High performance electrolyte for the vanadium redox flow battery. Vanadium batteries present a highly-scalable, sustainable solution for storage of renewable electricity, but the technology needs to be improved for robust and efficient operation in the warm Australian climate. This project aims to design and extensively test new high-performance electrolyte compositions with advanced thermal stabilising additives for safe long-term battery operation at 60 °C. New knowledge in materials science a ....High performance electrolyte for the vanadium redox flow battery. Vanadium batteries present a highly-scalable, sustainable solution for storage of renewable electricity, but the technology needs to be improved for robust and efficient operation in the warm Australian climate. This project aims to design and extensively test new high-performance electrolyte compositions with advanced thermal stabilising additives for safe long-term battery operation at 60 °C. New knowledge in materials science and electrochemistry will be generated. The core outcome of the project is a sustainable large-scale energy storage technology ready for immediate application in Australia. This will support the transition of the Australian energy sector to renewables and provide businesses with distributed energy storage solutions.Read moreRead less
Bioinspired interfaces for improved carbon fibre composite performance. Carbon fibre composites, where carbon fibres are embedded in a polymer matrix, are gradually replacing traditional materials such as steel. For example, composites make up 50 per cent of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, resulting in a 20 per cent improvement in fuel economy. There is significant scope for improving the damage tolerance of these materials. A fundamental lack of understanding around the fibre matrix interface currentl ....Bioinspired interfaces for improved carbon fibre composite performance. Carbon fibre composites, where carbon fibres are embedded in a polymer matrix, are gradually replacing traditional materials such as steel. For example, composites make up 50 per cent of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, resulting in a 20 per cent improvement in fuel economy. There is significant scope for improving the damage tolerance of these materials. A fundamental lack of understanding around the fibre matrix interface currently limits the development of new composite systems to overcome the problems with damage tolerance. This project takes inspiration from nature to develop a fundamental understanding of the interfaces within carbon fibre composites and optimise their behaviour via model-guided surface and interface engineering. Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100468
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
Scalable high-performance electrolytic hydrogen generator. The project aims to demonstrate energy-efficient generation of compressed hydrogen by water electrolysis in a high pressure electrolyser test-rig produced by Melbourne company Energys Australia P/L, using high-performance membrane-electrode assemblies. Innovative electrode architectures, membranes, and method for their high through-put lamination will be developed. New knowledge in catalysis, device fabrication and materials science is e ....Scalable high-performance electrolytic hydrogen generator. The project aims to demonstrate energy-efficient generation of compressed hydrogen by water electrolysis in a high pressure electrolyser test-rig produced by Melbourne company Energys Australia P/L, using high-performance membrane-electrode assemblies. Innovative electrode architectures, membranes, and method for their high through-put lamination will be developed. New knowledge in catalysis, device fabrication and materials science is expected to be generated. The major project outcome is sustainable method for generation of compressed hydrogen at significantly reduced cost as compared to the existing technologies. Benefits include industry-ready processes for electrolyser and hydrogen production that support Australian energy industries.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101268
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$386,820.00
Summary
Stochastic mathematical modelling of the Wnt signalling pathway. The Wnt signalling pathway is pivotal in multicellular organisms, regulating cellular processes such as proliferation, apoptosis and migration. Faulty Wnt signalling is associated with degenerative diseases, developmental disorders and cancers and is therefore a potential target for therapeutic drugs. This project will perform a stochastic spatial simulation of the Wnt signalling pathway which will be matched to experimental data. ....Stochastic mathematical modelling of the Wnt signalling pathway. The Wnt signalling pathway is pivotal in multicellular organisms, regulating cellular processes such as proliferation, apoptosis and migration. Faulty Wnt signalling is associated with degenerative diseases, developmental disorders and cancers and is therefore a potential target for therapeutic drugs. This project will perform a stochastic spatial simulation of the Wnt signalling pathway which will be matched to experimental data. The model will be extended to integrate with the cell cycle. Increased proliferation in tumours has been linked to mutations in Wnt components. Using the extended model, the effect of Wnt-targeting therapeutic cancer drugs on cancer cell proliferation rates will be predicted and compared to experiments.Read moreRead less
