High-Performance Polymer Composites for Electrical Discharging. This project aims to address the problem of electrostatic discharge by developing new industry-compatible processing techniques and taking advantage of the synergy between graphene and carbon nanotubes and fibres. Electrostatic discharge due to accumulation of static electricity is a significant problem for lightweight polymer composites used in hazard environments, such as pumps for underground mining, oil and gas storage and satel ....High-Performance Polymer Composites for Electrical Discharging. This project aims to address the problem of electrostatic discharge by developing new industry-compatible processing techniques and taking advantage of the synergy between graphene and carbon nanotubes and fibres. Electrostatic discharge due to accumulation of static electricity is a significant problem for lightweight polymer composites used in hazard environments, such as pumps for underground mining, oil and gas storage and satellites. The outcomes will potentially transform the current manufacturing practice of anti-static composites for industry applications including mining, energy, space and agriculture. Read moreRead less
Elastomer/Graphene Composites for Reinforcement at Low Strain. This project aims to develop new elastomer/graphene composites by designing and fabricating graphene precursors which can transform into graphene sheets during melt compounding with elastomers. These sheets have tunable surface affinity with elastomers, to attain expected dispersion in elastomers for effective reinforcement at low strain. The dominant filler in industry – carbon black – is ineffective at low strain. The outcomes are ....Elastomer/Graphene Composites for Reinforcement at Low Strain. This project aims to develop new elastomer/graphene composites by designing and fabricating graphene precursors which can transform into graphene sheets during melt compounding with elastomers. These sheets have tunable surface affinity with elastomers, to attain expected dispersion in elastomers for effective reinforcement at low strain. The dominant filler in industry – carbon black – is ineffective at low strain. The outcomes are anticipated to transform the current manufacturing practice of rubber products for applications in agricultural, automobile, construction, medical and mining industries.Read moreRead less
Smart design technology enabling the mid-infrared revolution. While mid-infrared (MIR) lasers have become indispensable to key industries ranging from research and healthcare to defence, industrial deployment of this technology has been hampered by the lack of cost-effective MIR optical fibres. This project aims to overcome this barrier through the creation of an innovative design toolkit for the fabrication of complex optical fibre structures. This efficient and commercially viable concept-to-m ....Smart design technology enabling the mid-infrared revolution. While mid-infrared (MIR) lasers have become indispensable to key industries ranging from research and healthcare to defence, industrial deployment of this technology has been hampered by the lack of cost-effective MIR optical fibres. This project aims to overcome this barrier through the creation of an innovative design toolkit for the fabrication of complex optical fibre structures. This efficient and commercially viable concept-to-manufacture development process will pave the way towards the MIR fibre technology revolution and will yield significant economic benefits spanning industrial process controls and environmental monitoring to hazardous chemical detection and biological sensing.Read moreRead less
Develop materials for stable and efficient printed polymer solar cells. The project aims to develop strategies to overcome current limitations of polymer solar cells by enhancing the thermal stability of these devices. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of stable and high-performance polymer solar cells, that can be manufactured by the printing industry in Australia. The expected outcome of this project includes new high performing materials, processing and additive strat ....Develop materials for stable and efficient printed polymer solar cells. The project aims to develop strategies to overcome current limitations of polymer solar cells by enhancing the thermal stability of these devices. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of stable and high-performance polymer solar cells, that can be manufactured by the printing industry in Australia. The expected outcome of this project includes new high performing materials, processing and additive strategies to overcome the key challenge to commercialising polymer solar cells. A significant benefit is their printability, providing the opportunity to establish a sovereign capability to manufacture low cost energy production systems in Australia.
