Inventiveness and the progress of product innovation. Quantitative models of inventiveness will be used to forecast the potential rate of improvement of a technology and to re-design products to improve more rapidly and steadily. By focusing on innovation in products and technologies in energy conversion, this research can guide development funding for low-carbon energy generation.
Engineering an artificial protein molecular motor. This project aims to use non-motor protein building blocks to construct an artificial protein motor. Nature already uses nanotechnology as the basis for all its machinery, and uses proteins to construct machines. Each protein component in the motor will have a well-understood function; this artificial protein will elucidate how it converts chemical energy to motion. This process is not understood as molecular motors do not obey the same principl ....Engineering an artificial protein molecular motor. This project aims to use non-motor protein building blocks to construct an artificial protein motor. Nature already uses nanotechnology as the basis for all its machinery, and uses proteins to construct machines. Each protein component in the motor will have a well-understood function; this artificial protein will elucidate how it converts chemical energy to motion. This process is not understood as molecular motors do not obey the same principles as macroscopic machines. Comparing the artificial motor with biological motors will provide insight into the workings of natural motors. This project should lead to molecular motors for nanobiotechnology.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100415
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$432,483.00
Summary
Cross-layer Design for Ultra-reliable Low-latency Communications. This project aims to develop fundamental theories and practical technologies for ultra-reliable low-latency communications – one of the grand challenges in 5G cellular networks. Due to the dynamic nature of wireless networks, existing approaches dividing networks into multiple layers cannot guarantee a hard deadline with high reliability. The outcomes of the project will be cross-layer models for characterising the end-to-end perf ....Cross-layer Design for Ultra-reliable Low-latency Communications. This project aims to develop fundamental theories and practical technologies for ultra-reliable low-latency communications – one of the grand challenges in 5G cellular networks. Due to the dynamic nature of wireless networks, existing approaches dividing networks into multiple layers cannot guarantee a hard deadline with high reliability. The outcomes of the project will be cross-layer models for characterising the end-to-end performance, a prediction and communication co-design framework for improving the delay-reliability trade-off, and an online architecture for implementing model-based algorithms in real networks. They will underpin the development of remote control and advancing automation in manufacturing, transportation, mining, etc.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100040
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$699,664.00
Summary
Multifunctional deposition system for advanced superconducting circuits. This project aims to create a one-stop facility to enhance Australia’s capacity to develop superconducting quantum technology centred on the unique capabilities of a Multifunctional Deposition System. The project will enable and expedite nanofabrication of complex circuits and expects to pioneer novel superconducting and hybrid quantum technologies, and high-tech classical devices for clean-energy and biomedical application ....Multifunctional deposition system for advanced superconducting circuits. This project aims to create a one-stop facility to enhance Australia’s capacity to develop superconducting quantum technology centred on the unique capabilities of a Multifunctional Deposition System. The project will enable and expedite nanofabrication of complex circuits and expects to pioneer novel superconducting and hybrid quantum technologies, and high-tech classical devices for clean-energy and biomedical applications. Expected outcomes include robust multi-institutional and cross-disciplinary collaborations, and increased translation between cutting-edge theory and commercial prototypes. Benefits should include stronger industry engagement, training for next-generation innovators and a boost to Australian advanced manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100087
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,100,000.00
Summary
Plasma-focused ion beam for nanoscale characterisation of materials. This project aims to enable research programmes in functional materials to characterise materials using xenon-plasma focused ion beam (FIB) instrumentation. The plasma FIB, with its fast milling speeds across large areas, will enable new three-dimensional imaging experiments and types of transmission electron microscopy samples. This will have applications in engineering, photovoltaics and environmental geosciences, which all n ....Plasma-focused ion beam for nanoscale characterisation of materials. This project aims to enable research programmes in functional materials to characterise materials using xenon-plasma focused ion beam (FIB) instrumentation. The plasma FIB, with its fast milling speeds across large areas, will enable new three-dimensional imaging experiments and types of transmission electron microscopy samples. This will have applications in engineering, photovoltaics and environmental geosciences, which all need to analyse materials on a nanometre scale.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100156
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$289,500.00
Summary
