Composite conductive electrodes for low energy desalination. Good quality drinking water supply is a critical issue for water security particularly for inland regional and remote communities, where seawater desalination is not a feasible option. The proposed research has the great potential to develop an alternative, low cost, robust desalination process for brackish water supplies. The superior electrode materials are the key to achieve this goal. The water industry will use the information to ....Composite conductive electrodes for low energy desalination. Good quality drinking water supply is a critical issue for water security particularly for inland regional and remote communities, where seawater desalination is not a feasible option. The proposed research has the great potential to develop an alternative, low cost, robust desalination process for brackish water supplies. The superior electrode materials are the key to achieve this goal. The water industry will use the information to assist their decision making for future water supply augmentation in regional communities. High capacity and lower energy forms of desalination are critical to ensuring desalinated water comes at an affordable price for the regional communities.Read moreRead less
High performance multifunctional hierarchical structured membrane for water processing. The water processing industry is one of the most important economic sectors in Australia, though water scarcity is an economic limiting growth factor. The project targets at developing the next generation water processing technology affordable to residential consumption and applications in the industry and agriculture.
Advanced Nanostructured Ceramic Composites for Ultracapacitors. The global climate changes and the related disastrous events such as heat flows, bushfires, and flooding will endanger the Australian population and our natural environment. The implementation of effective devices and technologies to reduce our carbon footprint is a priority task. The project addresses the issue by development of new ultracapacitor materials for next generation green energy storage devices through engineering and im ....Advanced Nanostructured Ceramic Composites for Ultracapacitors. The global climate changes and the related disastrous events such as heat flows, bushfires, and flooding will endanger the Australian population and our natural environment. The implementation of effective devices and technologies to reduce our carbon footprint is a priority task. The project addresses the issue by development of new ultracapacitor materials for next generation green energy storage devices through engineering and implementation of advanced nanoceramics and nanocomposites created by innovative nanotechnologies. The project will also contribute to other national research priorities such as materials and frontier technologies, reduction of atmospheric pollution, and decrease in the energy dependence of our country on oil.Read moreRead less
Ultra-high mobility Dirac semimetal nanostructures for solid state devices. This project aims to develop novel Dirac semimetal nanostructures and determine their structural and chemical characteristics to ultimately assemble high-performance devices. The growth of band-engineered nanostructures and understanding their evolution, fine structure and unique properties are key steps for developing high-performance nanostructure-based devices. The new knowledge and skills developed in this project wi ....Ultra-high mobility Dirac semimetal nanostructures for solid state devices. This project aims to develop novel Dirac semimetal nanostructures and determine their structural and chemical characteristics to ultimately assemble high-performance devices. The growth of band-engineered nanostructures and understanding their evolution, fine structure and unique properties are key steps for developing high-performance nanostructure-based devices. The new knowledge and skills developed in this project will greatly enhance the knowledge base of nanoscience and nanotechnology, and will have a significant impact on practical applications of nanostructure-based devices. This project will underpin the development of next-generation electronic nanomaterials that will enhance the long-term viability of Australia’s high-technology industries.Read moreRead less
Advanced electrochemical capacitors. This project aims to design electrochemical capacitors that can provide self-sustaining power for equipment using renewable energy sources, such as sunlight. Electrical power systems are needed to supply both the peak power and the energy demand that users, particularly those without grid electricity, and their equipment need. This project will match the capacitator electrochemistry to the power attributes of the load and charging source, making them more eff ....Advanced electrochemical capacitors. This project aims to design electrochemical capacitors that can provide self-sustaining power for equipment using renewable energy sources, such as sunlight. Electrical power systems are needed to supply both the peak power and the energy demand that users, particularly those without grid electricity, and their equipment need. This project will match the capacitator electrochemistry to the power attributes of the load and charging source, making them more efficiently charged and able to supply both peak power and energy demand for improved off-grid power supplies and integration of renewable energy into electricity grids.Read moreRead less
