Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL210100180
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,781,000.00
Summary
Upconversion nanophotonic systems . The photon upconversion process can produce visible light from lower-energy near-infrared incident light. This Laureate Program aims to address major bottlenecks in upconversion nanotechnology – the efficiency, stability and absorption bandwidth. Expected outcomes include new knowledge in the interface design of hybrid materials, a world-leading single-particle spectroscopy system, a new family of molecular probes, and novel super-resolution microscopy for fun ....Upconversion nanophotonic systems . The photon upconversion process can produce visible light from lower-energy near-infrared incident light. This Laureate Program aims to address major bottlenecks in upconversion nanotechnology – the efficiency, stability and absorption bandwidth. Expected outcomes include new knowledge in the interface design of hybrid materials, a world-leading single-particle spectroscopy system, a new family of molecular probes, and novel super-resolution microscopy for functional imaging of subcellular organelles. This research offers exciting opportunities for single-molecule tracking, quantitative diagnostics, non-invasive imaging, bio-mechanical force measurement and thermometry; tools to observe the nanoscale world inside live cells.Read moreRead less
Indistinguishable Quantum Emitters in van der Waals Materials. Solid state sources of single photons ("quantum emitters") are a key building block for implementation of scalable quantum technologies. Amongst many potential platforms studied, impurities in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are at the forefront due to their brightness and ease of manufacturing. However, their main disadvantage is spectral instability which prohibits engineering of practical devices. The current project will address th ....Indistinguishable Quantum Emitters in van der Waals Materials. Solid state sources of single photons ("quantum emitters") are a key building block for implementation of scalable quantum technologies. Amongst many potential platforms studied, impurities in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are at the forefront due to their brightness and ease of manufacturing. However, their main disadvantage is spectral instability which prohibits engineering of practical devices. The current project will address this bottleneck and deliver an optically stable solid state quantum light source in hBN. The project will produce a robust hardware toolkit for quantum technologies. It will provide excellent training for young Australians and generate key intellectual property for quantum startups and the quantum industry.Read moreRead less
Impact of Biological Coatings on Nanoparticle–Immune Cell Interactions. Nanomaterials exposed to biological environments such as blood or lymph fluids rapidly adsorb a layer of biomolecules on their surface, forming a biomolecular corona, and profoundly altering their properties. This project aims to resolve the influence of biomolecular coronas on nanoparticle–immune cell interactions by combining particle engineering, immunology, proteomics and bioinformatic analysis. The project expected outc ....Impact of Biological Coatings on Nanoparticle–Immune Cell Interactions. Nanomaterials exposed to biological environments such as blood or lymph fluids rapidly adsorb a layer of biomolecules on their surface, forming a biomolecular corona, and profoundly altering their properties. This project aims to resolve the influence of biomolecular coronas on nanoparticle–immune cell interactions by combining particle engineering, immunology, proteomics and bioinformatic analysis. The project expected outcomes are to generate new knowledge in nanomaterial–immune cell behaviour and design principles for nanoparticles with prospective applications in the agricultural, veterinary and biomedical sectors.Read moreRead less
Protein Structural-Dynamics at Solid Surfaces: Beyond Static Snapshots. The project will use High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy to directly visualize single proteins in ‘action’ with surfaces, revealing their dynamics at unprecedented combined structural and temporal resolution in liquid. Such characterization moves beyond static ‘snapshots’ of protein structure, toward the dynamic changes in protein conformation that will enable new exploration of key biological processes at liquid-solid interf ....Protein Structural-Dynamics at Solid Surfaces: Beyond Static Snapshots. The project will use High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy to directly visualize single proteins in ‘action’ with surfaces, revealing their dynamics at unprecedented combined structural and temporal resolution in liquid. Such characterization moves beyond static ‘snapshots’ of protein structure, toward the dynamic changes in protein conformation that will enable new exploration of key biological processes at liquid-solid interfaces. New fundamental discoveries will have an impact on technologies such as medical device coatings, biomaterials, biosensors, microfluidics devices, protein purification and diagnostics assays that are critically dependent on the biological function of adsorbed or immobilized proteins.Read moreRead less
Highly Efficient Nanomotors for Autonomous Cell Recognition and Isolation. This project aims to develop next-generation self-driven nanomotors capable of long-range motion with highly controlled directionality for cell recognition, transportation and separation in complex biological environments, to allow autonomous and seamless cell sorting with high accuracy. The anticipated goal of this project is to advance the field of nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing with potential to support new ....Highly Efficient Nanomotors for Autonomous Cell Recognition and Isolation. This project aims to develop next-generation self-driven nanomotors capable of long-range motion with highly controlled directionality for cell recognition, transportation and separation in complex biological environments, to allow autonomous and seamless cell sorting with high accuracy. The anticipated goal of this project is to advance the field of nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing with potential to support new applications and to value-add Australia’s advanced manufacturing industry, presenting new opportunities for Australian MedTech industries with innovative, disruptive technologies to address its unique needs and to claim Australia’s position within the competitive global market.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE240100063
