Rechargeable lithium carbon dioxide battery - catalyst design to prototype . This project aims to develop a new concept of rechargeable lithium carbon dioxide batteries and scaled-up prototypes. Such a battery will be first of its kind to show high power comparable to gasoline and superior rechargeability over existing gas-involved batteries, ensuring realistic use for industrial purposes. Expected outcomes include 2-dimensional catalysts made from earth-abundant elements lowering large-scale pr ....Rechargeable lithium carbon dioxide battery - catalyst design to prototype . This project aims to develop a new concept of rechargeable lithium carbon dioxide batteries and scaled-up prototypes. Such a battery will be first of its kind to show high power comparable to gasoline and superior rechargeability over existing gas-involved batteries, ensuring realistic use for industrial purposes. Expected outcomes include 2-dimensional catalysts made from earth-abundant elements lowering large-scale production cost, a novel but reliable working principle based on reversible carbon dioxide/oxalate conversion, and prototypes featuring high specific capacity, large energy density and excellent durability. Via industrial pilot trials, commercial benefits will be fast tracked for energy security and carbon dioxide utilisation.Read moreRead less
Chlorine Evolution Catalysts for Efferent Seawater Electrolysis. Seawater is the most abundant aqueous resource on earth that is readily accessible at very low costs, but yet to be directly utilised for production of hydrogen fuel and commodity chemicals. This project aims to develop cheap and plentiful carbon-based high performance chlorine evolution electrocatalysts for seawater electrolysis powered by renewable electricity to realise the production of hydrogen, chlorine and sodium hydroxide d ....Chlorine Evolution Catalysts for Efferent Seawater Electrolysis. Seawater is the most abundant aqueous resource on earth that is readily accessible at very low costs, but yet to be directly utilised for production of hydrogen fuel and commodity chemicals. This project aims to develop cheap and plentiful carbon-based high performance chlorine evolution electrocatalysts for seawater electrolysis powered by renewable electricity to realise the production of hydrogen, chlorine and sodium hydroxide directly from seawater. The electrolyser can also be used to treat desalination brine while produce hydrogen and chemicals. The success of the project will set a firm technological foundation for seawater utilisation, which will add to Australian capability to meet future energy and environment challenges.Read moreRead less
Perovskite-Based Ferroelectrics for Solar Fuel Production. This project aims to develop perovskite-based ferroelectrics for photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction to produce solar fuels. It is expected to reveal the relationship of ferroelectric polarisation and photocatalytic behaviour, thereby promoting solar energy utilisation and greenhouse gas reduction. Expected outcomes include delivery of a novel family of chemically and structurally controlled ferroelectrics and catalytic reaction prot ....Perovskite-Based Ferroelectrics for Solar Fuel Production. This project aims to develop perovskite-based ferroelectrics for photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction to produce solar fuels. It is expected to reveal the relationship of ferroelectric polarisation and photocatalytic behaviour, thereby promoting solar energy utilisation and greenhouse gas reduction. Expected outcomes include delivery of a novel family of chemically and structurally controlled ferroelectrics and catalytic reaction prototypes for efficient carbon dioxide photoreduction, and in-depth understanding of structure-performance correlation to guide future polar catalysts design. This project should provide significant benefits in minimising fossil fuel consumption, increasing energy security, and expanding clean energy industry.Read moreRead less
Monolithic Solar Thermal Photocatalytic Membrane for Hydrogen Production. This ambitious project aims to develop a new concept of monolithic membranes composed of photocatalysts embedded in highly efficient solar thermal graphene. Such a membrane will be first of its kind and is able to utilise full solar spectrum for scalable seawater desalination and direct splitting to produce hydrogen without the need to concentrate sunlight. Expected outcomes include chemically and structurally tailored mem ....Monolithic Solar Thermal Photocatalytic Membrane for Hydrogen Production. This ambitious project aims to develop a new concept of monolithic membranes composed of photocatalysts embedded in highly efficient solar thermal graphene. Such a membrane will be first of its kind and is able to utilise full solar spectrum for scalable seawater desalination and direct splitting to produce hydrogen without the need to concentrate sunlight. Expected outcomes include chemically and structurally tailored membranes and 2D floating prototypes for real life hydrogen production, and in-depth understanding of working mechanism to facilitate up-scaled renewable hydrogen generation. Significant benefits in minimising fossil fuel consumption, increasing energy security, and expanding competitive clean energy industry are promised.Read moreRead less
Nanoarchitectured anti-corrosion coatings for zinc-plated steel. Zinc-plated steel is widely used in buildings, households and vehicles, but the long-term performance is limited due to corrosion resulting from exposure to high humidity or alkaline conditions. Currently, available chromium coatings are toxic, while polymeric coatings lack durability. This project aims to use nanotechnology to develop highly effective, multifunctional anti-corrosive coatings in which long-term protection is achiev ....Nanoarchitectured anti-corrosion coatings for zinc-plated steel. Zinc-plated steel is widely used in buildings, households and vehicles, but the long-term performance is limited due to corrosion resulting from exposure to high humidity or alkaline conditions. Currently, available chromium coatings are toxic, while polymeric coatings lack durability. This project aims to use nanotechnology to develop highly effective, multifunctional anti-corrosive coatings in which long-term protection is achieved by controlling the wettability and self-healing properties. The project is excepted to generate new knowledge in coating materials that limit corrosion and address environmental problems. This advanced manufacturing technology should be of high-value benefit to manufacturers and consumers of zinc-plated steel.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL170100014
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,275,680.00
Summary
