New biosensing strategies based on bipolar electrochemiluminescence. Chemical analysis is a vital activity in our society, which is to a large extent confined to scientific laboratories and carried out with complex instrumentation. The breakthrough technology envisioned in this proposal will pave the way for simple, low-cost tests which can be used by non-scientists. The development of small, portable sensors for applications ranging from pollution monitoring to health testing, will enable ordi ....New biosensing strategies based on bipolar electrochemiluminescence. Chemical analysis is a vital activity in our society, which is to a large extent confined to scientific laboratories and carried out with complex instrumentation. The breakthrough technology envisioned in this proposal will pave the way for simple, low-cost tests which can be used by non-scientists. The development of small, portable sensors for applications ranging from pollution monitoring to health testing, will enable ordinary people to gain knowledge about the concentrations of molecular compounds in their environments and in themselves. This will stimulate economic and social benefits related to environmental testing and early disease diagnosis and generate new commercial opportunities for the Australian biotechnology industry.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100477
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,770.00
Summary
Developing sustainable liquid fuels from carbon dioxide conversion. This project aims to develop new electrochemical materials and systems capable of converting carbon dioxide to liquid fuels. It expects to generate new knowledge in the area of advanced materials and systems for sustainable fuel production by interdisciplinary integration of catalyst design, real-time characterisation and system engineering. Expected outcomes include electrochemical carbon dioxide-to-alcohol systems with commerc ....Developing sustainable liquid fuels from carbon dioxide conversion. This project aims to develop new electrochemical materials and systems capable of converting carbon dioxide to liquid fuels. It expects to generate new knowledge in the area of advanced materials and systems for sustainable fuel production by interdisciplinary integration of catalyst design, real-time characterisation and system engineering. Expected outcomes include electrochemical carbon dioxide-to-alcohol systems with commercially relevant performances and in-depth understanding of reaction mechanisms at nano and molecular levels. Significant economic, energy and environmental benefits are expected from the concerted greenhouse gas emissions reduction and the development of sustainable, clean, non-fossil fuels, enabled by this project.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100746
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$433,000.00
Summary
Engineering ion specificity for water electrolysis. This project aims to understand how foreign ions in water can be manipulated to selectively control the activity and selectivity of electrocatalytic water splitting and explore the potential if seawater or low-grade-water can be used as water feed to mitigate the economical barrier for large-scale hydrogen production through electrolysis. The new knowledge gained will be helpful for future design of more cost-effective electrolyser systems to u ....Engineering ion specificity for water electrolysis. This project aims to understand how foreign ions in water can be manipulated to selectively control the activity and selectivity of electrocatalytic water splitting and explore the potential if seawater or low-grade-water can be used as water feed to mitigate the economical barrier for large-scale hydrogen production through electrolysis. The new knowledge gained will be helpful for future design of more cost-effective electrolyser systems to underpin Australia’s emerging hydrogen economy.Read moreRead less
Bioinspired tuneable catalysts for renewable ammonia production. The project will design a new solar-powered system for electrosynthesis of ammonia to replace the current energy intensive, non-sustainable process that generates 1.5% of global CO2 emissions. An innovative new system will be developed by combining cutting edge electrochemical, spectroscopic and theoretical methods. Expected key outcomes include novel concepts in the design of advanced materials, and an efficient process for the gr ....Bioinspired tuneable catalysts for renewable ammonia production. The project will design a new solar-powered system for electrosynthesis of ammonia to replace the current energy intensive, non-sustainable process that generates 1.5% of global CO2 emissions. An innovative new system will be developed by combining cutting edge electrochemical, spectroscopic and theoretical methods. Expected key outcomes include novel concepts in the design of advanced materials, and an efficient process for the green ammonia synthesis. Given the strategic importance of ammonia as a future energy carrier for the export of Australian renewables and as a major source of fertilisers, this project should provide significant national economic and ecological benefits and is expected to have a broad reaching global impact.Read moreRead less
Ambient Electrochemical C-N Coupling via Co-electrolysis of N2 and CO2. To overcome the hurdles in N2 fixation (massive energy consumption and CO2 emission), investigators creatively hypothesize that the simultaneous electrocatalytic coupling of N2 and CO2 would enable the selective formation of N-products and thus realize their conversion into N--fertilizers and acetamides. Based on the CI's recent discoveries, this project will develop an innovative / sustainable system, which could promote th ....Ambient Electrochemical C-N Coupling via Co-electrolysis of N2 and CO2. To overcome the hurdles in N2 fixation (massive energy consumption and CO2 emission), investigators creatively hypothesize that the simultaneous electrocatalytic coupling of N2 and CO2 would enable the selective formation of N-products and thus realize their conversion into N--fertilizers and acetamides. Based on the CI's recent discoveries, this project will develop an innovative / sustainable system, which could promote the N2 fixation along with CO2 conversion process, a significant alternative approach to simplify the pathways of C-N bond formation. It will thereby contribute to mitigation of greenhouse emissions and create an ecofriendly protocol/technology for distributed production of C-N products under ambient conditions. Read moreRead less
