Engineering Processable, Tough Hydrogels with Biological Activity. The project aims to design a new class of tough hydrogels to address issues in engineering complex soft and robust structures. These hydrogels have superior properties compared with current materials as they are biologically active, processable by various manufacturing techniques, elastic and have a capacity for rapid self-recovery that are ideal for soft tissues. Their physical property is tunable by modification of their compos ....Engineering Processable, Tough Hydrogels with Biological Activity. The project aims to design a new class of tough hydrogels to address issues in engineering complex soft and robust structures. These hydrogels have superior properties compared with current materials as they are biologically active, processable by various manufacturing techniques, elastic and have a capacity for rapid self-recovery that are ideal for soft tissues. Their physical property is tunable by modification of their compositions that enable construction of complex seamless structure such as valved conduit with anistropic property. Expected outcomes of this project include new insights into material design, multi-physics modelling, and multi-material additive manufacturing for broad applications in soft robotics and medical implants.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100094
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
Selective laser melting - an advanced manufacturing and physical modelling technology for the digital age. Selective laser melting is a new manufacturing technology that creates parts layer by layer directly from a computer model, eliminating the need for tooling or machining. This technology will be applied to a diverse range of research areas from producing the next generation of medical implants and devices to improving our understanding of geo-materials.
Miniature lithium ion battery for implantable medical device applications. This project addresses National Research Priorities in the areas of breakthrough science, frontier technologies and promoting and maintaining good health. Substantial national benefit could be derived from this project: (i) Australia will innovate in an important and intensely active area in which the results will have long-lasting significance in implantable rechargeable battery development; (ii)The development of new sc ....Miniature lithium ion battery for implantable medical device applications. This project addresses National Research Priorities in the areas of breakthrough science, frontier technologies and promoting and maintaining good health. Substantial national benefit could be derived from this project: (i) Australia will innovate in an important and intensely active area in which the results will have long-lasting significance in implantable rechargeable battery development; (ii)The development of new scientific knowledge related to this project will place Australia at the forefront of an emerging domain of research body batteries; (iii) In the long term, the successful outcome of this research will lead to more reliable batteries for implantable devices, thereby promoting health care.Read moreRead less
Fibre-Polymer Composites With Graded Microstructure. This project concerns the development of a novel fibre-polymer functionally graded composite material that mimics the structure of the spinal disk. The spinal disk comprises a soft core (nucleus) and a tough fibrous periphery (annulus). The graded composite approach of this proposal represents a significant advance over spinal fusion, and over the current generation of spinal disk protheses (metal plates with springs/polymers as shock absorber ....Fibre-Polymer Composites With Graded Microstructure. This project concerns the development of a novel fibre-polymer functionally graded composite material that mimics the structure of the spinal disk. The spinal disk comprises a soft core (nucleus) and a tough fibrous periphery (annulus). The graded composite approach of this proposal represents a significant advance over spinal fusion, and over the current generation of spinal disk protheses (metal plates with springs/polymers as shock absorbers). Chronic back pain affects a significant proportion of the population and is primarily caused by failure of the spinal disk. Therefore a strong social and economic imperative exists to develop engineering solutions to this problem.Read moreRead less
Surface engineering of biomaterials for optimal bone bonding characteristics. The ideal bone-implant material is hydroxyapatite. Chemically similar to bone mineral, hydroxyapatite is capable of inducing bone ongrowth. An ideal surface coating for metal hip implants, plasma spraying has been the preferred commercial hydroxyapatite coating technique. Until recently, it was always presumed that the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite resulted from its surface chemistry. However, a recent study has shown ....Surface engineering of biomaterials for optimal bone bonding characteristics. The ideal bone-implant material is hydroxyapatite. Chemically similar to bone mineral, hydroxyapatite is capable of inducing bone ongrowth. An ideal surface coating for metal hip implants, plasma spraying has been the preferred commercial hydroxyapatite coating technique. Until recently, it was always presumed that the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite resulted from its surface chemistry. However, a recent study has shown that the bioactivity of HAp coatings strongly correlates with surface roughness on the scale of bone cells. This project will explore cell-attachment behaviour for hydroxyapatite coatings prepared by plasma spraying compared with engineered surface morphology/chemistry by microlithography and vapour coating.Read moreRead less
