Self Assembling Polymers for Novel Packaging Products. Have you had wet paper bags rip or stacks of boxes collapse during shipping? Novel polymer strength agents will be combined with nanoparticles to develop very strong paper packaging meeting Australia's needs. We will produce very strong paper packaging resisting frequent moisture changes while remaining fully recyclable. These strength agents will be produced and used in Australia to manufacture the fibre packaging needed to ship our manufac ....Self Assembling Polymers for Novel Packaging Products. Have you had wet paper bags rip or stacks of boxes collapse during shipping? Novel polymer strength agents will be combined with nanoparticles to develop very strong paper packaging meeting Australia's needs. We will produce very strong paper packaging resisting frequent moisture changes while remaining fully recyclable. These strength agents will be produced and used in Australia to manufacture the fibre packaging needed to ship our manufactured and agriculture goods within Australia and for export. The Paper industry is the largest manufacturing industry in rural Australia with sales of $4 billion and 5,900 direct and 85,000 indirect jobs.Read moreRead less
Novel Cellulosic Products and Sustainable Bioresource Engineering. The paper industry is a key industry in the Australian economy and particularly in rural and regional Australia. 6000 people are employed directly by the paper manufacturing companies and many thousands more employed in providing services and inputs to the industry. This grant aims to assure the future of the industry by developing standards to measure the environmental impact; by using these standards and innovative materials ....Novel Cellulosic Products and Sustainable Bioresource Engineering. The paper industry is a key industry in the Australian economy and particularly in rural and regional Australia. 6000 people are employed directly by the paper manufacturing companies and many thousands more employed in providing services and inputs to the industry. This grant aims to assure the future of the industry by developing standards to measure the environmental impact; by using these standards and innovative materials to greatly reduce the environmental impact of the industry; and by developing new highly profitable products for the industry including a lightweight corrugated box that won't sag when wet, a paper-mineral composite to capture and store green house gases.Read moreRead less
The development of novel geopolymers incorporating calcium and cellulosic material. Geopolymer technology transforms waste aluminosilicate materials into commercially viable products, which possess superior physical and chemical properties compared to ordinary concrete. These high-tech materials have novel acid and fire resistance applications, e.g. in construction and for the coating of optical fibres. Understanding the chemical relationship between geopolymers and other cementitious materials ....The development of novel geopolymers incorporating calcium and cellulosic material. Geopolymer technology transforms waste aluminosilicate materials into commercially viable products, which possess superior physical and chemical properties compared to ordinary concrete. These high-tech materials have novel acid and fire resistance applications, e.g. in construction and for the coating of optical fibres. Understanding the chemical relationship between geopolymers and other cementitious materials is pivotal to further advances in inorganic polymers. This project uses surface reactivity, spectroscopy, electronmicroscopy and electron diffraction to determine the role of calcium and cellulosic additives in the phase composition, microstructure and properties of geopolymers. Therefore, the factors distinguishing geopolymers from alkali-activated cement and ordinary concrete are identified.Read moreRead less
Photoactive Semiconducting Biopolymers. The basic aims of this project are to elucidate, manipulate, and utilise the unique chemical and physical properties of a class of biopolymers called the melanins. These materials are the only known solid state semiconducting biopolymers, and are non-toxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable. Their use as active components in biomimetic soft electonic, optoelectronic or photovoltaic devices, has not hitherto been demonstrated. It is anticipated that the k ....Photoactive Semiconducting Biopolymers. The basic aims of this project are to elucidate, manipulate, and utilise the unique chemical and physical properties of a class of biopolymers called the melanins. These materials are the only known solid state semiconducting biopolymers, and are non-toxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable. Their use as active components in biomimetic soft electonic, optoelectronic or photovoltaic devices, has not hitherto been demonstrated. It is anticipated that the key outcomes from the project will be a demonstration of biopolymer-based photoelectrochemical and solid-state p-i-n solar cells, and an improved understanding of the physics and chemistry of these important biological macromolecules.Read moreRead less
Meshless, numerical modelling for polymer processing. The new modelling technology will significantly improve Australian polymer producers' competitiveness and their ability to respond to international market forces. The technology will lead to new opportunities for Australian companies that develop simulation software. Our consumers will benefit from improvements in the design of polymer products. Our researchers in rheology and computational mechanics will gain further opportunities to extend ....Meshless, numerical modelling for polymer processing. The new modelling technology will significantly improve Australian polymer producers' competitiveness and their ability to respond to international market forces. The technology will lead to new opportunities for Australian companies that develop simulation software. Our consumers will benefit from improvements in the design of polymer products. Our researchers in rheology and computational mechanics will gain further opportunities to extend the advances this project will make.Read moreRead less
