Harnessing properties of liquid metals for future devices. This project aims to hybridise low toxicity liquid metal alloys of gallium with surface confined functional micro/nano materials and explore fundamental new fluidic and physical-chemistry phenomena. Liquid metals are an under-used group of materials, but their combination of flexibility, bestowed by their room temperature fluidity, and metallic properties means they demonstrate startling behaviour. The expected outcomes are new devices a ....Harnessing properties of liquid metals for future devices. This project aims to hybridise low toxicity liquid metal alloys of gallium with surface confined functional micro/nano materials and explore fundamental new fluidic and physical-chemistry phenomena. Liquid metals are an under-used group of materials, but their combination of flexibility, bestowed by their room temperature fluidity, and metallic properties means they demonstrate startling behaviour. The expected outcomes are new devices and systems such as reconfigurable and highly efficient actuators/generators, catalysts, sensors, and electronic and optical components.Read moreRead less
Condition-Based Maintenance Optimisation for Queensland’s Railways. Rail maintainers currently use time-based (scheduled) approaches to balance the costs and benefits of inspections and maintenance. Changing to condition-based maintenance has the potential to reduce costs and improve track condition. This project aims to enable this approach for rail by developing: 1) new track degradation prediction techniques combining Big Data and engineering knowledge; 2) new on-board sensing capabilities fo ....Condition-Based Maintenance Optimisation for Queensland’s Railways. Rail maintainers currently use time-based (scheduled) approaches to balance the costs and benefits of inspections and maintenance. Changing to condition-based maintenance has the potential to reduce costs and improve track condition. This project aims to enable this approach for rail by developing: 1) new track degradation prediction techniques combining Big Data and engineering knowledge; 2) new on-board sensing capabilities for frequent, low-cost track monitoring; 3) novel inspection and maintenance optimisation methods to efficiently allocate resources. The knowledge generated by this project is expected to decrease maintenance costs, safety risk, and track closures and therefore enhance the affordability and reliability of rail travel.Read moreRead less
Optimising gaseous and particulate emissions from diesel engines. About $3.7 billion is spent annually in Australia on respiratory diseases. Diesel vehicle emissions of nano- and ultra-fine urban air particulate pollution are a significant factor in this disease. This project will directly addresses this problem by developing a technology to monitor and reduce diesel particulate emissions.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100188
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,572.00
Summary
Understanding failure mechanisms in micro-solder joints in three dimensional integrated circuit packaging. High-density three-dimensional integrated circuits used in microelectronic devices are evolving and placing increasing demands on micro-solder joints. Tin based lead-free solder alloys require further development to satisfy performance requirements, particularly with respect to the properties of the intermetallic forms between solder and substrate. This project investigates the mechanical p ....Understanding failure mechanisms in micro-solder joints in three dimensional integrated circuit packaging. High-density three-dimensional integrated circuits used in microelectronic devices are evolving and placing increasing demands on micro-solder joints. Tin based lead-free solder alloys require further development to satisfy performance requirements, particularly with respect to the properties of the intermetallic forms between solder and substrate. This project investigates the mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of intermetallic forms with trace element additions using micro-pillar compression and ultra-high voltage transmission electron microscopy. Beyond the development of techniques transferable to similar research, this project will lead to significant intellectual property relating to solder composition.Read moreRead less
Sustainable molecular and chemical engineering of stimuli-responsive soft materials. Detergents, made from non-renewable resources, are used everywhere to control foam stability; this research will deliver new detergents that are both sustainable and stimuli-responsive, meaning that foam can be switched on and off as needed. The technology will have global impact including in key Australian industries such as food and mining.
Developing a simple method for characterising the mechanical properties of nanowhiskers. This project aims to accurately measure mechanical properties of nanostructures, addressing a challenging issue in the ongoing development of nanotechnology. The success of this project will provide important advances in the understanding of the mechanical behaviour of nanowhiskers and assist in the further development of nanomaterials.
Surface engineering of cast magnesium alloys for innovative high performance packaging robots. High performance packaging robots are in significant demand in the food, medicine and cosmetics industries. This project will solve a critical problem in the development of such robots at low cost by the novel use of cast magnesium alloys, which will greatly increase productivity and decrease energy consumption through weight reduction.
Development of new lead-free solders for use on aluminium conductors in photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles. This project will tackle a longstanding environmental issue within electrical and electronic industries through developing lead-free solder alloys for use on relatively low cost aluminium substrates. As aluminium is a very light metal, this research will have significant impact on the development of photovoltaic devices and electric vehicles. The developed technology will also prom ....Development of new lead-free solders for use on aluminium conductors in photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles. This project will tackle a longstanding environmental issue within electrical and electronic industries through developing lead-free solder alloys for use on relatively low cost aluminium substrates. As aluminium is a very light metal, this research will have significant impact on the development of photovoltaic devices and electric vehicles. The developed technology will also promote the use of aluminium alloys and bring direct benefit to Australian mining and light metal industries.Read moreRead less
Developing innovative methodologies to understand nano-adhesion/friction. The project seeks to improve the measurement of nanoscale adhesion and friction. The understanding of adhesion and friction between a nanowhisker and a substrate is crucial for developing next-generation nanodevices. However, the current methods for measuring nanoscale adhesion and friction are inaccurate and can produce contradictory results, due to the extreme challenges in mastering sophisticated measuring techniques an ....Developing innovative methodologies to understand nano-adhesion/friction. The project seeks to improve the measurement of nanoscale adhesion and friction. The understanding of adhesion and friction between a nanowhisker and a substrate is crucial for developing next-generation nanodevices. However, the current methods for measuring nanoscale adhesion and friction are inaccurate and can produce contradictory results, due to the extreme challenges in mastering sophisticated measuring techniques and the lack of understanding of their underlying mechanisms. This project aims to develop innovative ‘push-peel’ and ‘push-slide’ methods to accurately measure those properties and to further understand their fundamental origins. Successful outcomes from this study would not only solve a long-standing problem in the application of nanowhiskers, but also generate new nanosurface science.Read moreRead less