New Generation Pipeline and Q&T Plate Steels. If successful, the progressive reformulation of the alloy design of a new family of steels would enhance their properties, greatly reduce the complexity of manufacture, ensure more efficient steelmaking production practices and enable the full capacity of the domestic pipe mills and plate manufacturing facilities to be realised. This innovative and new approach opens up opportunities for market growth and export potential in areas of fundamental impo ....New Generation Pipeline and Q&T Plate Steels. If successful, the progressive reformulation of the alloy design of a new family of steels would enhance their properties, greatly reduce the complexity of manufacture, ensure more efficient steelmaking production practices and enable the full capacity of the domestic pipe mills and plate manufacturing facilities to be realised. This innovative and new approach opens up opportunities for market growth and export potential in areas of fundamental importance to Australia's infrastructure and mining industries and defence capability. Implementation of this newly developed technology would, for the first time, create export market opportunities for Australian pipe manufacturers.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775721
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$520,000.00
Summary
Near Net Shaped Casting and Alloy Development Facility. Nearly all metal production is based around an initial casting phase, often followed by other deformation and thermal processes. This facility will allow us to study current and future advanced alloys and processing routes, including metals of strategic importance to Australia such as aluminium, titanium and magnesium. One of the major innovations for these metals is to directly cast to strip, followed by minimal processing to provide str ....Near Net Shaped Casting and Alloy Development Facility. Nearly all metal production is based around an initial casting phase, often followed by other deformation and thermal processes. This facility will allow us to study current and future advanced alloys and processing routes, including metals of strategic importance to Australia such as aluminium, titanium and magnesium. One of the major innovations for these metals is to directly cast to strip, followed by minimal processing to provide strip products with novel properties, low capital costs and short lead times. The outcomes from this research will support the development of existing and new metal industries in Australia.Read moreRead less
Cold catalysis for water splitting. This project aims to develop photocatalysts via AC magnetic field through nanoscale heating for efficient H2 generation. This project is to introduce cold catalysis concept, which heats catalysts only but not solution, thus called cold catalysis, in the area of production of renewable energy. Expected outcome is the creation of clean and low cost catalysts to effectively harvest the chemical energy from the sun via splitting of water into H2 and O2 without cau ....Cold catalysis for water splitting. This project aims to develop photocatalysts via AC magnetic field through nanoscale heating for efficient H2 generation. This project is to introduce cold catalysis concept, which heats catalysts only but not solution, thus called cold catalysis, in the area of production of renewable energy. Expected outcome is the creation of clean and low cost catalysts to effectively harvest the chemical energy from the sun via splitting of water into H2 and O2 without causing any environmental damage. This unique technology will also help to address clean energy generation, which is in line with H2 economy plan by Australia government, and provide opportunities for new industries that will benefit Australian economy.Read moreRead less
Catalytic production of health food additives from crustacean wastes. Cost-effective production of new synthetic amino acids as value-added food additives from crustacean wastes is vital for waste recycling and a sustainable economy. This project will develop a unique catalytic system for the selective conversion of waste-derived compounds into tailor-made products. Advanced in situ spectroscopic techniques will be employed to establish the structure-reactivity relationship of working catalysts ....Catalytic production of health food additives from crustacean wastes. Cost-effective production of new synthetic amino acids as value-added food additives from crustacean wastes is vital for waste recycling and a sustainable economy. This project will develop a unique catalytic system for the selective conversion of waste-derived compounds into tailor-made products. Advanced in situ spectroscopic techniques will be employed to establish the structure-reactivity relationship of working catalysts and thereby manipulate the key factors governing the activity/selectivity. Such cutting-edge knowledge gained is crucial for optimising process effciency and resource utilisation, which is essential for the success of the biorefining industry and a more environmentally-friendly chemical and food economy in Australia.Read moreRead less
Nanoscale heating towards high efficient nitrogen reduction reduction. This project aims to develop nanoscale heating technique using AC magnetic field for efficient synthesis of ammonia, widely used for fertiliser and having potential for hydrogen storage. This project is to introduce nanoscale heating concept by heating catalyst only but not solution in electrochemical catalysis to achieve high catalytic activity. Expected outcome is the creation of low cost catalysts having high selectivity a ....Nanoscale heating towards high efficient nitrogen reduction reduction. This project aims to develop nanoscale heating technique using AC magnetic field for efficient synthesis of ammonia, widely used for fertiliser and having potential for hydrogen storage. This project is to introduce nanoscale heating concept by heating catalyst only but not solution in electrochemical catalysis to achieve high catalytic activity. Expected outcome is the creation of low cost catalysts having high selectivity and formation rate for ammonia production. This unique technology has the potential to replace current ammonia production based on Haber-Bosch process, which consumes 2% of world energy and contributes 3% of overall CO2 emission. The project provides opportunities for new industries that will benefit Australian economy.Read moreRead less
