Illuminating hidden processes in emissive lanthanoid complexes. This project aims to understand the antenna effect used to sensitise lanthanoid luminescence. Despite their use in modern high-tech applications, from optical fibre amplifiers (telecommunications) to luminescent probes and sensors (biological imaging), understanding is largely based on speculation or generalised 'rules-of-thumb', severely limiting progress in the field. This project will research these processes, using chemical synt ....Illuminating hidden processes in emissive lanthanoid complexes. This project aims to understand the antenna effect used to sensitise lanthanoid luminescence. Despite their use in modern high-tech applications, from optical fibre amplifiers (telecommunications) to luminescent probes and sensors (biological imaging), understanding is largely based on speculation or generalised 'rules-of-thumb', severely limiting progress in the field. This project will research these processes, using chemical synthesis, theory and spectroscopic techniques. This is expected to lead to new emissive lanthanoid-based compounds using 'a priori' approaches, with better performance than current gold standards and references. Intellectual property created will lead to new commercial products, and to creation of new Australian based spin-off/start-up companies.Read moreRead less
Threshold models in micro-econometrics with applications to empirical models of health. The aim of this project is to develop and apply new statistical approaches to endogenously identify non-linear relationships between explanatory variable(s) and the response variable in non-linear econometric models and to illustrate these with applications important to empirical health economics. Literature proliferates in linear models with non-linear effects, but in health economics non-linear models domin ....Threshold models in micro-econometrics with applications to empirical models of health. The aim of this project is to develop and apply new statistical approaches to endogenously identify non-linear relationships between explanatory variable(s) and the response variable in non-linear econometric models and to illustrate these with applications important to empirical health economics. Literature proliferates in linear models with non-linear effects, but in health economics non-linear models dominate. This project will generalise these techniques to allow for various forms of the threshold variable(s), including categorical and continuous, endogenous and exogenous, and those measured with error.Read moreRead less
New multiplexed optical read-out technologies for micromachined cantilever sensor arrays. Passive sensing of chemical and biological agents is an essential capability in fields as diverse as national security, agriculture, mining and medicine. In many cases, generic sensing (e.g. are there pesticides present) as well as specific sensing (which pesticide) are both important. While sensors based on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) have shown extremely high performance at low cost, they have ....New multiplexed optical read-out technologies for micromachined cantilever sensor arrays. Passive sensing of chemical and biological agents is an essential capability in fields as diverse as national security, agriculture, mining and medicine. In many cases, generic sensing (e.g. are there pesticides present) as well as specific sensing (which pesticide) are both important. While sensors based on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) have shown extremely high performance at low cost, they have been limited to detection of a specific substance. Success in this project will make low cost generic MEMS-based sensors a reality, allowing, for the first time, wide-spread use of sensitive sensing systems in applications such as farming, container transport security, general medical practice and national security.Read moreRead less
Silicon-germanium-carbon - a novel opto-mechanic material for optical micro-electromechanical systems. Evolving from past black-and-white images, through present red-green-blue multi-spectral capability, future remote imaging systems promise spectroscopic functionality across much broader wavelength ranges in a low-cost system. However, the high cost of multiple materials and technologies for each specific spectral band limits them to high-cost industry sectors. This project proposes a simple, l ....Silicon-germanium-carbon - a novel opto-mechanic material for optical micro-electromechanical systems. Evolving from past black-and-white images, through present red-green-blue multi-spectral capability, future remote imaging systems promise spectroscopic functionality across much broader wavelength ranges in a low-cost system. However, the high cost of multiple materials and technologies for each specific spectral band limits them to high-cost industry sectors. This project proposes a simple, low-cost, single material technology based on silicon-germanium-carbon thin films for mechanical and optical applications from ultraviolet to long-wave infrared, enabling widespread application of spectroscopic imaging to multiple fields extending from climate change research, through resource exploration, to cancer detection, and aerospace/defense.Read moreRead less
Micro-electromechanical technology for harnessing terahertz waves. This project proposes novel low-cost miniature devices for spectral, spatial and temporal manipulation of terahertz waves realised using a unified platform based on a single material and fabrication technology sufficiently generic to span the entire very broad terahertz band. It inherently overcomes the most hindering issue of current terahertz instruments relating to the limited span of the spectrum each tool can cover and the h ....Micro-electromechanical technology for harnessing terahertz waves. This project proposes novel low-cost miniature devices for spectral, spatial and temporal manipulation of terahertz waves realised using a unified platform based on a single material and fabrication technology sufficiently generic to span the entire very broad terahertz band. It inherently overcomes the most hindering issue of current terahertz instruments relating to the limited span of the spectrum each tool can cover and the high costs associated with increasing this span; removing the need for making spectral band compromises in the design of future tools. The intended outcome is a platform for terahertz spectroscopic imaging, target recognition, detection of chemical composition of objects, and future high-bandwidth communications.Read moreRead less
Tunable metamaterials for terahertz and infrared applications. This project proposes novel low-cost miniature devices for spectroscopic, spatial, and temporal manipulation of infrared and terahertz waves, which are important for security and short range communication applications. By enabling the modulation of infrared and terahertz signals, the intended outcome is a platform for imaging applications, detection of chemical composition of objects, and future high-bandwidth communications. Using m ....Tunable metamaterials for terahertz and infrared applications. This project proposes novel low-cost miniature devices for spectroscopic, spatial, and temporal manipulation of infrared and terahertz waves, which are important for security and short range communication applications. By enabling the modulation of infrared and terahertz signals, the intended outcome is a platform for imaging applications, detection of chemical composition of objects, and future high-bandwidth communications. Using microfabrication techniques, the project plans to create metamaterials integrated with micro-electro-mechanical systems, which dynamically vary their electromagnetic properties. This technology would enable the creation of new devices that can controllably absorb, reflect or transmit infrared and terahertz signals.Read moreRead less