Development of Multilayered Packaging Materials with Controlled Barrier Properties. The project aims to develop advanced new material for multilayered packaging with high oxygen and moisture barrier properties for cost effective packaging applications. Poly Products currently imports and uses some polymer as its key component for controlling barrier property of their food packaging. However, the new nanostructured material when sandwiched between less expensive materials in a multilayered packag ....Development of Multilayered Packaging Materials with Controlled Barrier Properties. The project aims to develop advanced new material for multilayered packaging with high oxygen and moisture barrier properties for cost effective packaging applications. Poly Products currently imports and uses some polymer as its key component for controlling barrier property of their food packaging. However, the new nanostructured material when sandwiched between less expensive materials in a multilayered packaging film will yield excellent barrier properties, leading to extended shelf life of different food products. The new smart material will generate significant material saving and replace the imported polymer, and will secure export market of the product in Asia -Pacific region.Read moreRead less
Structure-Property Relationships of Polymers with Controlled Architecture. Mechanical properties of a polymer (e.g., how elastic it is and how it dissipates energy when compressed) govern how well it performs as an adhesive, or its behaviour when melted and shaped into a consumer item. This project aims to relate molecular architecture to mechanical properties, using new techniques which permit the creation of polymers wherein each architectural characteristic is separately controlled. This has ....Structure-Property Relationships of Polymers with Controlled Architecture. Mechanical properties of a polymer (e.g., how elastic it is and how it dissipates energy when compressed) govern how well it performs as an adhesive, or its behaviour when melted and shaped into a consumer item. This project aims to relate molecular architecture to mechanical properties, using new techniques which permit the creation of polymers wherein each architectural characteristic is separately controlled. This has the potential to develop fundamental understanding for structure-property relations for the type of branched polymers that are in common use in industry and for which adequate models do not currently exist.Read moreRead less
Advanced Polymer Electrolytes for Device Applications. The future of an energy sustainable society relies upon the development of a range of technologies that will involve devices such as lithium batteries, supercapacitors, sensors and fuel cells. One of the key challenges is the discovery and development of high performance materials which overcome performance limiting issues such as conductivity, durability and stability in current devices. Our recent discovery of novel successful approaches ....Advanced Polymer Electrolytes for Device Applications. The future of an energy sustainable society relies upon the development of a range of technologies that will involve devices such as lithium batteries, supercapacitors, sensors and fuel cells. One of the key challenges is the discovery and development of high performance materials which overcome performance limiting issues such as conductivity, durability and stability in current devices. Our recent discovery of novel successful approaches to the design of improved electrolyte materials will be systematically exploited to develop materials that will provide the significant advance in device performance that is required.Read moreRead less
PRODUCTION OF OPTIMAL MICROSTRUCTURED POLYMER OPTICAL FIBRE. Microstructured optical fibres have been described as the 'next generation' of optical fibres, because of their ability to produce tailorisable optical effects. Our success in producing these fibres in polymer was a world-first. This project will yield a fundamental understanding of the fabrication process, so that for any fibre design the optimal drawing conditions can be determined and maintained for extended draws. This will allow i ....PRODUCTION OF OPTIMAL MICROSTRUCTURED POLYMER OPTICAL FIBRE. Microstructured optical fibres have been described as the 'next generation' of optical fibres, because of their ability to produce tailorisable optical effects. Our success in producing these fibres in polymer was a world-first. This project will yield a fundamental understanding of the fabrication process, so that for any fibre design the optimal drawing conditions can be determined and maintained for extended draws. This will allow improved draw reproducibility and fibre uniformity so that commercial quality fibres can be produced at economic rates. We will establish quantitative relationships between drawing parameters and optical properties, thus developing optimal designs and production processes.Read moreRead less
Determination of the Properties of Hyper-Elastic Materials by Deep Indentation. We seek to develop the scientific basis for the interpretation of the results of "deep" indentation testing of non-linear elastic (hyper-elastic) materials. Simple tests (such as indentation) produce complex strain fields. Interpretation of the resulting data in terms of stiffness, for example, requires a complex model of the deformation process that can be utilised to link the observed behaviour to the basic prope ....Determination of the Properties of Hyper-Elastic Materials by Deep Indentation. We seek to develop the scientific basis for the interpretation of the results of "deep" indentation testing of non-linear elastic (hyper-elastic) materials. Simple tests (such as indentation) produce complex strain fields. Interpretation of the resulting data in terms of stiffness, for example, requires a complex model of the deformation process that can be utilised to link the observed behaviour to the basic properties of interest. This project is dedicated to an understanding of the complex deformation associated with large strain indentation of hyper-elastic materials and structures, development of finite element based models for this deformation and creation of techniques for interpretation of the results of such indentation tests.Read moreRead less