Light-Induced chemical modularity: a new frontier in macromolecular design. This project aims to develop powerful light-driven chemistries for the modular construction of advanced macromolecular materials. The expected outcome is a versatile, light-based precision macromolecular synthetic technology platform, enabling critical advances in soft matter material design and synthesis, ranging from selectivity control of chemical reactions and information-coded and biomimetic light-responsive macromo ....Light-Induced chemical modularity: a new frontier in macromolecular design. This project aims to develop powerful light-driven chemistries for the modular construction of advanced macromolecular materials. The expected outcome is a versatile, light-based precision macromolecular synthetic technology platform, enabling critical advances in soft matter material design and synthesis, ranging from selectivity control of chemical reactions and information-coded and biomimetic light-responsive macromolecules to advanced functional photoresists for 3D laser lithography as well as materials that self-report structural transformations by light or are reprogrammable in their properties by photonic fields. Harnessing the power of light as a precision tool for the construction of advanced macromolecular materials will provide technology outcomes for Australian manufacturing industries from electronics to health. This includes laser-driven 3D printing technology at the nano-level, light-adaptive smart reprogrammable coatings and materials, synthetic proteins responsive to light as well as tailor-made single cell niches.Read moreRead less
Wearable thermoelectric textiles for portable microelectronics. Wearable thermoelectrics enable the power generation from the temperature difference between human body and ambient temperature by using thermoelectric effect. This project aims to design eco-friendly wearable thermoelectric textiles to realize high-efficiency solid-state power generation and meet individual needs with human comfort and health. The target is to achieve a power density in the as-designed thermoelectric textiles by th ....Wearable thermoelectric textiles for portable microelectronics. Wearable thermoelectrics enable the power generation from the temperature difference between human body and ambient temperature by using thermoelectric effect. This project aims to design eco-friendly wearable thermoelectric textiles to realize high-efficiency solid-state power generation and meet individual needs with human comfort and health. The target is to achieve a power density in the as-designed thermoelectric textiles by the optimization of materials and device design. The outcome will open up a new platform for the green and sustainable charge for portable microelectronics, which will lead to an innovative technology for energy management, which will place Australia at the forefront of wearable electronics and textile industry.Read moreRead less
Hybrid photocatalytic nanomaterials for water purification. This project aims to synthesise and characterise a range of porous photocatalytic materials (materials that absorb light to catalyse a reaction), and to establish high-throughput processes to simultaneously test the effectiveness of multiple photocatalytic materials. This interdisciplinary project expects to develop two new techniques that will lead to faster materials optimisation of materials that breakdown organic pollutants in water ....Hybrid photocatalytic nanomaterials for water purification. This project aims to synthesise and characterise a range of porous photocatalytic materials (materials that absorb light to catalyse a reaction), and to establish high-throughput processes to simultaneously test the effectiveness of multiple photocatalytic materials. This interdisciplinary project expects to develop two new techniques that will lead to faster materials optimisation of materials that breakdown organic pollutants in water under light irradiation. The intended outcomes include the production of industrially relevant photocatalysts and building capability in Australia to decrease photocatalytic testing time and cost. This should provide significant benefits to industry and the environment, and have an impact on human health.Read moreRead less
Powering Next Generation Wearable Electronics: Moisture Electric Generator . This project aims to develop next generation energy harvesting device which can directly generate electricity from the moisture in the air for self-powered, wearable electronics. The goal will be achieved by developing a new class of carbon based nanomaterials and large scale printing technology, through optimizing the materials defects, printing process and electrode configuration. The expected outcomes will be new el ....Powering Next Generation Wearable Electronics: Moisture Electric Generator . This project aims to develop next generation energy harvesting device which can directly generate electricity from the moisture in the air for self-powered, wearable electronics. The goal will be achieved by developing a new class of carbon based nanomaterials and large scale printing technology, through optimizing the materials defects, printing process and electrode configuration. The expected outcomes will be new electronic materials for a wide range of end uses in wearable electronics, significant advances in self-powered, environmentally friendly devices, and commercialisation of the technology to Australian industries.Read moreRead less
Core loss mechanisms in soft magnetic nanostructures. This project aims to clarify the mechanism of power losses in magnetic cores used in the petrol-electric hybrid cars by investigating the relationship between the core losses and magnetic correlation lengths in iron alloys. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the effect of magneto-mechanical interaction on the anomalous core loss in iron based alloys. The intended outcomes include an experimental confirmation of the random aniso ....Core loss mechanisms in soft magnetic nanostructures. This project aims to clarify the mechanism of power losses in magnetic cores used in the petrol-electric hybrid cars by investigating the relationship between the core losses and magnetic correlation lengths in iron alloys. This project expects to generate new knowledge on the effect of magneto-mechanical interaction on the anomalous core loss in iron based alloys. The intended outcomes include an experimental confirmation of the random anisotropy model, a major theoretical model in nanostructured materials and identification of ideal magnetic domain configurations for lower power losses. These intended outcomes should bring great benefits to the development of low-carbon vehicle technologies for sustainable motorisation in Australia.Read moreRead less