Functionally graded fibre-polymer composites: a novel material for spinal disk prostheses. Chronic back pain affects a significant proportion of the population and is primarily caused by failure of the spinal disk. A strong social/economic imperative exists to develop engineering solutions to this problem. This project concerns the development of a novel fibre-polymer functionally graded composite material that mimics the structure of the spinal disk. The spinal disk comprises a soft core (nucle ....Functionally graded fibre-polymer composites: a novel material for spinal disk prostheses. Chronic back pain affects a significant proportion of the population and is primarily caused by failure of the spinal disk. A strong social/economic imperative exists to develop engineering solutions to this problem. This project concerns the development of a novel fibre-polymer functionally graded composite material that mimics the structure of the spinal disk. The spinal disk comprises a soft core (nucleus) and a tough fibrous periphery (annulus). The graded composite approach of this proposal represents a significant advance over spinal fusion, and over the alternative spinal disk protheses in clinical use or in the patent literature.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0561186
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,967.00
Summary
Surface Mechanical Property Analysis Facility. The aim of this proposal is to develop a facility for the mechanical properties analysis of material surfaces. The facility will enable an understanding of the performance of materials in a wide range of contact and abrasion situations and in very small volumes such as thin films and components of multiphase composites. The unique features of the proposed facility are that it is capable of analysis down to exceptionally low sub-micron length scale, ....Surface Mechanical Property Analysis Facility. The aim of this proposal is to develop a facility for the mechanical properties analysis of material surfaces. The facility will enable an understanding of the performance of materials in a wide range of contact and abrasion situations and in very small volumes such as thin films and components of multiphase composites. The unique features of the proposed facility are that it is capable of analysis down to exceptionally low sub-micron length scale, under multiple forms of loading and over a range of temperatures. It is applicable to the design of abrasion resistant materials, characterisation of very thin surface films for applications such as microelectronics and biomedical implants and design of advanced composites.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0239650
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
Advanced instrumentation for nano-scale imaging and analysis. It is widely accepted that the emerging fields of Nanotechnology and Nanoengineering will dominate research activity in a wide range of disciplines over the next decade. Progress in nanoscience and technology requires parallel development in nanocharacterisation and nanofabrication techniques. This proposal seeks to enhance the level of research infrastructure support for nano-scale microscopy and microanalysis at UTS and the Univer ....Advanced instrumentation for nano-scale imaging and analysis. It is widely accepted that the emerging fields of Nanotechnology and Nanoengineering will dominate research activity in a wide range of disciplines over the next decade. Progress in nanoscience and technology requires parallel development in nanocharacterisation and nanofabrication techniques. This proposal seeks to enhance the level of research infrastructure support for nano-scale microscopy and microanalysis at UTS and the University of Sydney by providing the following advanced instrumentation for nano-scale imaging, analysis and manipulation of materials:
- A Schottky field emission gun environmental scanning electron microscope
- Equipment kit for the rapid preparation of high quality transmission electron microscope specimens.Read moreRead less
Some Outstanding Mechanics Problems in Layered Ferroelectromagnetic Composites with Enhanced Magnetoelectric Effect. The proposed research has high impact on both science and technology of ferroelectromagnetic materials. The outcomes will expand Australia's knowledge base and research capability in this emerging field. Relevant industries, such as smart materials and devices, can benefit from the results of this project. The theoretical, experimental and numerical results can be directly transfo ....Some Outstanding Mechanics Problems in Layered Ferroelectromagnetic Composites with Enhanced Magnetoelectric Effect. The proposed research has high impact on both science and technology of ferroelectromagnetic materials. The outcomes will expand Australia's knowledge base and research capability in this emerging field. Relevant industries, such as smart materials and devices, can benefit from the results of this project. The theoretical, experimental and numerical results can be directly transformed to design and application guidelines for the materials engineers and scientists to develop innovative and structurally/functionally reliable ferroelectromagnetic composites and their various devices and products.Read moreRead less
Application of First-principles Theory in Condensed Matter Physics, Surface Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering: Coatings, Catalysis, and Devices. The project addresses areas of high technological interest, namely the development of nitride-based materials for hard-coatings, spintronic (control and use of electron spin) and optoelectronic (in the blue/UV energy range) devices - as well as the area of heterogeneous oxidation catalysis. Using state-of-the-art methods it will lead to the developme ....Application of First-principles Theory in Condensed Matter Physics, Surface Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering: Coatings, Catalysis, and Devices. The project addresses areas of high technological interest, namely the development of nitride-based materials for hard-coatings, spintronic (control and use of electron spin) and optoelectronic (in the blue/UV energy range) devices - as well as the area of heterogeneous oxidation catalysis. Using state-of-the-art methods it will lead to the development of new materials and devices of relevance to industry.Read moreRead less