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Removal and degradation of microplastics using halloysite nanocomposite. The project aims to utilize halloysite clay combined with novel highly magnetized nanoparticles for the removal and degradation of microplastics in the contaminated water system. The project expects to fabricate cheap and environmentally-friendly materials using innovative chemical synthesis and surface modification for adsorption and decomposition of microplastics utilizing both high surface area of halloysite nanotubes a ....Removal and degradation of microplastics using halloysite nanocomposite. The project aims to utilize halloysite clay combined with novel highly magnetized nanoparticles for the removal and degradation of microplastics in the contaminated water system. The project expects to fabricate cheap and environmentally-friendly materials using innovative chemical synthesis and surface modification for adsorption and decomposition of microplastics utilizing both high surface area of halloysite nanotubes and catalytic activity of transition metals. This project will facilitate collaboration between multidisciplinary researchers and a vibrant group of industrial participants to advance next-generation composite materials for water treatment and ensure the supply of clean water for healthy living.Read moreRead less
Ytterbium fibre laser with diamond: new laser threshold magnetometry method. This project aims to create a novel class of hybrid optical fibres that open new vistas for magnetic field detection at ambient temperatures in noisy environments. The multidisciplinary project will develop the first fibre laser threshold magnetometry platform that breaks through diamond magnetometry sensitivity limits by cross-cutting established fibre laser technology with the new diamond-glass fibres and magnetometry ....Ytterbium fibre laser with diamond: new laser threshold magnetometry method. This project aims to create a novel class of hybrid optical fibres that open new vistas for magnetic field detection at ambient temperatures in noisy environments. The multidisciplinary project will develop the first fibre laser threshold magnetometry platform that breaks through diamond magnetometry sensitivity limits by cross-cutting established fibre laser technology with the new diamond-glass fibres and magnetometry concepts recently invented by the investigators. Envisaged significant benefits include non-invasive detection of magnetic fields in hard-to-access regions, an area of key interest for remote detection of submarines, early sensing of aircraft corrosion, deep brain imaging of neuronal activities and mineral exploration.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC170100032
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,272,072.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre in Fire Retardant Materials and Safety Technologies. The ARC Training Centre in Fire Retardant Materials and Safety Technologies aims to train a cohort of industry-focused researchers to improve the fire safety of lightweight materials and structures and fire protection systems. The Training Centre expects to create knowledge on novel green and durable fire retardant materials, advanced fire models for urban and built environment, fire suppression technologies, and new flamma ....ARC Training Centre in Fire Retardant Materials and Safety Technologies. The ARC Training Centre in Fire Retardant Materials and Safety Technologies aims to train a cohort of industry-focused researchers to improve the fire safety of lightweight materials and structures and fire protection systems. The Training Centre expects to create knowledge on novel green and durable fire retardant materials, advanced fire models for urban and built environment, fire suppression technologies, and new flammability tests for compliance with fire safety regulatory standards. An expected outcome of this Training Centre is to accelerate the transformation of Australia’s industries in fire retardant materials, products and engineering services.Read moreRead less
A Novel Approach to Polymer/Nanosheet Composites and Their Fundamentals. Multifunctional Polymer/nanosheet composites have not yet been widely scaled up in polymer processing and composite industries mainly due to cost and inhaling hazard. This project proposes a novel methodology which embeds nanosheet preparation within polymer melt to both remove the inhaling hazard and lower the cost; the key is to develop two groups of nanosheet intercalation compounds which can expand at the polymer proces ....A Novel Approach to Polymer/Nanosheet Composites and Their Fundamentals. Multifunctional Polymer/nanosheet composites have not yet been widely scaled up in polymer processing and composite industries mainly due to cost and inhaling hazard. This project proposes a novel methodology which embeds nanosheet preparation within polymer melt to both remove the inhaling hazard and lower the cost; the key is to develop two groups of nanosheet intercalation compounds which can expand at the polymer processing temperature, to exfoliate and disperse nanosheets in polymers. It is expected to generate new knowledge of the structure-property relationships and fracture mechanisms of these composites, for industry to scale up this technology and to develop new product.Read moreRead less
Scalable Graphene Enabled Smart Composites. The need for lightweight composite materials is increasing exponentially in the context of renewable energy, e-mobility and related emission reductions. This project aims to develop novel approaches to integrate graphene nanomaterials into structural composites, enabling damage sensing and structural health monitoring functionalities. The outcome of this project will be a new class of smart composites that will address the critical need for improving s ....Scalable Graphene Enabled Smart Composites. The need for lightweight composite materials is increasing exponentially in the context of renewable energy, e-mobility and related emission reductions. This project aims to develop novel approaches to integrate graphene nanomaterials into structural composites, enabling damage sensing and structural health monitoring functionalities. The outcome of this project will be a new class of smart composites that will address the critical need for improving structural integrity, safety and reliability, while significantly reducing lifecycle costs. This should provide significant benefits in creating confidence to increase investment in Australia for manufacturing graphene enabled smart materials and technologies with enormous export potential.Read moreRead less