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,900,000.00
Summary
Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope for Beam-Sensitive Materials. This project aims to establish a transmission electron microscopy facility for the high-throughput characterisation of delicate materials, at the atomic scale and a broad range of temperatures. Unique in Australia, this capability will enable the location and type of atoms critical to materials properties to be determined for materials as diverse as lithium-bearing minerals, next-generation solar cells and drug-delivery agen ....Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope for Beam-Sensitive Materials. This project aims to establish a transmission electron microscopy facility for the high-throughput characterisation of delicate materials, at the atomic scale and a broad range of temperatures. Unique in Australia, this capability will enable the location and type of atoms critical to materials properties to be determined for materials as diverse as lithium-bearing minerals, next-generation solar cells and drug-delivery agents. In this way it will foster the engineering of new materials for addressing current challenges in energy, environment, transport, health and manufacturing. This will be a national, open access facility for use by research institutions and industry, and for training the next generation of postgraduate students.Read moreRead less
Cell Membrane Coated Photonic Crystal to study Receptor-Ligand Interactions. The current gold-standard assays for examining receptor-ligand interactions require expensive and costly fluorescent or radioactive labels or proteomics processes. This project aims to develop Artificial Photonic Cells by directly coating photonic crystals with cell membranes. The Artificial Photonic Cells retain the protein receptors in their native cell membrane environment and allow for label-free monitoring of the r ....Cell Membrane Coated Photonic Crystal to study Receptor-Ligand Interactions. The current gold-standard assays for examining receptor-ligand interactions require expensive and costly fluorescent or radioactive labels or proteomics processes. This project aims to develop Artificial Photonic Cells by directly coating photonic crystals with cell membranes. The Artificial Photonic Cells retain the protein receptors in their native cell membrane environment and allow for label-free monitoring of the receptor-ligand interactions using inexpensive miniature spectrometers - radically transforming these assays. This would generate fundamental and applied knowledge of materials sciences, photonic, and biointerfaces for label-free, ultra-sensitive, and selective assays to enable future drug and diagnostics target discovery. Read moreRead less
Laser-free on-chip super-resolution microscopy. The project aims to develop a compact, cost-effective on-chip super-resolution microscope through an innovative combination of imaging algorithms, optics and integrated photonics. This project addresses limitations in imaging algorithms that increase laser system complexity and constrain imaging speed and applications, as well as nanostructure fabrication issues. Expected outcomes include the discovery of emitter self-interference microscopy, new k ....Laser-free on-chip super-resolution microscopy. The project aims to develop a compact, cost-effective on-chip super-resolution microscope through an innovative combination of imaging algorithms, optics and integrated photonics. This project addresses limitations in imaging algorithms that increase laser system complexity and constrain imaging speed and applications, as well as nanostructure fabrication issues. Expected outcomes include the discovery of emitter self-interference microscopy, new knowledge in imaging, photonics and biophysics, the world’s fastest super-resolution technology, compact on-chip nanoscopy that can be added to existing technology and proof of concept in three areas. Benefits are anticipated in commercialisation, improved photonics devices and usage in biophysics.Read moreRead less
Bio-inspired Nanoparticles for Mechano-Regulation of Stem Cell Fate. Mechanical stimulation plays a critical role in regulating stem cell fate. Nanostructure-mediated mechanical cues can precisely stimulate stem cells, but predicting their impact on stem cell differentiation is challenging. This project aims to engineer nanostructures to regulate stem cell fate and gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanical properties that affect cell function. The expected outcomes and benefits of this ....Bio-inspired Nanoparticles for Mechano-Regulation of Stem Cell Fate. Mechanical stimulation plays a critical role in regulating stem cell fate. Nanostructure-mediated mechanical cues can precisely stimulate stem cells, but predicting their impact on stem cell differentiation is challenging. This project aims to engineer nanostructures to regulate stem cell fate and gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanical properties that affect cell function. The expected outcomes and benefits of this project include a new fundamental understanding of the effect of mechanical properties on cell function, novel insights into the regulation of stem cell fate, and the development of a new class of roughness-tunable materials suitable for use in tissue engineering and pharmaceutical applications. Read moreRead less
Diamane: A New Frontier in Materials Science. Single-layer diamond (‘diamane’) is a new frontier of material research although its preparation is still in infancy with many structures predicted possible but have not been made experimentally. Built on a new chemical route for 'graphite to diamane' transformation, this project will address a research gap towards synthesising new diamane(-like) nanostructures and developing an in-depth understanding of the chemically induced phase transformation an ....Diamane: A New Frontier in Materials Science. Single-layer diamond (‘diamane’) is a new frontier of material research although its preparation is still in infancy with many structures predicted possible but have not been made experimentally. Built on a new chemical route for 'graphite to diamane' transformation, this project will address a research gap towards synthesising new diamane(-like) nanostructures and developing an in-depth understanding of the chemically induced phase transformation and structure-property correlations, which will have far-reaching impact on scientific fields beyond carbon research. Preliminary data points to both feasibility and impact for discovering new materials and technologies, which will bring foreseeable scholarly, economic, and social benefits.Read moreRead less