New Strategies for Modelling Polyoxometalates. Polyoxometalates are a versatile class of genuine nanomaterials with remarkable chemical and physical properties and dimensions ranging from tens to tens of thousands of atoms. Designing functional materials which exploit their enormous potential is limited by practical difficulties in their structural characterization and restrictions on our ability to model their behaviour. In this project, we will develop a new strategy for computer modelling of ....New Strategies for Modelling Polyoxometalates. Polyoxometalates are a versatile class of genuine nanomaterials with remarkable chemical and physical properties and dimensions ranging from tens to tens of thousands of atoms. Designing functional materials which exploit their enormous potential is limited by practical difficulties in their structural characterization and restrictions on our ability to model their behaviour. In this project, we will develop a new strategy for computer modelling of polyoxometalates based on the classical molecular mechanics approach and high-level techniques. This novel line of attack will be exploited in the characterization of large and highly substituted derivatives which are key to developing functional materials.Read moreRead less
Light-Driven Chemistry with Nanostructured Polyanilines. This project seeks to understand and exploit the rich photochemistry for an important class of electrically conducting polymers, namely polyanilines. Light stimulated electron transfer events will be employed in a wide range of exciting applications. The new fundamental knowledge gained will be used to design novel photochemical routes to functionalised polyanilines. The ability to produce solutions, films and especially nanoparticles of p ....Light-Driven Chemistry with Nanostructured Polyanilines. This project seeks to understand and exploit the rich photochemistry for an important class of electrically conducting polymers, namely polyanilines. Light stimulated electron transfer events will be employed in a wide range of exciting applications. The new fundamental knowledge gained will be used to design novel photochemical routes to functionalised polyanilines. The ability to produce solutions, films and especially nanoparticles of polyanilines as photo-catalysts should result in novel light-driven processes of industrial/environmental significance (eg. reduction of carbon dioxide), as well as new light-promoted electronic communication with important biological molecules.Read moreRead less
Controlled Supramolecular Assembly in Aqueous Molecular and Macroscopic Systems. This project uses benign and mainly bio-degradable materials to produce hydrogels which are remarkable new materials containing at least ninety-eight percent water which may be made into films. Similar films are proving to be valuable in covering wounds, particularly serious burns, and in greatly improving wound healing and tissue growth. They may also be useful in new coating and aircraft de-icing technologies. The ....Controlled Supramolecular Assembly in Aqueous Molecular and Macroscopic Systems. This project uses benign and mainly bio-degradable materials to produce hydrogels which are remarkable new materials containing at least ninety-eight percent water which may be made into films. Similar films are proving to be valuable in covering wounds, particularly serious burns, and in greatly improving wound healing and tissue growth. They may also be useful in new coating and aircraft de-icing technologies. These environmentally friendly materials are likely to find a multitude of uses as their development progresses. Young Australians involved in the project will gain experience in cutting edge science, its practical applications, and in international collaboration - a training essential to Australia's future prosperity.Read moreRead less
Light-activated Bioconjugates for Applications in Synthesis and Biosensing. This project will allow the Australian biotechnology industry to develop better diagnostic biosensors that are controlled using light, making them cheaper and faster than the current generation of electronically controlled biosensors. Improvements in the response time of biosensors can be a matter of life and death, for instance, during a surgical operation. The project will benefit the pharmaceutical industry as it will ....Light-activated Bioconjugates for Applications in Synthesis and Biosensing. This project will allow the Australian biotechnology industry to develop better diagnostic biosensors that are controlled using light, making them cheaper and faster than the current generation of electronically controlled biosensors. Improvements in the response time of biosensors can be a matter of life and death, for instance, during a surgical operation. The project will benefit the pharmaceutical industry as it will allow the making of so-called chiral drugs cheaper and safer but problems with the purity of chiral drugs have in the past caused serious side-effects such as in the tragic case of thalidomide.Read moreRead less
Establishing In-Depth Understanding of Molecular Degradation Processes in Acrylic Based Polymer Coil-Coatings for Domestic Roofing Applications. The national benefit is multipronged: (i) BlueScope Steel will maintain its technology leadership through continued innovation by taking advantage of the scientific insights that the project delivers for the introduction of next generation long lasting coil coatings for steel, based on an environmentally friendly production processes. (ii) The applicati ....Establishing In-Depth Understanding of Molecular Degradation Processes in Acrylic Based Polymer Coil-Coatings for Domestic Roofing Applications. The national benefit is multipronged: (i) BlueScope Steel will maintain its technology leadership through continued innovation by taking advantage of the scientific insights that the project delivers for the introduction of next generation long lasting coil coatings for steel, based on an environmentally friendly production processes. (ii) The application of mass spectrometry for the analysis of polymer degradation has been pioneered by the CI and BlueScope Steel. The project will demonstrate the power of this technique and secure Australia's place at the forefront of molecular polymer degradation research. (iii) The project has a strong educational component, training a PhD student at the interface of application and fundamental research.Read moreRead less
Fundamentals of the Performance Chemistry of Water-borne Acrylic Polymer based Surface Coatings for Pre-painted Steel Employed in Domestic Roofing Applications. The proposed project will systematically investigate the structure-performance relationships of acrylic emulsion based surface coatings and provide a detailed understanding of their degradation mechanisms. The improved understanding of these coatings will lead to the development of an optimum coating for steel roofs with extremely high d ....Fundamentals of the Performance Chemistry of Water-borne Acrylic Polymer based Surface Coatings for Pre-painted Steel Employed in Domestic Roofing Applications. The proposed project will systematically investigate the structure-performance relationships of acrylic emulsion based surface coatings and provide a detailed understanding of their degradation mechanisms. The improved understanding of these coatings will lead to the development of an optimum coating for steel roofs with extremely high durability and resistance against degradation and gloss loss in typical tropical and sub-tropical Australian climates.Read moreRead less
Selective Detection and Removal of Contaminants That Have an Adverse Impact on Australian Raw Sugar Quality. Sugar is Australia's 2nd largest agricultural crop with 80-85% exported earning $2 billion in export revenue. Whilst Australia is arguably the most reliable supplier of premium raw sugar the implementation of improved processing technologies by rivals has (and without appropriate research strategies will continue to) eroded some of the long-held Australian advantages.
Our innovative a ....Selective Detection and Removal of Contaminants That Have an Adverse Impact on Australian Raw Sugar Quality. Sugar is Australia's 2nd largest agricultural crop with 80-85% exported earning $2 billion in export revenue. Whilst Australia is arguably the most reliable supplier of premium raw sugar the implementation of improved processing technologies by rivals has (and without appropriate research strategies will continue to) eroded some of the long-held Australian advantages.
Our innovative approaches will improve raw sugar quality, measurement methods, and allow new product development (value adding), enabling Australia to maintain its? world leading position. Importantly, our technologies enable improvements of specific quality issues (and potentially as yet unidentified issues), further differentiating the Australian product in the international marketplace.
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Novel Coatings For Steel. The aim of this project is to design coatings for steel that have high flexibility and high resistance to scatching and hardness. This will be achieved by the introduction of liquid crystalline phases in the coatings. The outcome will be a new generation of steel coatings with novel properties