3D Two-Photon Nanoprinter for Advanced Multi-Functional Materials & Devices. The Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT2 Two-Photon 3D Printer enables tailoring materials’ architecture at nanoscale. This results in unique optical, mechanical, electrical, chemical, biochemical, and acoustic properties enabling a wealth of cutting-edge research activities in variety of fields including mechanical/optical/electrical metamaterials, bioinspired hard/soft materials, biomaterials (e.g., structured cell-ti ....3D Two-Photon Nanoprinter for Advanced Multi-Functional Materials & Devices. The Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT2 Two-Photon 3D Printer enables tailoring materials’ architecture at nanoscale. This results in unique optical, mechanical, electrical, chemical, biochemical, and acoustic properties enabling a wealth of cutting-edge research activities in variety of fields including mechanical/optical/electrical metamaterials, bioinspired hard/soft materials, biomaterials (e.g., structured cell-tissue interfaces), biomedical devices (implantable devices and drug-delivery systems), nanofluidics, and photonic crystals. In each of these fields, we will use GT2 to print variety of polymers, hydrogels, metals and ceramics, for example by printing polymer-derived nanoceramics that will be simultaneously strong and tough.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100104
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,175,000.00
Summary
An aberration corrected analytical Transmission Electron Microscope for nanoscale characterisation of materials. This new-generation scanning transmission electron microscope enables selective determination of atomic and chemical structure within sub-nanometre regions of materials. It will enable cutting-edge developments in nanotechnology, materials science and engineering; technologies which underpin progress in our modern society.
Ferroelectric bilayer composites with giant electromechanical properties. This project aims to create a novel bilayer ferroelectric material structure that provides giant electromechanical response at the nano-scale. Traditional electromechanical devices based on ferroelectric materials including position sensors, mechanical actuators, and ultrasonic transducers rely on bulk form. As technology moves toward integrated functionalities, future electro-mechanical materials need to be scaled down t ....Ferroelectric bilayer composites with giant electromechanical properties. This project aims to create a novel bilayer ferroelectric material structure that provides giant electromechanical response at the nano-scale. Traditional electromechanical devices based on ferroelectric materials including position sensors, mechanical actuators, and ultrasonic transducers rely on bulk form. As technology moves toward integrated functionalities, future electro-mechanical materials need to be scaled down to thin film form. Currently, doing this induces mechanical constraints that dramatically suppress the electromechanical response. Using this approach one layer relieves this mechanical constraint while the other gives a giant electromechanical response, providing a pathway for future functional devices. Read moreRead less
It’s a fine line: analytical and experimental optimisation of drawing metal-in-dielectric nanowire composites to manufacture engineered metamaterials. Exploitation of ‘smart materials’ is a major opportunity for 21st century Australian manufacturing if cost effective bulk production is available. Metamaterials are ideal building blocks for such new-age materials, being dielectric/metal composites structured on sub-wavelength dimensions, offering diverse properties unavailable in natural material ....It’s a fine line: analytical and experimental optimisation of drawing metal-in-dielectric nanowire composites to manufacture engineered metamaterials. Exploitation of ‘smart materials’ is a major opportunity for 21st century Australian manufacturing if cost effective bulk production is available. Metamaterials are ideal building blocks for such new-age materials, being dielectric/metal composites structured on sub-wavelength dimensions, offering diverse properties unavailable in natural materials. Fibre drawing is a proven mass-production technology for translating the structure of a (macroscale) preform to microscale and has recently been applied it to fabricate microscale metamaterials. By overcoming fundamental instabilities, this project will transform the technique to manufacture nanoscale structured composites and demonstrate practical metamaterial-based optical devices with unique properties.Read moreRead less
Engineering floating liquid marbles for three-dimensional cell cultures. This project aims to understand the physics of three-dimensional cell cultures in a liquid marble floating on a liquid free surface. New methodology developed can produce these cell cultures without using matrices or scaffolds and with run-times well beyond existing technologies. This methodology closely mimics a normal in-vivo environment and produces spheroids needed in cell transplantation therapies. This project will re ....Engineering floating liquid marbles for three-dimensional cell cultures. This project aims to understand the physics of three-dimensional cell cultures in a liquid marble floating on a liquid free surface. New methodology developed can produce these cell cultures without using matrices or scaffolds and with run-times well beyond existing technologies. This methodology closely mimics a normal in-vivo environment and produces spheroids needed in cell transplantation therapies. This project will resolve uncertainties in the underlying phenomena. The expected outcome should support future high quality cell cultures suitable for transplantation therapies.Read moreRead less