Insect-inspired flapping wing robots: autonomous flight control systems. This project aims to design a novel control scheme for insect-inspired, flapping-wing, micro aerial vehicles. This type of micro aerial vehicle has complex, periodic, time-varying and inherently unstable dynamics, which are practically challenging to model and implement in hardware. This project will design energy-based automatic stabilization and task-dependent control, and develop the insect-inspired platform for testing ....Insect-inspired flapping wing robots: autonomous flight control systems. This project aims to design a novel control scheme for insect-inspired, flapping-wing, micro aerial vehicles. This type of micro aerial vehicle has complex, periodic, time-varying and inherently unstable dynamics, which are practically challenging to model and implement in hardware. This project will design energy-based automatic stabilization and task-dependent control, and develop the insect-inspired platform for testing nonlinear control strategies. The expected outcomes will include new system and control theories, concepts, principles and technologies in controller design that can provide reliable flight control for bio-inspired, flapping-wing systems.Read moreRead less
The secret of tiny hand movements to feel and manipulate objects. This study aims to reveal some of the fundamental sensory mechanisms underlying the uniquely human ability to manipulate objects and use tools. Signals from touch receptors are crucial for controlling grip forces so that delicate objects are held without slipping, or being crushed by excessive force. Yet we know little about how such sensory information is obtained and how it is used for the motor control. By analysing hand moveme ....The secret of tiny hand movements to feel and manipulate objects. This study aims to reveal some of the fundamental sensory mechanisms underlying the uniquely human ability to manipulate objects and use tools. Signals from touch receptors are crucial for controlling grip forces so that delicate objects are held without slipping, or being crushed by excessive force. Yet we know little about how such sensory information is obtained and how it is used for the motor control. By analysing hand movements during object manipulation and recording sensory signals from single human nerve fibres we will investigate how certain types of movement shape richness of available sensory information. This knowledge will facilitate the development of next generation sensory-controlled prosthetics and robotic manipulators.Read moreRead less
Novel test and design methods for base course reinforced flexible pavements. This project aims to develop the mechanics of geosynthetic-reinforced flexible pavements as an urgent need for the Australian pavement industry to build more sustainable and economical roads. Novel laboratory test apparatus and in-situ test programs, and mathematical models will be developed, for the first time, to capture the responses of reinforced base courses in a complete and optimised way to determine the paramete ....Novel test and design methods for base course reinforced flexible pavements. This project aims to develop the mechanics of geosynthetic-reinforced flexible pavements as an urgent need for the Australian pavement industry to build more sustainable and economical roads. Novel laboratory test apparatus and in-situ test programs, and mathematical models will be developed, for the first time, to capture the responses of reinforced base courses in a complete and optimised way to determine the parameters for pavement design and performance evaluation. The outcomes will enable reliable prediction of reinforced pavement behaviour, leading to better-performing geosynthetic products and more resilient pavements, reduced material usage and damage in pavements, and less environmental impact and maintenance cost.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240101231
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$411,837.00
Summary
Quinoid Polymers for Organic Electrochemical Transistors and Bioelectronics. This project aims to develop organic semiconductors (OSCs) with excellent mechanical flexibility and biocompatibility to exploit their potentials in bioelectronics. It connects the electronic world with ionic world of biology to push the biomedical application of OSCs a big step forward. Interdisciplinary knowledge, intellectual properties (IPs), top-notch publications, invited talks, and international collaborations ar ....Quinoid Polymers for Organic Electrochemical Transistors and Bioelectronics. This project aims to develop organic semiconductors (OSCs) with excellent mechanical flexibility and biocompatibility to exploit their potentials in bioelectronics. It connects the electronic world with ionic world of biology to push the biomedical application of OSCs a big step forward. Interdisciplinary knowledge, intellectual properties (IPs), top-notch publications, invited talks, and international collaborations are expected. Additionally, it will earn Australia a commercial lead in the biomedical sector to attract more talents to serve Australia. This project also matches well with several government’s strategic research priorities, attracting industries to realise IPs transfer to bring “great value for money” to feed back Australia.Read moreRead less
“Janus” Transition Metal Dichalcogenides: Quest for Novel Properties . Novel two-dimensional nanomaterials – so called “Janus” transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) - are featured by breaking out-of-plane structural symmetry that enables prolongated exciton lifetime, strong spin-orbit coupling, large vertical piezoelectric polarization, and exceptional electromechanical properties. We plan to develop reliable and efficient synthetic routes for various "Janus" TMDs and their heterostructures, ....“Janus” Transition Metal Dichalcogenides: Quest for Novel Properties . Novel two-dimensional nanomaterials – so called “Janus” transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) - are featured by breaking out-of-plane structural symmetry that enables prolongated exciton lifetime, strong spin-orbit coupling, large vertical piezoelectric polarization, and exceptional electromechanical properties. We plan to develop reliable and efficient synthetic routes for various "Janus" TMDs and their heterostructures, to investigate their physical properties, and find the ways of property tailoring. Deep understanding of structure-property relationships uncovered for these materials will pave the way for transferring discovered new features into cutting-edge technologies in electromechanical, optoelectronic, and catalytic fields.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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101371