New dimensions of electrocatalyst design for sustainable energy future. This project aims to produce valuable chemicals from air, water and Australia’s abundant renewable energy, by developing efficient, robust catalysts for water oxidation, nitrogen reduction and ammonia oxidation — key processes for sustainable production of green fuels and fertilisers. The interdisciplinary project strategy will use a suite of advanced instrumental and theoretical tools to understand and control how catalysts ....New dimensions of electrocatalyst design for sustainable energy future. This project aims to produce valuable chemicals from air, water and Australia’s abundant renewable energy, by developing efficient, robust catalysts for water oxidation, nitrogen reduction and ammonia oxidation — key processes for sustainable production of green fuels and fertilisers. The interdisciplinary project strategy will use a suite of advanced instrumental and theoretical tools to understand and control how catalysts operate. Expected outcomes include new techniques to study catalysts, new catalyst design concepts, and novel high-performance catalytic materials and devices for sustainable electrosynthesis. These new technologies should reduce emissions and help Australia be a world leader in renewable-energy and fertiliser export.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100637
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,154.00
Summary
An integrated electrolyser for CO2 conversion from capture media. This project aims to develop an efficient electrochemical method to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) to valuable chemicals. It expects to displace the energy-costly step of its upstream CO2 capture process. The key novelty is the use of flow-through electrodes and optimal solvents to promote CO2 conversion at high rates. Expected outcomes include enhanced efficiency of CO2 sequestration, and new techniques to develop electrodes with w ....An integrated electrolyser for CO2 conversion from capture media. This project aims to develop an efficient electrochemical method to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) to valuable chemicals. It expects to displace the energy-costly step of its upstream CO2 capture process. The key novelty is the use of flow-through electrodes and optimal solvents to promote CO2 conversion at high rates. Expected outcomes include enhanced efficiency of CO2 sequestration, and new techniques to develop electrodes with well-controlled local reaction environments, which are essential for electrochemical energy conversion and storage. This will benefit Australia's environment and industries such as cement and aluminium manufacturing in managing carbon emissions, and accelerate Australia’s transition to a carbon-neutral economy.Read moreRead less
Multifunctional and environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitor systems. This project aims to design new, environmentally friendly coating systems for steel in marine environments by incorporating novel, non-toxic pigments that can be combined to protect against both corrosion and microbial attack. Structural requirements for these compounds will be determined through the use of advanced characterisation techniques to identify the largely unknown mechanisms of attachment and protection on steel ....Multifunctional and environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitor systems. This project aims to design new, environmentally friendly coating systems for steel in marine environments by incorporating novel, non-toxic pigments that can be combined to protect against both corrosion and microbial attack. Structural requirements for these compounds will be determined through the use of advanced characterisation techniques to identify the largely unknown mechanisms of attachment and protection on steel surfaces. The components may themselves be dual active, or be combined to capitalise on individual protection mechanisms that provide a synergy whereby the combination leads to better protection outcomes. Such coatings have the potential to significantly improve the lifetime of marine infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Medium temperature electrolysis for low-cost carbon dioxide utilization. Carbon dioxide is a notorious greenhouse gas. Its capture, and subsequent storage or utilization, is a major focus not only for researchers, but also for governments trying to meet their obligations of the Paris Agreement on climate change and for industries managing their legal and social responsibilities. This project aims to develop commercially viable medium temperature electrolysers to convert carbon dioxide into value ....Medium temperature electrolysis for low-cost carbon dioxide utilization. Carbon dioxide is a notorious greenhouse gas. Its capture, and subsequent storage or utilization, is a major focus not only for researchers, but also for governments trying to meet their obligations of the Paris Agreement on climate change and for industries managing their legal and social responsibilities. This project aims to develop commercially viable medium temperature electrolysers to convert carbon dioxide into value added chemicals using electricity from renewable sources. New design principles will be developed to generate highly active and selective catalysts with long-term stability. These electrolyzers will be integrated with carbon capture technologies to directly utilize captured carbon dioxide with high energy efficiency.Read moreRead less
Parameterisation of voltammetry in a machine learning environment. Important devices in modern society such as batteries, fuel cells and medical sensors exploit special properties of complex electrochemical reactions. The aim of this multidisciplinary project is to develop an integrated approach to intelligent collection and analysis of large electrochemical data sets in a machine-learning environment. As a result, it will become possible for the first time to globally model and quantitatively p ....Parameterisation of voltammetry in a machine learning environment. Important devices in modern society such as batteries, fuel cells and medical sensors exploit special properties of complex electrochemical reactions. The aim of this multidisciplinary project is to develop an integrated approach to intelligent collection and analysis of large electrochemical data sets in a machine-learning environment. As a result, it will become possible for the first time to globally model and quantitatively parameterise all aspects of the dynamic electrochemistry associated with exceptionally complex electrochemical reactions in a statistically significant framework. Problems to be addressed are of biological and chemical significance. An end product will be a commercially viable, user-friendly instrumentation package.Read moreRead less