Novel organic materials for efficient low-cost solar cells. Finding sources of renewable energy is the greatest challenge faced by mankind in the coming decades. Solar energy has the potential to provide a large fraction of the world's energy needs. The successful development of a solar technology capable of large scale energy production will reduce our dependence on non-renewable energy sources, such as fossil fuels, leading to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and a sustainable envir ....Novel organic materials for efficient low-cost solar cells. Finding sources of renewable energy is the greatest challenge faced by mankind in the coming decades. Solar energy has the potential to provide a large fraction of the world's energy needs. The successful development of a solar technology capable of large scale energy production will reduce our dependence on non-renewable energy sources, such as fossil fuels, leading to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and a sustainable environment. The harnessing of solar energy involves a number of frontier technologies that will enhance Australia's strengths in research and innovation. There is also potential for the creation of a world-class industry in solar energy that has both economic and environmental benefits.Read moreRead less
Porphyrin Based Supramolecular Assemblies and Arrays III - Model Systems for the Construction of Photosynthetic Mimics and Devices. Solar cells that convert light to electricity are an excellent solution to bringing energy to remote locations with abundant sunlight. This research proposal aims to provide an intellectual grounding in the development of molecular systems and supramolecular arrays that are capable of such solar energy conversion (photovoltaics & artificial photosynthesis) or that ....Porphyrin Based Supramolecular Assemblies and Arrays III - Model Systems for the Construction of Photosynthetic Mimics and Devices. Solar cells that convert light to electricity are an excellent solution to bringing energy to remote locations with abundant sunlight. This research proposal aims to provide an intellectual grounding in the development of molecular systems and supramolecular arrays that are capable of such solar energy conversion (photovoltaics & artificial photosynthesis) or that have potential applications in photonics. Developments in this project may also lead to breakthroughs in areas such as nano-scale computing and cleaner and more sustainable energy productionRead moreRead less
Porphyrin-Based Supramolecular Assemblies and Arrays II: Model Systems for the Construction of Photosynthetic Mimics and Devices. Solar cells that convert light to electricity are an excellent solution to bringing energy to remote locations with abundant sunlight. This research proposal aims to provide an intellectual grounding in the development of molecular systems and supramolecular arrays that are capable of such solar energy conversion (photovoltaics & artificial photosynthesis) or that ha ....Porphyrin-Based Supramolecular Assemblies and Arrays II: Model Systems for the Construction of Photosynthetic Mimics and Devices. Solar cells that convert light to electricity are an excellent solution to bringing energy to remote locations with abundant sunlight. This research proposal aims to provide an intellectual grounding in the development of molecular systems and supramolecular arrays that are capable of such solar energy conversion (photovoltaics & artificial photosynthesis) or that have potential applications in photonics. Developments in this project may also lead to breakthroughs in areas such as nano-scale computing and cleaner and more sustainable energy production.Read moreRead less
Construction and Use of Yoctowells as Vessels for Catalysis, Sensing and Artificial Photosynthesis. Yoctowell recognition systems are likely to form the basis of a new generation of biosensors, high throughput screening systems for identification of nucleotides and as energy transduction systems. As a result, this research will be relevant to technological advances in the areas of biotechnology and nanotechnology. Researching functional yoctowells containing photoactive and redox-active componen ....Construction and Use of Yoctowells as Vessels for Catalysis, Sensing and Artificial Photosynthesis. Yoctowell recognition systems are likely to form the basis of a new generation of biosensors, high throughput screening systems for identification of nucleotides and as energy transduction systems. As a result, this research will be relevant to technological advances in the areas of biotechnology and nanotechnology. Researching functional yoctowells containing photoactive and redox-active components will contribute to the major effort in basic research on smart optoelectric that are needed today to meet tomorrow's energy demands in a sustainable way. Read moreRead less
Single molecule spectroscopy of functional luminescent materials. This project will provide new insights into the light induced processes occurring in individual molecules of potentially useful luminescent materials. The molecules to be studied include new fluorescent probes of biological and polymer systems and single light harvesting nanoparticles with applications in solar energy collection and conversion. The program of work proposed will increase our understanding of light induced chemical ....Single molecule spectroscopy of functional luminescent materials. This project will provide new insights into the light induced processes occurring in individual molecules of potentially useful luminescent materials. The molecules to be studied include new fluorescent probes of biological and polymer systems and single light harvesting nanoparticles with applications in solar energy collection and conversion. The program of work proposed will increase our understanding of light induced chemical processes and assist the design of advanced materials for photomolecular devices.Read moreRead less