Effect of Chromium and Manganese on the Formations of Graphite and Carbide on the surface of Low Carbon Sheet Steels. Surface graphite and surface carbide are two surface defects observed in cold-rolled low carbon steel sheets after batch annealing under non-oxidising atmosphere. The surface defects detract from the appearance of the steel sheets and diminish the surface treatment potential of the sheets, causing significant and costly material losses. The aims of the project are to study the in ....Effect of Chromium and Manganese on the Formations of Graphite and Carbide on the surface of Low Carbon Sheet Steels. Surface graphite and surface carbide are two surface defects observed in cold-rolled low carbon steel sheets after batch annealing under non-oxidising atmosphere. The surface defects detract from the appearance of the steel sheets and diminish the surface treatment potential of the sheets, causing significant and costly material losses. The aims of the project are to study the inhibition of surface graphite formation by the additions of Chromium and Manganese and to study the mechanism of formation of surface carbide with the aim of developing an alloying / processing strategy which eliminates both the surface graphite and the surface carbide.Read moreRead less
Fine Structured Optical Fibre Fabrication - Soot, Rheology and Nanostructure in Modified Chemical Vapour Deposition. For 30 years photonics and telecommunications have relied heavily on optical fibres made by Modified Chemical Vapour Deposition (MCVD), a complex, highly dynamic process with many interacting variables, which is still more art than science. The results are good enough for most purposes but the next generation of photonics demands fibres with intricate, precisely defined internal s ....Fine Structured Optical Fibre Fabrication - Soot, Rheology and Nanostructure in Modified Chemical Vapour Deposition. For 30 years photonics and telecommunications have relied heavily on optical fibres made by Modified Chemical Vapour Deposition (MCVD), a complex, highly dynamic process with many interacting variables, which is still more art than science. The results are good enough for most purposes but the next generation of photonics demands fibres with intricate, precisely defined internal structures. A multi-disciplinary team will elucidate and quantify the exact nature of the fundamental science underlying MCVD - of silicate soot formation, deposition and heat treatment - and translate this into reproducibly fabricated fine structured fibres with high optical and mechanical performance.Read moreRead less
Designing a photo-electro-catalysis system for selective organic oxidation. The research aims to establish new composite materials to enable realisation of next generation organic electrolysers for renewable hydrogen production. Water electrolysis is seen as the front-running technology in Australia's drive to be a renewable hydrogen exporter. Significant opportunity exists in adopting organic electrolysis as an alternative with additional benefits, including lower energy input and value-added c ....Designing a photo-electro-catalysis system for selective organic oxidation. The research aims to establish new composite materials to enable realisation of next generation organic electrolysers for renewable hydrogen production. Water electrolysis is seen as the front-running technology in Australia's drive to be a renewable hydrogen exporter. Significant opportunity exists in adopting organic electrolysis as an alternative with additional benefits, including lower energy input and value-added chemical production (alongside H2), off-setting costs. Challenges exist with controlling organic product selectivity and restricting carbon dioxide generation. The project intends to deliver a system which uses complementary phenomena (light activation, controllable polarity, magnetic response) to resolve said challenges. Read moreRead less
PRODUCTION OF OPTIMAL MICROSTRUCTURED POLYMER OPTICAL FIBRE. Microstructured optical fibres have been described as the 'next generation' of optical fibres, because of their ability to produce tailorisable optical effects. Our success in producing these fibres in polymer was a world-first. This project will yield a fundamental understanding of the fabrication process, so that for any fibre design the optimal drawing conditions can be determined and maintained for extended draws. This will allow i ....PRODUCTION OF OPTIMAL MICROSTRUCTURED POLYMER OPTICAL FIBRE. Microstructured optical fibres have been described as the 'next generation' of optical fibres, because of their ability to produce tailorisable optical effects. Our success in producing these fibres in polymer was a world-first. This project will yield a fundamental understanding of the fabrication process, so that for any fibre design the optimal drawing conditions can be determined and maintained for extended draws. This will allow improved draw reproducibility and fibre uniformity so that commercial quality fibres can be produced at economic rates. We will establish quantitative relationships between drawing parameters and optical properties, thus developing optimal designs and production processes.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL140100081
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,380,000.00
Summary
Engineering hybrid photocatalytic systems for sustainable fuel generation. Engineering hybrid photocatalytic systems for sustainable fuel generation. The project aims to develop next generation hybrid photo-(co)catalyst and gaseous photoelectrode systems that will effectively harness solar energy to transform carbon dioxide into sustainable fuels using a multi-scale approach: designing hetero-structured material systems; elucidating surface reaction mechanisms, and engineering coupled photo/ther ....Engineering hybrid photocatalytic systems for sustainable fuel generation. Engineering hybrid photocatalytic systems for sustainable fuel generation. The project aims to develop next generation hybrid photo-(co)catalyst and gaseous photoelectrode systems that will effectively harness solar energy to transform carbon dioxide into sustainable fuels using a multi-scale approach: designing hetero-structured material systems; elucidating surface reaction mechanisms, and engineering coupled photo/thermal-catalytic and unique gaseous photoelectrochemical systems. This project aims to yield fundamental new knowledge for the economical conversion and storage of solar energy as an environmentally benign chemical fuel, as well as create contemporary material systems and reactors for photo- and thermal-catalysis and photoelectrochemical reactions that utilise carbon dioxide as a feedstock.Read moreRead less