Development of advanced lithium ion battery and battery management system for electric /hybrid electric vehicle applications. This project represents a significant scientific and economic development for Australia as it aims to create advanced, high performing, energy storage devices with a focus on safety, that will provide enormous benefits for the environment. An added advantage will be the establishment of local and national expertise in the area of electrochemical energy storage systems, th ....Development of advanced lithium ion battery and battery management system for electric /hybrid electric vehicle applications. This project represents a significant scientific and economic development for Australia as it aims to create advanced, high performing, energy storage devices with a focus on safety, that will provide enormous benefits for the environment. An added advantage will be the establishment of local and national expertise in the area of electrochemical energy storage systems, that will place Australia at the forefront of lithium ion battery research and development. Flow-on benefits will also be created for Australian organizations involved in the manufacturing of electric vehicles and portable devices.Read moreRead less
Terahertz Metamaterials for Molecular Sensing. Metamaterials are fascinating new man-made structures that can manipulate beams of light in surprising ways; eg. metamaterials are being studied as 'cloaking devices' to render objects invisible. Our proposal aims for fundamental studies and improvement of metamaterials operating in the terahertz (T-ray) frequency regime. The outcome will be the exploitation of new metamaterial devices for high performance molecular sensors and electromagnetic filte ....Terahertz Metamaterials for Molecular Sensing. Metamaterials are fascinating new man-made structures that can manipulate beams of light in surprising ways; eg. metamaterials are being studied as 'cloaking devices' to render objects invisible. Our proposal aims for fundamental studies and improvement of metamaterials operating in the terahertz (T-ray) frequency regime. The outcome will be the exploitation of new metamaterial devices for high performance molecular sensors and electromagnetic filters operating at terahertz frequencies. Socioeconomic benefits to Australia include: (i) increased knowledge-base in metamaterials operating in the terahertz range; (ii) the underpinning of applications in biophotonics and communications; and (iii) commercialisation of novel terahertz devices.Read moreRead less
Designs of Periodic Microstructure Materials with Prescribed Multiphysical Properties. The evolutionary structural optimization (ESO) is an Australian initiative, which has made a significant impact on modern structural optimization. In advanced materials areas, Australia has well-established infrastructure and world-class expertise. Exploitation of ESO to advanced materials design will be of "exclusive significance" to Australia. More importantly, the new material design technology will present ....Designs of Periodic Microstructure Materials with Prescribed Multiphysical Properties. The evolutionary structural optimization (ESO) is an Australian initiative, which has made a significant impact on modern structural optimization. In advanced materials areas, Australia has well-established infrastructure and world-class expertise. Exploitation of ESO to advanced materials design will be of "exclusive significance" to Australia. More importantly, the new material design technology will present to Australia an opportunity to lead in this rapidly-growing area, which will definitely underpin Australia's standing as a major contributor and developer in a global materials market. It is expected that fresh classes of futuristic materials can be developed in a cost-effective fashion and add great economic benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less
Simulation and Modelling of Interactions between Dislocations and Precipitates in High Strength Light Alloys. Most light alloys are strengthened by highly dispersed nanoscale precipitates. The mechanical behaviour of these alloys is determined by the intimate coupling between precipitate microstructure (size, shape and spatial distribution) and dislocation activities (by-pass, shearing and adsorption at interfaces). By integrating state-of-the-art experimental characterization and computer simul ....Simulation and Modelling of Interactions between Dislocations and Precipitates in High Strength Light Alloys. Most light alloys are strengthened by highly dispersed nanoscale precipitates. The mechanical behaviour of these alloys is determined by the intimate coupling between precipitate microstructure (size, shape and spatial distribution) and dislocation activities (by-pass, shearing and adsorption at interfaces). By integrating state-of-the-art experimental characterization and computer simulation techniques, this project aims to reveal detailed and accurate deformation mechanisms in these alloys. The knowledge gained and models developed are expected to provide guidelines to the optimization of existing alloys and design of new alloys, which is expected to create substantial wealth for Australia.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Hydrogen Production from Used Water. The project aims to address the pressing challenge of water scarcity in hydrogen production by developing an innovative approach of using used water as the feed for water electrolysis. The project will result in an in-depth understanding of the impacts of water impurities in used water on the performance and durability of water electrolysers, and develop guidelines for the design of highly durable water electrolysers and the operation and upgrade ....Sustainable Hydrogen Production from Used Water. The project aims to address the pressing challenge of water scarcity in hydrogen production by developing an innovative approach of using used water as the feed for water electrolysis. The project will result in an in-depth understanding of the impacts of water impurities in used water on the performance and durability of water electrolysers, and develop guidelines for the design of highly durable water electrolysers and the operation and upgrade of existing wastewater treatment plants. The project will advance the practical applications of water electrolysis for scalable and sustainable hydrogen production and help Australia secure a leading position in the global emerging hydrogen economy.Read moreRead less
