Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP0210458

Funding Activity

Website
http://dataportal.arc.gov.au/NCGP/Web/Grant/Grant/DP0210458

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

Naturally Photoactive Biopolymers. The basic aim of this project is to assess the viability of using semiconducting biopolymers from the melanin family of macromolecules in photoactive device based applications. In order to do this, key optical, structural, electronic, and photochemical properties will be assessed on thin films in the solid state. The melanins are the only known semiconducting biopolymers, and are non-toxic, biocompatible and biodegradable. Their use as ?active? materials in solid state or photo-electrochemical devices has never before been suggested. Specifically, these materials could be used as the light harvesting components in dye sensitised Gratzel cells, or, as the donor material in soft solid photovoltaic junctions. The melanins are also a key class of biomolecules (their involvement in skin cancers is well documented), and hence, any advancement in our understanding of their functions and properties could have biological importance.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2002

End Date: 31-12-2006

Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects

Funding Amount: $115,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Polymers | Materials Engineering | Condensed Matter Physics—Other | Biophysics

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

Skin and related disorders | Solar-photoelectric | Physical sciences |

Other Keywords

Biophysics | Condensed Matter Physics—Other | Materials Engineering | Physical sciences | Polymers | Skin and related disorders | Solar-photoelectric

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