Sodium-Metal-Free, Safe and Sustainable Sodium-Ion Sulfur Batteries. This project aims to develop sodium sulfide cathodes via effective single-atom catalysts and elaborately regulate the solid-electrolyte interphase on the anode by using a new class of electrolytes. Thus, the obtained low-cost, high-energy, safe sodium-ion sulfur batteries can serve as a novel technique for large-scale stationary energy storage, especially for intermittent solar and wind energy storage in Australia. Expected out ....Sodium-Metal-Free, Safe and Sustainable Sodium-Ion Sulfur Batteries. This project aims to develop sodium sulfide cathodes via effective single-atom catalysts and elaborately regulate the solid-electrolyte interphase on the anode by using a new class of electrolytes. Thus, the obtained low-cost, high-energy, safe sodium-ion sulfur batteries can serve as a novel technique for large-scale stationary energy storage, especially for intermittent solar and wind energy storage in Australia. Expected outcomes include a comprehensive understanding and a breakthrough in advances of innovative and affordable battery storage technology, leading to significant scientific, economic, environmental, and social benefits to Australia by integrating this battery system with renewable energy.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
Room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries for large-scale energy storage. This project aims to develop room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries for renewable energy storage. Sodium-sulfur batteries are ideal for large-scale energy storage, owing to high energy density and low cost. However, there are significant challenges in attaining practical sodium-sulfur batteries with high capacity and safety. By developing novel high capacity sulphur cathodes, dendrite-free sodium metal anodes and quasi-so ....Room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries for large-scale energy storage. This project aims to develop room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries for renewable energy storage. Sodium-sulfur batteries are ideal for large-scale energy storage, owing to high energy density and low cost. However, there are significant challenges in attaining practical sodium-sulfur batteries with high capacity and safety. By developing novel high capacity sulphur cathodes, dendrite-free sodium metal anodes and quasi-solid-state gel polymer electrolytes, this project expects to achieve high-performance sodium-sulfur batteries with high capacity, long cycle life and enhanced safety. Expected benefits will arise from deployment of sodium-sulfur batteries and advances in energy storage technologies that are efficient and cost-effective.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101596
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,220.00
Summary
Development of high performance silicon-based thermoelectrics through band engineering. Thermoelectric (TE) materials, converting waste heat into electricity, have been considered as a sustainable solution to the current energy dilemma. This project aims to realise high-efficiency silicon-based thermoelectrics through rational design of their band structure and nanostructure. This will advance the knowledge of maximising the TE performance in silicon-based thermoelectrics and develop new strateg ....Development of high performance silicon-based thermoelectrics through band engineering. Thermoelectric (TE) materials, converting waste heat into electricity, have been considered as a sustainable solution to the current energy dilemma. This project aims to realise high-efficiency silicon-based thermoelectrics through rational design of their band structure and nanostructure. This will advance the knowledge of maximising the TE performance in silicon-based thermoelectrics and develop new strategies for improving existing TE materials in general. The resulting high performance silicon-based thermoelectrics will greatly promote TE power generation in a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly way, due to their abundance and nontoxicity, benefiting Australia's emerging energy industry, environment and economy.Read moreRead less
First principles for development of novel hybrid electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems. Electrochemical energy is regarded as an alternative green energy/power source. The breakthrough technologies to be developed will allow us to realise the great goal of widespread usage of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, inducing dramatic improvements to our environment. It will also help us to reduce our dependence on the current oil-driven economy, and increase national energ ....First principles for development of novel hybrid electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems. Electrochemical energy is regarded as an alternative green energy/power source. The breakthrough technologies to be developed will allow us to realise the great goal of widespread usage of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, inducing dramatic improvements to our environment. It will also help us to reduce our dependence on the current oil-driven economy, and increase national energy security and energy independence. The project will establish indigenous expertise and scientific know-how on electrochemical energy storage and conversion technology. The competitive results from this research will provide an incentive to the Australian automobile and energy industries. Read moreRead less