fibres and optimising thermoplastic composite materials will overcome the global industry challenges of: Raw material shortfall and High-volume manufacture, respectively. The successful implementation of this work will enable the critic ....Developing a recyclable carbon fibre composite capability for Australia. This project will use innovative surface modification techniques on reclaimed and virgin carbon fibres to enhance their compatibility with thermoplastic polymers. Valorising reclaimed carbon fibres and optimising thermoplastic composite materials will overcome the global industry challenges of: Raw material shortfall and High-volume manufacture, respectively. The successful implementation of this work will enable the critical role that high performance carbon fibre composite materials will play in transitioning to alternative energy sectors such as wind and hydrogen. This fellowship will create a sovereign capability and source of high value materials for Australia that will benefit energy, construction, mining, and defence.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL170100014
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,275,680.00
Summary
Light-Induced chemical modularity: a new frontier in macromolecular design. This project aims to develop powerful light-driven chemistries for the modular construction of advanced macromolecular materials. The expected outcome is a versatile, light-based precision macromolecular synthetic technology platform, enabling critical advances in soft matter material design and synthesis, ranging from selectivity control of chemical reactions and information-coded and biomimetic light-responsive macromo ....Light-Induced chemical modularity: a new frontier in macromolecular design. This project aims to develop powerful light-driven chemistries for the modular construction of advanced macromolecular materials. The expected outcome is a versatile, light-based precision macromolecular synthetic technology platform, enabling critical advances in soft matter material design and synthesis, ranging from selectivity control of chemical reactions and information-coded and biomimetic light-responsive macromolecules to advanced functional photoresists for 3D laser lithography as well as materials that self-report structural transformations by light or are reprogrammable in their properties by photonic fields. Harnessing the power of light as a precision tool for the construction of advanced macromolecular materials will provide technology outcomes for Australian manufacturing industries from electronics to health. This includes laser-driven 3D printing technology at the nano-level, light-adaptive smart reprogrammable coatings and materials, synthetic proteins responsive to light as well as tailor-made single cell niches.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
Mid-Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IM230100132
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,060,944.00
Summary
Novel minerals and mix design in low embodied carbon concrete products . Research and development in materials and mix design for concrete building products will target utilisation of abundant and low cost mineral materials including natural clay, hard rock quarry fines and unclassified fly ash resources. New mix design and preparation methods are targeting improved strength and production efficiency with reduced Portland cement and embodied carbon. This technology will be used in the manufactur ....Novel minerals and mix design in low embodied carbon concrete products . Research and development in materials and mix design for concrete building products will target utilisation of abundant and low cost mineral materials including natural clay, hard rock quarry fines and unclassified fly ash resources. New mix design and preparation methods are targeting improved strength and production efficiency with reduced Portland cement and embodied carbon. This technology will be used in the manufacture of concrete blocks, roof tiles and brick and block mortar products currently manufactured by Brickworks. Outcomes are efficient and sustainable full scale manufacture of higher value, low embodied carbon, lightweight, large format and/or high durability products that are not currently available to the Australian market.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
Advanced Fibre Interfaces in Active Water Management Systems. Flooding is a critical issue in Australia, generating considerable economic losses, including by stormwater contamination. The current project will pioneer an integrated solution for stormwater retention, while removing chemical pollutants. In collaboration with the company ROCKWOOL-Lapinus - based on a stonewool fibre platform - we will (i) design fibre coatings based on a versatile and chemically simple deposition process, (ii) inco ....Advanced Fibre Interfaces in Active Water Management Systems. Flooding is a critical issue in Australia, generating considerable economic losses, including by stormwater contamination. The current project will pioneer an integrated solution for stormwater retention, while removing chemical pollutants. In collaboration with the company ROCKWOOL-Lapinus - based on a stonewool fibre platform - we will (i) design fibre coatings based on a versatile and chemically simple deposition process, (ii) incorporate functionalities onto the fibres allowing active stormwater treatment to e.g. retain pollutants or target heavy metals and (iii) investigate these interfaces in-depth by advanced surface and interface characterisation methods to understand the fibre interface properties from nano- to macroscale.Read moreRead less
High-Performance and Evaporative Triboelectric Nanogenerators. This project aims to create high performance triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) with outstanding moisture wicking and thermal-moisture stability, while providing a comfortable platform for biomechanical energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. The project expects to generate new knowledge on simultaneous enhancement of output power and moisture management capability of tribo-textiles using interdisciplinary approaches. This shou ....High-Performance and Evaporative Triboelectric Nanogenerators. This project aims to create high performance triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) with outstanding moisture wicking and thermal-moisture stability, while providing a comfortable platform for biomechanical energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. The project expects to generate new knowledge on simultaneous enhancement of output power and moisture management capability of tribo-textiles using interdisciplinary approaches. This should overcome the bottleneck of output deterioration of TENGs under humid conditions and provide significant benefits by offering an attractive renewable energy source for driving low power sensors in the era of IoT and opening new opportunities in healthcare, sports, virtual reality and smart homes.
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