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
Production and nano-characterisation of II-VI semiconductor quantum dots from plant cell cultures. Nanocrystallites with semiconductor properties have potential applications in medicine, microelectronics and waste treatment. Cheap, reliable methods for producing large quantities of monodisperse nanoparticles are required. Solution techniques have been used most commonly; however, production of stable, high-quality particles remains difficult. Biological synthesis using plant cell culture offers ....Production and nano-characterisation of II-VI semiconductor quantum dots from plant cell cultures. Nanocrystallites with semiconductor properties have potential applications in medicine, microelectronics and waste treatment. Cheap, reliable methods for producing large quantities of monodisperse nanoparticles are required. Solution techniques have been used most commonly; however, production of stable, high-quality particles remains difficult. Biological synthesis using plant cell culture offers several important advantages. As peptide capping is incorporated into the biological assembly process, the nanoparticles are restricted in size, their stability is improved, and their surfaces are passivated. Application of plant cultures for nanocrystallite production is a novel approach with the potential to yield significant improvements in the quality of manufactured quantum dots.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
Flow process and visible-light driven reactions for polymer manufacturing. This project aims to develop rapid, scalable light-driven continuous flow processing techniques that allow the production of value-added synthetic polymers that cannot be achieved by existing technologies. The project will take advantage of the spatio-temporal control of the light mediated polymerisation with flow process to achieve control over the primary structure, the sequential arrangement of monomer units in a polym ....Flow process and visible-light driven reactions for polymer manufacturing. This project aims to develop rapid, scalable light-driven continuous flow processing techniques that allow the production of value-added synthetic polymers that cannot be achieved by existing technologies. The project will take advantage of the spatio-temporal control of the light mediated polymerisation with flow process to achieve control over the primary structure, the sequential arrangement of monomer units in a polymer chain and the molecular weight distribution. The project will result in the preparation of functional polymers containing a specific arrangement of monomers in the polymer chain and a precise distribution of polymer chains. The development of such process will result in the development of advanced materials.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
Fundamental studies in extensional rheology of polymers and biomacromolecules. Long molecules such as polymers, DNA and other biopolymers are of significant practical and fundamental interest. The behaviour of such polymers in extensional or stretching flows and the consequent stresses generated can be measured as a result of advances in instrumentation pioneered at Monash University. This research program builds on this foundation to understand the effects of molecular architecture on the prope ....Fundamental studies in extensional rheology of polymers and biomacromolecules. Long molecules such as polymers, DNA and other biopolymers are of significant practical and fundamental interest. The behaviour of such polymers in extensional or stretching flows and the consequent stresses generated can be measured as a result of advances in instrumentation pioneered at Monash University. This research program builds on this foundation to understand the effects of molecular architecture on the properties of macromolecules and to rigorously test several innovative theoretical concepts that have been advanced over the last 20 years. Such knowledge allows the tailoring of polymer shape to their end use and permits the design of novel polymers.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