Novel Synthesis and Bio-applications of Functional Macroporous Ordered Siliceous Foams. This project will lead to advances in materials science and nanotechnology, providing high efficiency separation and purification for viruses or plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which are important in modern gene engineering for the treatment of genetic and acquired diseases. Application benefits also include developing a new protocol in the detection of trace amount proteins, which will afford a signific ....Novel Synthesis and Bio-applications of Functional Macroporous Ordered Siliceous Foams. This project will lead to advances in materials science and nanotechnology, providing high efficiency separation and purification for viruses or plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which are important in modern gene engineering for the treatment of genetic and acquired diseases. Application benefits also include developing a new protocol in the detection of trace amount proteins, which will afford a significant improvement in diverse fields such as health care. Through this project, novel macroporous materials will be fabricated using an economically and environmentally sustainable approach. These new materials will have unique structures and properties compared to conventional macroporous materials, advancing Australia's intellectual position in this discipline.Read moreRead less
Photoelectrochemical control transport across a photoactive inorganic membrane fabricated by an in situ vapour phase hydrothermal method. Serious global fresh water shortage problems force us to recycle/reuse water. In Australia, this is an urgent issue due to our limited fresh water resources. Complete removal of biohazards (e.g., waterborne pathogens) from treated water is one of the most important aspects of safeguarding water recycling and has been the biggest obstacle for public acceptance. ....Photoelectrochemical control transport across a photoactive inorganic membrane fabricated by an in situ vapour phase hydrothermal method. Serious global fresh water shortage problems force us to recycle/reuse water. In Australia, this is an urgent issue due to our limited fresh water resources. Complete removal of biohazards (e.g., waterborne pathogens) from treated water is one of the most important aspects of safeguarding water recycling and has been the biggest obstacle for public acceptance. This project aims to tackle the issue by developing a highly efficient and effective new membrane technology that is capable of not just separating the biohazards from the source water but also in situ destroying them at the same time with low energy consumption and self cleaning features.Read moreRead less
Scale-up and Intelligent Control of Granulation Processes. Granulation is the process that forms granular products with carefully targeted properties from powdery or liquid feeds. Granular products abound in the pharmaceutical, agricultural & industrial chemicals, and food & consumer goods industries. Poor understanding of the granulation causes delays in the time to market of new products and poor efficiency in large scale continuous granulation plants. This project will build on recent adva ....Scale-up and Intelligent Control of Granulation Processes. Granulation is the process that forms granular products with carefully targeted properties from powdery or liquid feeds. Granular products abound in the pharmaceutical, agricultural & industrial chemicals, and food & consumer goods industries. Poor understanding of the granulation causes delays in the time to market of new products and poor efficiency in large scale continuous granulation plants. This project will build on recent advances in the understanding of granulation fundamentals to (1) develop new robust design and scale up rules (2) develop intelligent control schemes for continuous granulation circuits, and (3) develop a new generation of regime separated granulators. The project is receiving substantial support from 3 industry partners (MSD Australia, Incitec and WMC Fertilizers) with cash contributions over 40% of the ARC grant requested, as well as very substantial in-kind contributions.Read moreRead less
High performance electrode materials for Reversible Solid Oxide Cells. This project aims to develop high-performance electrode materials used in reversible solid oxide cells (RSOC), which are a promising electrical energy storage technology. RSOC can work as solid oxide electrolysis cells for fuel production from electricity and as solid oxide fuel cells for electricity generation from fuel. The RSOC technology has the potential to provide a large-scale electrical energy storage solution for the ....High performance electrode materials for Reversible Solid Oxide Cells. This project aims to develop high-performance electrode materials used in reversible solid oxide cells (RSOC), which are a promising electrical energy storage technology. RSOC can work as solid oxide electrolysis cells for fuel production from electricity and as solid oxide fuel cells for electricity generation from fuel. The RSOC technology has the potential to provide a large-scale electrical energy storage solution for the widespread penetration of intermittent renewable energy resources into the electrical grid.Read moreRead less
Next generation core-shell materials based on biomolecular dual-templating. This project aims to discover and develop new methods and knowledge for the precision engineering of next-generation core-shell materials using sustainable biomolecular dual-templating processes. This research builds on a recent breakthrough - emulsion and biomimetic dual-templating technology for facile preparation of silica capsules, and is expected to revolutionise current approaches for making core-shell materials. S ....Next generation core-shell materials based on biomolecular dual-templating. This project aims to discover and develop new methods and knowledge for the precision engineering of next-generation core-shell materials using sustainable biomolecular dual-templating processes. This research builds on a recent breakthrough - emulsion and biomimetic dual-templating technology for facile preparation of silica capsules, and is expected to revolutionise current approaches for making core-shell materials. Significant outcomes are expected to be achieved through building fundamental understanding around this breakthrough, including new concepts for hierarchical nanomaterials based on biomolecular design, new molecular and engineering design rules for core-shell materials, and novel materials for applications in sustained release and delivery systems.Read moreRead less
On-demand 3D polymer scaffolds for directed stem cell differentiation. The project will develop new polymer gels that can be sculpted into shapes, representing tissues and organs. This 3D scaffold will provide a surface with biological signals to create functional tissues from stem cells. The approach will create engineered intestinal tissue with great promise to increase the survival rates of colon cancer patients.