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,592.00
Summary
Boron nitride nanosheets for low energy consumption self-cooling devices. This project aims to investigate the thermal transport mechanism of strained two-dimensional materials for self-cooling thermal management. It expects to generate new knowledge about their unique thermal properties, guiding the use of waste heat generated in electronics for self-cooling. Expected outcomes include a novel energy-effective thermal management strategy and enhanced capacity to engineer thermal transport in two ....Boron nitride nanosheets for low energy consumption self-cooling devices. This project aims to investigate the thermal transport mechanism of strained two-dimensional materials for self-cooling thermal management. It expects to generate new knowledge about their unique thermal properties, guiding the use of waste heat generated in electronics for self-cooling. Expected outcomes include a novel energy-effective thermal management strategy and enhanced capacity to engineer thermal transport in two-dimensional materials that will be deployed in miniaturised and high-density electronics to overcome overheating problems. This will provide significant benefits to the economy and the environment, such as reduced cost, energy consumption and CO2 emissions in thermal management technologies. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100382
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$449,154.00
Summary
Charge and Energy Transfer Processes at Inorganic-Organic Interfaces . The integration of functional molecular materials with inorganic systems remains an outstanding hurdle to achieve durable, highly efficient optoelectronic devices. This project aims to develop and understand this new class of devices, with a focus on directional energy transfer processes across hybrid interfaces. This project expects to generate new knowledge in photovoltaics (PV) and for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) ....Charge and Energy Transfer Processes at Inorganic-Organic Interfaces . The integration of functional molecular materials with inorganic systems remains an outstanding hurdle to achieve durable, highly efficient optoelectronic devices. This project aims to develop and understand this new class of devices, with a focus on directional energy transfer processes across hybrid interfaces. This project expects to generate new knowledge in photovoltaics (PV) and for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) by studying triplet transfer in two model systems. The first will be a step towards the development of advanced PV devices using down-conversion to push solar cells beyond the efficiency barrier. The second will demonstrate inorganic-organic solid state up-conversion for next generation OLEDs with improved stability.Read moreRead less
Electro-triggered solidification of supercooled fusible alloys. Stiffness is typically considered a static property of a material. Traditionally, once the stiffness is specified, it is not expected to change during operation. This project aims to turn a problem (i.e., supercooling) into an opportunity for creating fusible alloy composites with electroprogrammable stiffness that can outperform state-of-the-art materials by offering all desirable properties. Expected outcomes are the rapid, contin ....Electro-triggered solidification of supercooled fusible alloys. Stiffness is typically considered a static property of a material. Traditionally, once the stiffness is specified, it is not expected to change during operation. This project aims to turn a problem (i.e., supercooling) into an opportunity for creating fusible alloy composites with electroprogrammable stiffness that can outperform state-of-the-art materials by offering all desirable properties. Expected outcomes are the rapid, continuous, large, and reversible change in stiffness of the composite through electrical control. This project will provide significant benefits by enabling an increasing number of emerging applications in areas such as robotics, manufacturing, and consumer wearables that require materials with tuneable stiffness.Read moreRead less
Mixed-Dimensional 2D/0D Heterostructures for Infrared Detection. The aim of this proposal is to develop novel mixed-dimensional 2D/0D heterostructures based on halide and chalcogenide nanomaterials to construct a highly efficient solution-processing platform for short wave infrared detection. Moreover, innovative low-dose transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy will be applied to unveil the fundamental structure-property relationship and fill the gap of knowledge for these materials. S ....Mixed-Dimensional 2D/0D Heterostructures for Infrared Detection. The aim of this proposal is to develop novel mixed-dimensional 2D/0D heterostructures based on halide and chalcogenide nanomaterials to construct a highly efficient solution-processing platform for short wave infrared detection. Moreover, innovative low-dose transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy will be applied to unveil the fundamental structure-property relationship and fill the gap of knowledge for these materials. Such mixed-dimensional nano-heterostructures combining 2D halide perovskites with 0D quantum dots with complementary physical properties and atomically resolved interfaces will significantly enhance the performance, thereby enabling breakthroughs in a broad range of disruptive optoelectronic technologies. Read moreRead less