Fundamental studies of the mechanism of atmospheric pressure plasma deposition of thin films. This project will extend fundamental understanding of the mechanisms occurring in a revolutionary plasma deposition process, atmospheric pressure plasma deposition, building upon a platform of technology developed over the last 12 months. The deposition process uses liquid containing the deposition source materials to confine the plasma. The enormous commercial potential of the process for wear-resist ....Fundamental studies of the mechanism of atmospheric pressure plasma deposition of thin films. This project will extend fundamental understanding of the mechanisms occurring in a revolutionary plasma deposition process, atmospheric pressure plasma deposition, building upon a platform of technology developed over the last 12 months. The deposition process uses liquid containing the deposition source materials to confine the plasma. The enormous commercial potential of the process for wear-resistant coatings, biomaterials and electronics is currently limited by insufficient understanding of the basic mechanisms of deposition, and critical plasma parameters which control the process. This basic science project focusses on fundamental chemical and plasma processes, and will develop initial models, enabling generalisation of the process.Read moreRead less
Advanced materials for space propulsion: satellites and cubesats. Poorly controlled interactions between plasmas and surfaces often mean loss of process efficiency and surface degradation over time. For Hall thrusters, a type of engine used to move satellites in space, this means increased fuel consumption and shorter useful life. Through modelling and experiment, this project will show how intelligent selection of advanced materials and plasma parameters can minimise surface wear, enable in sit ....Advanced materials for space propulsion: satellites and cubesats. Poorly controlled interactions between plasmas and surfaces often mean loss of process efficiency and surface degradation over time. For Hall thrusters, a type of engine used to move satellites in space, this means increased fuel consumption and shorter useful life. Through modelling and experiment, this project will show how intelligent selection of advanced materials and plasma parameters can minimise surface wear, enable in situ material repair to extend device lifetime, and modulate plasma properties to increase thruster efficiency for a given task. These benefits enable reliable propulsion platforms for massive communication and observation satellite networks and deep space exploration.Read moreRead less
Low-temperature plasma processes for high-quality graphene films. The project aims to develop novel plasma-enabled processes for low-cost, energy-efficient, and scalable growth of high-quality graphene films for applications in touch screen, solar cell and other devices. It aims to discover non-equilibrium plasma-surface interactions enabling nucleation and growth of graphene films with large and low-defect domains on metal catalysts at low temperatures, and then develop energy-efficient, enviro ....Low-temperature plasma processes for high-quality graphene films. The project aims to develop novel plasma-enabled processes for low-cost, energy-efficient, and scalable growth of high-quality graphene films for applications in touch screen, solar cell and other devices. It aims to discover non-equilibrium plasma-surface interactions enabling nucleation and growth of graphene films with large and low-defect domains on metal catalysts at low temperatures, and then develop energy-efficient, environment-friendly, and scalable fabrication and device transfer processes. These processes are designed to retain high quality of graphene films upon scale-up and will be compatible with the existing and emerging applications in touch screens and other devices. The expected outcomes include fundamental understanding and novel practical approaches to control synthesis and device integration of two-dimensional atomically-thin materials.Read moreRead less