A high performance and environment-friendly piezoelectric detector platform for biosensor applications. The development of high performance, lead-free, piezoelectric films and their incorporation into devices is rapidly becoming an urgent task as a result of recent legislation banning the use of lead in electronic components. The successful development of piezoelectric biosensors, as proposed in this project, has numerous potential benefits including the prospect of rapid and cheap biosensor dev ....A high performance and environment-friendly piezoelectric detector platform for biosensor applications. The development of high performance, lead-free, piezoelectric films and their incorporation into devices is rapidly becoming an urgent task as a result of recent legislation banning the use of lead in electronic components. The successful development of piezoelectric biosensors, as proposed in this project, has numerous potential benefits including the prospect of rapid and cheap biosensor devices as well as an environment-friendly, sensitive and real time solution for on-site drug, chemical and biological sensing. Successful development of the latter would provide immediate benefit in the areas of national security, food safety as well as in environmental and health monitoring. Read moreRead less
Advanced polymer fibres with multiple functionalities. This project will add value to the local polymer and fibre industries. Australia is a significant producer of synthetic polymers such as polypropylene and the largest producer of wool. There is also local production of nanoparticles such as zinc oxide. This project will add value to all these producers through innovative uses and applications of different types of material. Combining organic and inorganic particles in a polymer matrix has no ....Advanced polymer fibres with multiple functionalities. This project will add value to the local polymer and fibre industries. Australia is a significant producer of synthetic polymers such as polypropylene and the largest producer of wool. There is also local production of nanoparticles such as zinc oxide. This project will add value to all these producers through innovative uses and applications of different types of material. Combining organic and inorganic particles in a polymer matrix has not been reported. This innovation will strengthen our position in research into advanced materials, which is a national research priority.Read moreRead less
Development of superconducting leads with ultra-low thermal conductivity for cryoelectronic applications. Superconducting systems are revolutionary technologies that have the potential to make a significant impact on society. The development of the new technology of superconducting wiring, which would effectively eliminate heat generation and its transfer to the cryogenic electronics, and its subsequent employment will enable superconductive electronics to become price competitive, significantly ....Development of superconducting leads with ultra-low thermal conductivity for cryoelectronic applications. Superconducting systems are revolutionary technologies that have the potential to make a significant impact on society. The development of the new technology of superconducting wiring, which would effectively eliminate heat generation and its transfer to the cryogenic electronics, and its subsequent employment will enable superconductive electronics to become price competitive, significantly outperforming conventional systems. The establishment of this new frontier technology of heat-switch current leads will benefit Australian industries and have a dramatic impact in the future on the field of cryogenic quantum electronics (such as quantum computing), which is currently under profound exploration in Australia.Read moreRead less
Understanding the role of catalysts in the growth of epitaxial semiconductor nanowires and their hierarchical heterostructures. This Fellowship aims to comprehensively determine the role of catalysts during nanowire growth, solving the bottle-neck problem for growing device-applicable nanowires. In order to address this complicated scientific challenge, the project plans to collaborate with several world-leading researchers in different areas, such as growth, property measurements and modelling. ....Understanding the role of catalysts in the growth of epitaxial semiconductor nanowires and their hierarchical heterostructures. This Fellowship aims to comprehensively determine the role of catalysts during nanowire growth, solving the bottle-neck problem for growing device-applicable nanowires. In order to address this complicated scientific challenge, the project plans to collaborate with several world-leading researchers in different areas, such as growth, property measurements and modelling. The outcomes of this Fellowship will not only provide new science in terms of nanowire growth, but also provide guidelines for designing, developing and manufacturing nanowire-based nanostructures for future nanodevices and nanosystems. This is strategically important to place Australia at the forefront of developments on nanoscience and nanotechnology.Read moreRead less
Improving anti-salt crystallisation for solar-steam desalination. This project aims to solve a critical issue of solar-steam desalination by fundamental research. The solar-steam desalination technology offers an ideal strategy to utilize solar light as the energy source for desalination and water purification to produce affordable clean water. Photothermal materials play a key role in the desalination system to convert sunlight to heat and subsequently evaporate the saline water to generate ste ....Improving anti-salt crystallisation for solar-steam desalination. This project aims to solve a critical issue of solar-steam desalination by fundamental research. The solar-steam desalination technology offers an ideal strategy to utilize solar light as the energy source for desalination and water purification to produce affordable clean water. Photothermal materials play a key role in the desalination system to convert sunlight to heat and subsequently evaporate the saline water to generate steam as clean water. However, salt crystallization on the photothermal material surfaces severely limits the performance of the materials and clean water production. Solving this problem could accelerate the commercialisation and application of this technology, which will benefit millions of people worldwide.Read moreRead less