Advanced all-Iron flow batteries for stationary energy storage. Iron flow batteries are one of the most promising choices for clean, reliable and cost effective long-duration energy storage. The main obstacle for large scale commercial deployment is the low round-trip energy efficiency caused by the competitive side reaction that occurs at the negative electrode during battery charging. The project aims to address this issue by engineering the negative electrode-electrolyte interface with functi ....Advanced all-Iron flow batteries for stationary energy storage. Iron flow batteries are one of the most promising choices for clean, reliable and cost effective long-duration energy storage. The main obstacle for large scale commercial deployment is the low round-trip energy efficiency caused by the competitive side reaction that occurs at the negative electrode during battery charging. The project aims to address this issue by engineering the negative electrode-electrolyte interface with functional materials to improve battery performance and thus further reduce the cost of energy storage. Expected outcomes include new materials and methods for advanced battery technology and manufacturing. The success of the project will significantly support the national priority of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.Read moreRead less
Smart materials for atmospheric water management and water harvesting. Fresh water is a scarce resource in many parts of the globe but uncomfortably over-supplied in other regions. Dehumidifying machines, such as air conditioners, are extensively used in humid climates to enhance human comfort, but with great energy costs. Likewise, the production of potable water in remote dry regions is energy intensive. We propose novel hyper-absorbent desiccating polymers combined into sorption-powered engin ....Smart materials for atmospheric water management and water harvesting. Fresh water is a scarce resource in many parts of the globe but uncomfortably over-supplied in other regions. Dehumidifying machines, such as air conditioners, are extensively used in humid climates to enhance human comfort, but with great energy costs. Likewise, the production of potable water in remote dry regions is energy intensive. We propose novel hyper-absorbent desiccating polymers combined into sorption-powered engines inspired by nastic movements in plants to develop extremely efficient dehumidifiers and water harvesting machines. These polymer actuators can help address the auto-acceleration of climate change caused by the increasing use of air conditioners and provide cheap, clean water for remote communities.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240101045
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$448,407.00
Summary
Bioinspired 2D nanocatalysts for inorganic nitrogen cycle. This project aims to develop novel catalysts for high-efficient nitrogen fixation by learning from the natural enzymes, which can convert nitrogen or nitrate into reactive ammonia at very mild conditions. It is expected that the enzyme-mimicking catalysts possessing the nitrogen active sites similar with the natural enzymes will allow the effective fixation of nitrogen from both the atmosphere and the nitrogen excessively fertilized envi ....Bioinspired 2D nanocatalysts for inorganic nitrogen cycle. This project aims to develop novel catalysts for high-efficient nitrogen fixation by learning from the natural enzymes, which can convert nitrogen or nitrate into reactive ammonia at very mild conditions. It is expected that the enzyme-mimicking catalysts possessing the nitrogen active sites similar with the natural enzymes will allow the effective fixation of nitrogen from both the atmosphere and the nitrogen excessively fertilized environment into reusable ammonia. The outcomes of this project will provide a sustainable approach to solve the issues in current unbalanced inorganic nitrogen cycle in the world and contribute to a green artificial nitrogen cycle while with minimized environmental impact.Read moreRead less
Adaptive nanofabrication of monolithic multifunctional sensing chips. This project aims to develop a new miniaturised graphene sensing platform integrating multiparameter sensing, wireless charging and data communication on a single chip to revolutionise the ubiquitous wireless sensing networks. By exploring the versatile laser nanofabrication, multiple devices can be inscribed into one flexible mini-chip for the first time. The chip can transform any objects into intelligent, multifunctional an ....Adaptive nanofabrication of monolithic multifunctional sensing chips. This project aims to develop a new miniaturised graphene sensing platform integrating multiparameter sensing, wireless charging and data communication on a single chip to revolutionise the ubiquitous wireless sensing networks. By exploring the versatile laser nanofabrication, multiple devices can be inscribed into one flexible mini-chip for the first time. The chip can transform any objects into intelligent, multifunctional and energy-efficient sensors and find enormous applications in advanced manufacturing, logistics, health monitoring, supply chain and security. It underpins almost every sector of our daily life, securing Australia’s internationally leading position in digitalisation and creating significant social and economic benefits.Read moreRead less