Ionic Liquids and Solids - New Designs, Insights and Applications. Ionic Materials in the form of liquid salts and plastic crystals are of interest in a wide range of applications including environmentally benign synthesis of chemicals and high stability electrolytes for batteries, capacitors and other devices. These materials represent some of the most stable chemicals known, making them attractive for any application where complete stability and recycling are issues. Building on our recent wor ....Ionic Liquids and Solids - New Designs, Insights and Applications. Ionic Materials in the form of liquid salts and plastic crystals are of interest in a wide range of applications including environmentally benign synthesis of chemicals and high stability electrolytes for batteries, capacitors and other devices. These materials represent some of the most stable chemicals known, making them attractive for any application where complete stability and recycling are issues. Building on our recent work, this project will design, prepare and characterize novel materials of this type for a number of target applications. Collaborators in Europe and USA will be involved in the analysis and testing of the materials.Read moreRead less
Interphase Engineering of Reactive Metal Surfaces Using Ionic Liquids. Corrosion is a multi-billion dollar problem for all developed countries which limits the use of a number of advanced, light weight alloys in applications ranging from aircraft components to artificial hip-joints. The outcomes of this project will be surface treatments which will enable a range of these applications including magnesium alloys in a wider range of engineering uses, magnesium for advanced metal batteries and coat ....Interphase Engineering of Reactive Metal Surfaces Using Ionic Liquids. Corrosion is a multi-billion dollar problem for all developed countries which limits the use of a number of advanced, light weight alloys in applications ranging from aircraft components to artificial hip-joints. The outcomes of this project will be surface treatments which will enable a range of these applications including magnesium alloys in a wider range of engineering uses, magnesium for advanced metal batteries and coatings for medical implant applications. Many of these applications will make a significant contribution to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre for Nanostructured Electromaterials. Electromaterials transport electrons or ions and facilitate charge transfer, underpinning most energy capture/storage processes and cell communication. We propose a national Centre to develop nanostructured electromaterials with exceptional properties. The Centre aims to synthesise novel nanomaterials and assemble them into innovative nanoscale devices. We will exploit these materials to enhance performance in energy conversion/storage systems (eg. ....ARC Centre for Nanostructured Electromaterials. Electromaterials transport electrons or ions and facilitate charge transfer, underpinning most energy capture/storage processes and cell communication. We propose a national Centre to develop nanostructured electromaterials with exceptional properties. The Centre aims to synthesise novel nanomaterials and assemble them into innovative nanoscale devices. We will exploit these materials to enhance performance in energy conversion/storage systems (eg. photovoltaics, batteries, including wearable systems), and novel energy transfer in bioapplications (eg. Bionic Ear). These advances, together with the resource of trained personnel, will assist Australian industry to exploit this exciting area.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence - Australian Centre for Electromaterials Science. The Centre will tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society: those of renewable energy, sustainable industries and enhancing human health. Improvements in all these areas are possible by developing electromaterials with improved efficiency in the generation and transfer of electrical charge. By developing new nano-materials and new theories to explain their behaviour, the Centre will make advances in the areas ....ARC Centre of Excellence - Australian Centre for Electromaterials Science. The Centre will tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society: those of renewable energy, sustainable industries and enhancing human health. Improvements in all these areas are possible by developing electromaterials with improved efficiency in the generation and transfer of electrical charge. By developing new nano-materials and new theories to explain their behaviour, the Centre will make advances in the areas of human health through the regeneration of damaged nerves (eg. in spinal injury) and development of artificial muscles; in renewable energy (plastic solar cells, lightweight batteries and electronic textiles) and in sustainable industries (recovery of precious metals and new corrosion protection technologies).Read moreRead less
Electrochemical Applications of Plastic Crystalline Electrolytes. A number of new and emerging electrochemical device applications such as lithium batteries, dye-sensitized solar cells, electrochemical capacitors, actuators and bio-sensors are limited by their need for a liquid electrolyte. Many of these devices are considered vital to energy efficiency and the lowering of greenhouse gas emissions. The recent discovery of ambient temperature plastic crystalline electrolyte materials by the Monas ....Electrochemical Applications of Plastic Crystalline Electrolytes. A number of new and emerging electrochemical device applications such as lithium batteries, dye-sensitized solar cells, electrochemical capacitors, actuators and bio-sensors are limited by their need for a liquid electrolyte. Many of these devices are considered vital to energy efficiency and the lowering of greenhouse gas emissions. The recent discovery of ambient temperature plastic crystalline electrolyte materials by the Monash Electrolytes group has raised the possibility of solving this problem. In this project new plastic crystalline electrolyte materials will be developed to suit these applications and their electrochemical properties investigated. Laboratory prototype devices will be prepared and tested and via collaborations with appropriate device developers, their performance evaluted.Read moreRead less
Low viscosity, high ionic conductivity ionic liquids for lithium metal batteries. Current consumer electronic devices rely on lithium-ion batteries to provide a high energy density power source. There are growing safety concerns about the electrolytes in these devices after recent incidents involving fires in mobile phones. Recent advances in ionic liquids (ILs) have seen the development of new electrolytes for such devices, with enhanced physical properties that offer major safety advantages. H ....Low viscosity, high ionic conductivity ionic liquids for lithium metal batteries. Current consumer electronic devices rely on lithium-ion batteries to provide a high energy density power source. There are growing safety concerns about the electrolytes in these devices after recent incidents involving fires in mobile phones. Recent advances in ionic liquids (ILs) have seen the development of new electrolytes for such devices, with enhanced physical properties that offer major safety advantages. However, the viscosity of these materials currently limit their capabilities. New IL materials to be developed in this project will pave the way for the development of safer devices and new sustainable energy industries in Australia.Read moreRead less
Polyoxometalate Clusters: Catalytic Chemistry in Solution and Condensed States. Polyoxometalate cluster anions are soluble metal-oxygen clusters that are cheap, robust and non-toxic.
Conditions for systematic tuning of redox potentials over the range +2 to -3 V have become accessible via certain photo-active polyoxometalates. The same system can provide powerful oxidants (that rival chlorine) and powerful reductants (that rival potassium).
The program will take advantage of this unique ....Polyoxometalate Clusters: Catalytic Chemistry in Solution and Condensed States. Polyoxometalate cluster anions are soluble metal-oxygen clusters that are cheap, robust and non-toxic.
Conditions for systematic tuning of redox potentials over the range +2 to -3 V have become accessible via certain photo-active polyoxometalates. The same system can provide powerful oxidants (that rival chlorine) and powerful reductants (that rival potassium).
The program will take advantage of this unique range of properties to explore:-
(i) coupling of photo- and electro-chemical processes into effective catalytic cycles;
(ii) photo- and electro-chemical processes in ionic liquid solvents;
(iii) synthesis and redox reactivity of nanoparticles stabilised by polyoxometalates.
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