Controllable Synthesis of Defects in Catalysts for Electrocatalysis . This project aims to address the most critical issue of electrocatalysis: identification of active sites for carbon-based metal free catalysts (CMFCs). Through the development of new methodologies, this proposal will, for the first time, controllably synthesise the vacancy defects that are the major active sites for CMFCs. The expected outcomes from this project include in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of electrocata ....Controllable Synthesis of Defects in Catalysts for Electrocatalysis . This project aims to address the most critical issue of electrocatalysis: identification of active sites for carbon-based metal free catalysts (CMFCs). Through the development of new methodologies, this proposal will, for the first time, controllably synthesise the vacancy defects that are the major active sites for CMFCs. The expected outcomes from this project include in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of electrocatalysis: the reactivity of active sites and the catalytic performance with the number of active sites; which will not only significantly advance knowledge but also achieve breakthrough technologies that greatly benefit to the society and economy both for Australia and worldwide.Read moreRead less
Pore Engineering of Chromatography Membranes for Bioseparation. Protein separation and purification is an essential unit operation in manufacturing processes of therapeutic proteins. The project aims to advance the practical applications of chromatography membrane, an emerging technology for protein separation and purification, by tailoring membrane pore geometry and surface functionality to achieve enhanced separation performance. The project expects to generate advanced knowledge and technique ....Pore Engineering of Chromatography Membranes for Bioseparation. Protein separation and purification is an essential unit operation in manufacturing processes of therapeutic proteins. The project aims to advance the practical applications of chromatography membrane, an emerging technology for protein separation and purification, by tailoring membrane pore geometry and surface functionality to achieve enhanced separation performance. The project expects to generate advanced knowledge and techniques in the fields of reactive polymer synthesis, functional membrane fabrication and application in bioseparation. The innovative membranes developed in the project are able to improve the production capacity of therapeutic protein manufacturing processes, providing significant economic benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less
Carbon Molecular Sieve Membranes for Organic Solvent Separation. Directly addressing the pressing challenge of organic solvent separation faced by numerous industries, the project aims to develop molecular sieve membranes with outstanding selectivity and solvent tolerance by constructing zeolite-carbon mixed matrix membrane via incorporating zeolite nanosheets into carbon materials. The project expects to generate advanced knowledge of nanosheet synthesis, membrane fabrication and selective mole ....Carbon Molecular Sieve Membranes for Organic Solvent Separation. Directly addressing the pressing challenge of organic solvent separation faced by numerous industries, the project aims to develop molecular sieve membranes with outstanding selectivity and solvent tolerance by constructing zeolite-carbon mixed matrix membrane via incorporating zeolite nanosheets into carbon materials. The project expects to generate advanced knowledge of nanosheet synthesis, membrane fabrication and selective molecule transport. The membranes developed in the project have great potentials for improving the production capacity and sustainability of Australian industries, e.g., pharmaceutical manufacturing, bioethanol production and petroleum refining, providing significant economic and environmental benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less
Development of novel methods for the preparation of composite coatings containing liquid microcapsules. Corrosion and material wear cause significant losses. Statistics shows that over $2 billion is lost annually to material wear and corrosion in Australia alone. Composite coatings from electrolytic co-deposition of solid particles with metals have better wear, friction and corrosion properties than their base materials and find application in space and automobile industries. This proposal aims ....Development of novel methods for the preparation of composite coatings containing liquid microcapsules. Corrosion and material wear cause significant losses. Statistics shows that over $2 billion is lost annually to material wear and corrosion in Australia alone. Composite coatings from electrolytic co-deposition of solid particles with metals have better wear, friction and corrosion properties than their base materials and find application in space and automobile industries. This proposal aims to develop novel methods for the fabrication of composite coatings containing liquid microcapsules, which will further improve the corrosion and friction properties of the coatings over those containing solid particles.Read moreRead less