Flexible dye-sensitised solar cells on polymer substrates. The expected outcomes of the project are the preparation and development of flexible solar cells. The resulting portable and compact solar cells could be incorporated in fabrics opening the solar cell market to the clothing industry. The products and mechanisms developed are envisaged to be amenable to large scale-up in industry. Hence, at a future date, there is the potential to fabricate the cells in Australia and then export the mater ....Flexible dye-sensitised solar cells on polymer substrates. The expected outcomes of the project are the preparation and development of flexible solar cells. The resulting portable and compact solar cells could be incorporated in fabrics opening the solar cell market to the clothing industry. The products and mechanisms developed are envisaged to be amenable to large scale-up in industry. Hence, at a future date, there is the potential to fabricate the cells in Australia and then export the materials and technology. This will benefit the Australian economy through employment of Australians and income generated through exports.Read moreRead less
Bio-inspired Catalysts for Water Oxidation. Successful completion of the project will result in the development of devices that utilise redox active manganese clusters to catalyse the oxidation of water. This achievement would place us at the forefront of international efforts to develop devices that can split water into hydrogen and oxygen, an endeavour which has the potential to solve pressing energy demands. As an added benefit, these devices can be adapted for the purposes of carrying out th ....Bio-inspired Catalysts for Water Oxidation. Successful completion of the project will result in the development of devices that utilise redox active manganese clusters to catalyse the oxidation of water. This achievement would place us at the forefront of international efforts to develop devices that can split water into hydrogen and oxygen, an endeavour which has the potential to solve pressing energy demands. As an added benefit, these devices can be adapted for the purposes of carrying out the catalytic oxidation of organic substrates, for which a variety of industrial and environmental applications can be envisaged.
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Novel Materials for Dye Sensitised Solar Cells. Solar energy is the most attractive renewable energy source. Dye sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) are one type of device that can harvest this energy, offering advantages of low materials cost and ease of fabrication when compared to alternative devices. This project aims to develop efficient, flexible DSSCs by using polymer substrates in place of glass. Novel surface modification approaches and microwave processing will be employed to fabricate the ....Novel Materials for Dye Sensitised Solar Cells. Solar energy is the most attractive renewable energy source. Dye sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) are one type of device that can harvest this energy, offering advantages of low materials cost and ease of fabrication when compared to alternative devices. This project aims to develop efficient, flexible DSSCs by using polymer substrates in place of glass. Novel surface modification approaches and microwave processing will be employed to fabricate the nanporous semiconductor electrodes on polymer substrates and to improve cell efficiency. Improved dyes and new electrolyte systems, such as plastic crystals, will be incorporated into the cell to improve efficiency, durability and stability.Read moreRead less
MICROWAVE PROCESSING OF FLEXIBLE DYE SENSITISED SOLAR CELLS. Solar energy is the most attractive renewable and environmentally sustainable energy source. Dye sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) are one type of device that can harvest this energy, offering advantages of low materials cost and ease of fabrication when compared to silicon-based solar cells. This project aims to develop efficient, flexible DSSCs by using polymer substrates in place of glass. Microwave processing will be employed to fabr ....MICROWAVE PROCESSING OF FLEXIBLE DYE SENSITISED SOLAR CELLS. Solar energy is the most attractive renewable and environmentally sustainable energy source. Dye sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) are one type of device that can harvest this energy, offering advantages of low materials cost and ease of fabrication when compared to silicon-based solar cells. This project aims to develop efficient, flexible DSSCs by using polymer substrates in place of glass. Microwave processing will be employed to fabricate the semiconductor layers on polymer substrates. Novel surface modification approaches will be examined to facilitate microwave processing and improve cell efficienRead moreRead less
Characterization and design of new soft electrolyte materials. The use of fossil fuels for energy generation contributes heavily to global warming. The development of new types of energy sources (e.g. fuel cells) and energy storage devices (e.g. batteries) is of crucial importance to ease this pressure on the environment. The search for new, high energy-density electrolyte materials for these applications is intense. Recently, plastic crystal materials have been identified as potential electroly ....Characterization and design of new soft electrolyte materials. The use of fossil fuels for energy generation contributes heavily to global warming. The development of new types of energy sources (e.g. fuel cells) and energy storage devices (e.g. batteries) is of crucial importance to ease this pressure on the environment. The search for new, high energy-density electrolyte materials for these applications is intense. Recently, plastic crystal materials have been identified as potential electrolytes in a variety of electrochemical devices. These materials show high conductivity at ambient temperatures in their plastic (or soft) phase. This project aims to further investigate and develop these novel materials.Read moreRead less