Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100099
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$290,000.00
Summary
A complete near-field scanning optical microscope for advanced characterisation of novel and functional materials. This near-field optical scanning microscope will be unique in Australia and will substantially enhance national research capabilities in functional materials, nanotechnology, biotechnology and chemistry. It will create a platform to advance Australian research to new levels in pharmaceuticals, nanomaterials and energy storage materials.
Exploiting shear to form new structures of carbon. This project aims to create new, technologically-interesting, materials by combining shear (sliding forces) with high pressure. The work will use both modelling and experiments to understand the pathways to form new materials such as a different form of diamond that is predicted to be harder than regular diamond. Such a material could be used in coatings for cutting tools or ultra-low-scratch surfaces. Expected outcomes include both an understan ....Exploiting shear to form new structures of carbon. This project aims to create new, technologically-interesting, materials by combining shear (sliding forces) with high pressure. The work will use both modelling and experiments to understand the pathways to form new materials such as a different form of diamond that is predicted to be harder than regular diamond. Such a material could be used in coatings for cutting tools or ultra-low-scratch surfaces. Expected outcomes include both an understanding of the importance of shear in the study of high-pressure science, and as a tool to manufacture new functional materials.Read moreRead less
Failure of Complex Biomechanical Structures. Layer structures are replete in biological systems, both natural and artificial. Issues concerning the lifetime of such systems are paramount to the quality of life and economic well being of our aging society. Our project will analyse damage in brittle layer systems that simulate dental crown structures. We are now at a critical point in the understanding of how these structures fail, and are beginning to make substantive predictions to improve des ....Failure of Complex Biomechanical Structures. Layer structures are replete in biological systems, both natural and artificial. Issues concerning the lifetime of such systems are paramount to the quality of life and economic well being of our aging society. Our project will analyse damage in brittle layer systems that simulate dental crown structures. We are now at a critical point in the understanding of how these structures fail, and are beginning to make substantive predictions to improve designs for prolonged life. The project is connected to the dental community and international crown material manufacturers through a broader NIH project in the USA. The improved materials and crown designs resulting from this project will have impact worldwide, including Australia.Read moreRead less
Failure of Worn Tooth Structures. Layer structures are replete in biological systems, both natural and artificial. Issues concerning the lifetime of such systems are paramount to the quality of life and economic well being of our aging society. Our project will analyse damage in brittle layer systems that simulate natural teeth and dental crown structures that have been subject to wear. The project is connected to the dental community and international crown material manufacturers through a bro ....Failure of Worn Tooth Structures. Layer structures are replete in biological systems, both natural and artificial. Issues concerning the lifetime of such systems are paramount to the quality of life and economic well being of our aging society. Our project will analyse damage in brittle layer systems that simulate natural teeth and dental crown structures that have been subject to wear. The project is connected to the dental community and international crown material manufacturers through a broader National Institutes of Health project in the USA. The improved understanding of damage mechanisms in natural teeth and crown designs resulting from this project will have impact worldwide, including Australia.Read moreRead less
Nano/micro grinding mechanisms and technologies for brittle materials. The successful completion of the project will solve a long standing problem, that is, the ductile removal mechanism in the machining of brittle materials and create a strong knowledge base for the development of technology and characterization techniques for nano/micro mechanical machining of such materials. This will strengthen UWA's research capability and international competitiveness in the field of nano/micro manufacturi ....Nano/micro grinding mechanisms and technologies for brittle materials. The successful completion of the project will solve a long standing problem, that is, the ductile removal mechanism in the machining of brittle materials and create a strong knowledge base for the development of technology and characterization techniques for nano/micro mechanical machining of such materials. This will strengthen UWA's research capability and international competitiveness in the field of nano/micro manufacturing. The pragmatic grinding technology developed for fabricating micro aspherical mould inserts and lenses will directly benefit the optics/photonics, microelectronics and biomedical industries in Australia. This will help to position Australia in the forefront of emerging industries in the new millenniumRead moreRead less
Damage micromechanisms in alumina hybrid bilayers with graded interfaces. This project proposes a new design concept for high performance alumina hybrids with graded interfaces. The key to this process is the incorporation of thin graded interfaces between an outer homogeneous alumina layer for strength, hardness and wear resistance, and an inner heterogeneous alumina hybrid layer for damage tolerance. The project will explore unresolved issues concerning the effect of graded interfaces on the f ....Damage micromechanisms in alumina hybrid bilayers with graded interfaces. This project proposes a new design concept for high performance alumina hybrids with graded interfaces. The key to this process is the incorporation of thin graded interfaces between an outer homogeneous alumina layer for strength, hardness and wear resistance, and an inner heterogeneous alumina hybrid layer for damage tolerance. The project will explore unresolved issues concerning the effect of graded interfaces on the failure micromechanisms. Advances in this area will provide new strategy or insights for designing novel next generation layered materials.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101795
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
Exceptional properties by design – NiTi vision. The fundamental leaps in new technologies occur with improvements in the materials with which they are made. Until recently high performance metallic composite design had hit a 20 year blockage in nanocomposite design. The solution, a Nickel, Titanium and Niobium (NiTi-Nb) nanowire composite has been heralded as an era of new possibilities in materials design. This project aims to advance high performance metallic composite design by investigating ....Exceptional properties by design – NiTi vision. The fundamental leaps in new technologies occur with improvements in the materials with which they are made. Until recently high performance metallic composite design had hit a 20 year blockage in nanocomposite design. The solution, a Nickel, Titanium and Niobium (NiTi-Nb) nanowire composite has been heralded as an era of new possibilities in materials design. This project aims to advance high performance metallic composite design by investigating the mechanisms of exceptionally large elastic strains achieved in nanowires embedded in a phase-transforming metallic matrix (i.e. NiTi). An understanding of this high performance nanocomposite design has broad application in medicine and engineering.Read moreRead less
Field scale biocementation in remediation and self-healing . This project aims to address the challenges of field applications and commercialisation of biocementation technology. Biocementation is the process through which Nature, with the help of microbes builds large and durable carbonate formations such as corals and beach rocks. This is emerging as a clean technology that alleviates the sustainability challenges faced by the construction industry. Microorganisms especially suited to Australi ....Field scale biocementation in remediation and self-healing . This project aims to address the challenges of field applications and commercialisation of biocementation technology. Biocementation is the process through which Nature, with the help of microbes builds large and durable carbonate formations such as corals and beach rocks. This is emerging as a clean technology that alleviates the sustainability challenges faced by the construction industry. Microorganisms especially suited to Australian conditions will be developed focusing on optimum use of resources for economic and environmental viability. Biocementation products will be developed for easy field application and self-healing concrete and bioremediation will be attempted on deteriorated structural systems. This technology has the potential to usher in the era of biologisation of construction.Read moreRead less
High-performance green concrete containing lithium refinery residue . This project aims to investigate the potential use of lithium refinery residue as a partial replacement for cement in concrete. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of green concrete through fundamental investigation of its properties and to incorporate this residue as a new supplementary cementitious material in existing Australian standard. The expected outcomes of the project include characterisation ....High-performance green concrete containing lithium refinery residue . This project aims to investigate the potential use of lithium refinery residue as a partial replacement for cement in concrete. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of green concrete through fundamental investigation of its properties and to incorporate this residue as a new supplementary cementitious material in existing Australian standard. The expected outcomes of the project include characterisation and benchmarking of lithium residue as an alternative supplementary cementitious material in concrete. This will provide significant environmental benefits in both a reduction in lithium waste and reduction of CO2 emission of cement in high-performance green concrete. Read moreRead less