Reactivity and photochemistry of halide anions: atmospheric implications. Bromine and iodine are suspected to be responsible for most of the halogen-induced ozone loss in the stratosphere but are not currently included in atmospheric models due to a paucity of knowledge of the gas-phase chemistry and photochemistry of their anions and radicals. This project will develop and deploy advanced mass spectrometry and laser spectroscopy techniques to enable precision measurements of the reactions and p ....Reactivity and photochemistry of halide anions: atmospheric implications. Bromine and iodine are suspected to be responsible for most of the halogen-induced ozone loss in the stratosphere but are not currently included in atmospheric models due to a paucity of knowledge of the gas-phase chemistry and photochemistry of their anions and radicals. This project will develop and deploy advanced mass spectrometry and laser spectroscopy techniques to enable precision measurements of the reactions and photo-reactions of gas-phase iodide and bromide anions and their oxides. These state-of-the-art measurements of reaction kinetics and products will enable accurate chemical models that predict the impact of bromine and iodine chemistry on ozone levels and will inform future models for global climate.Read moreRead less
High-productivity ammonia electrosynthesis. The aim of this project is to develop and demonstrate high-performance devices for ammonia production from renewables by a scalable electrolysis method. This will be achieved by experimental and modelling investigations of the nitrogen reduction reaction to guide the design of tailor-made cathodes. New knowledge in catalysis and materials science is expected to be generated. The target outcome of the project is a sustainable and affordable ammonia synt ....High-productivity ammonia electrosynthesis. The aim of this project is to develop and demonstrate high-performance devices for ammonia production from renewables by a scalable electrolysis method. This will be achieved by experimental and modelling investigations of the nitrogen reduction reaction to guide the design of tailor-made cathodes. New knowledge in catalysis and materials science is expected to be generated. The target outcome of the project is a sustainable and affordable ammonia synthesis method as an alternative to the current fossil-fuels-based and excessively greenhouse-emitting process. The technology to be developed in this project is anticipated to be of significant benefit to the Australian agriculture sector as a local, on-demand source of low-cost fertilisers.Read moreRead less
A molecular understanding of transport fuels to drive clean and efficient combustion. A molecular understanding of hydrocarbon combustion remains incomplete and this inhibits the deployment of alternative fuels and clean/efficient engine technologies. This project will develop the chemistry that will enable accurate combustion models to accelerate developments towards clean and efficient fuels for the twenty-first century.
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100449
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$453,000.00
Summary
High-performance ammonia electrosynthesis devices. The project aims to develop a robust process for electrosynthesis of ammonia using devices manufactured by Melbourne company Jupiter Ionics P/L and innovative electrolyte components. Towards this aim, tailored ion-shuttling compounds need to be designed and investigated to enable continuous generation of ammonia in scaled-up flow devices. This is expected to generate new knowledge in practical electrochemistry, catalysis and sustainable synthesi ....High-performance ammonia electrosynthesis devices. The project aims to develop a robust process for electrosynthesis of ammonia using devices manufactured by Melbourne company Jupiter Ionics P/L and innovative electrolyte components. Towards this aim, tailored ion-shuttling compounds need to be designed and investigated to enable continuous generation of ammonia in scaled-up flow devices. This is expected to generate new knowledge in practical electrochemistry, catalysis and sustainable synthesis. Key project outcome is a technology for production of ammonia from renewables that is pollution-free and highly scalable in contrast to the current process. Resulting benefit to Australian agriculture businesses is a method for distributed fertiliser generation without the use of fossil fuels.Read moreRead less
Sustainable Reversible Polymerisation. This project aims to address the problem of the current lack of efficient chemical recyclability of polymers. For the majority of polymers, no methods exist so far that are scalable and economic at the same time. To reach this aim, we will utilise a mixture of clever chemical concepts with continuous flow engineering. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of depolymerisation and chemical recycling methods. The expected outcome of this p ....Sustainable Reversible Polymerisation. This project aims to address the problem of the current lack of efficient chemical recyclability of polymers. For the majority of polymers, no methods exist so far that are scalable and economic at the same time. To reach this aim, we will utilise a mixture of clever chemical concepts with continuous flow engineering. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of depolymerisation and chemical recycling methods. The expected outcome of this project is a scalable process and its practical demonstration for full chemical recycling of various polymers used in everyday applications. This will provide a benefit to society as it allows to tackle plastic pollution problems, and creates avenues to green methods in plastic recycling.
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