Structurally Nanoengineered Antimicrobial Polypeptide Particles (SNAPPs). This project aims to develop a new platform technology for the development of antimicrobial agents by combining expertise in polymer science and antimicrobial studies. It aims to develop new nanoengineered particles for combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, investigate the influence of particle architecture on antibacterial properties, and determine the mechanism of action. This may support the development of antibiotic ....Structurally Nanoengineered Antimicrobial Polypeptide Particles (SNAPPs). This project aims to develop a new platform technology for the development of antimicrobial agents by combining expertise in polymer science and antimicrobial studies. It aims to develop new nanoengineered particles for combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, investigate the influence of particle architecture on antibacterial properties, and determine the mechanism of action. This may support the development of antibiotic treatments using new polypeptide particles as antibacterial drugs, resulting in advances in nanobiotechnology, polymer therapeutics and advanced materials. The outcomes may revolutionise the synthetic approach to antimicrobial peptides and contribute significantly towards current antibiotic treatments and approaches for advanced antibacterial formulations.Read moreRead less
Cell facilitated controlled radical polymerisation. This project aims to develop a controlled polymerisation method by combining reversible addition fragmentation chain (RAFT) polymerisation technology and the redox processes within bacterial cells. This polymerisation method will copy biological information in the bacterial cell surface into a growing polymer structure. Variations in the monomer structures and functionality will be used to control the incorporation of cell surface chemistry int ....Cell facilitated controlled radical polymerisation. This project aims to develop a controlled polymerisation method by combining reversible addition fragmentation chain (RAFT) polymerisation technology and the redox processes within bacterial cells. This polymerisation method will copy biological information in the bacterial cell surface into a growing polymer structure. Variations in the monomer structures and functionality will be used to control the incorporation of cell surface chemistry into the new polymer structure. Such cell-enabled controlled polymerisation could advance polymer synthesis resulting in biologically instructed polymer-mimics and new antibacterial agents.Read moreRead less
Hybrid photocatalytic nanomaterials for water purification. This project aims to synthesise and characterise a range of porous photocatalytic materials (materials that absorb light to catalyse a reaction), and to establish high-throughput processes to simultaneously test the effectiveness of multiple photocatalytic materials. This interdisciplinary project expects to develop two new techniques that will lead to faster materials optimisation of materials that breakdown organic pollutants in water ....Hybrid photocatalytic nanomaterials for water purification. This project aims to synthesise and characterise a range of porous photocatalytic materials (materials that absorb light to catalyse a reaction), and to establish high-throughput processes to simultaneously test the effectiveness of multiple photocatalytic materials. This interdisciplinary project expects to develop two new techniques that will lead to faster materials optimisation of materials that breakdown organic pollutants in water under light irradiation. The intended outcomes include the production of industrially relevant photocatalysts and building capability in Australia to decrease photocatalytic testing time and cost. This should provide significant benefits to industry and the environment, and have an impact on human health.Read moreRead less
New materials for manipulating intracellular communication. This project aims to identify new techniques for incorporating cell-signalling triggers into macromolecules, therefore enabling the development of next-generation stimuli-responsive nanoparticles that can emit signalling molecules on demand. Harnessing nanomaterials to stimulate specific sub-cellular processes is a neglected area in nanotechnology research. These nanoparticles could potentially be used to deliver signalling molecules fo ....New materials for manipulating intracellular communication. This project aims to identify new techniques for incorporating cell-signalling triggers into macromolecules, therefore enabling the development of next-generation stimuli-responsive nanoparticles that can emit signalling molecules on demand. Harnessing nanomaterials to stimulate specific sub-cellular processes is a neglected area in nanotechnology research. These nanoparticles could potentially be used to deliver signalling molecules for agricultural, pharmaceutical and veterinary applications. The project is expected to develop a new suite of materials that could ultimately be used to improve the yield of important commercial crops, or revitalise the use of medicines limited by their poor side effect profile.Read moreRead less
Advanced adsorbents for gas separations. Efficient purification of natural gas and separation of similarly-sized molecules in gas mixtures is increasingly important in our drive to develop a more sustainable way of living in an energy-constrained world. This project will develop a new class of adsorbents to deliver a level of separation efficiency much higher than that currently in use.
Engineering drug transportation behaviour in polymeric gel systems. In collaboration with Seagull Technologies, this project aims to engineer, study and mathematically model ultrasound-assisted biomacromolecule transport behaviour within polymeric gel systems, which may be useful in new drug delivery methods. The intended outcome is a novel set of polymeric gel systems, which can reversibly bind a wide variety of drugs (small molecules, nucleic acid based drugs, proteins), in which drug release ....Engineering drug transportation behaviour in polymeric gel systems. In collaboration with Seagull Technologies, this project aims to engineer, study and mathematically model ultrasound-assisted biomacromolecule transport behaviour within polymeric gel systems, which may be useful in new drug delivery methods. The intended outcome is a novel set of polymeric gel systems, which can reversibly bind a wide variety of drugs (small molecules, nucleic acid based drugs, proteins), in which drug release is triggered by an electric potential and drug transport is controlled by means of sonophoresis. The main advantage of drug delivery via sonophoresis is elimination of risks associated with injections such as infection and damage to local tissue, and elimination of patient discomfort, pain and fear.Read moreRead less
Smart materials from semi-soft particles. This project will combine precision polymer chemistry to material science to develop structured nanoparticles for applications in photonics and shape memory materials.
Bioelectronics: addressing the biointerface challenge. This project aims to develop bioelectronic materials with long operational stability in physiological conditions and enhanced electronic performance that will effectively interface with electroresponsive tissue. These new materials will be integrated into bioadhesives from which simple bioelectronics devices will be fabricated and assessed for their capability to modulate biosignals and to interact with tissue. Disruption in biosignals cause ....Bioelectronics: addressing the biointerface challenge. This project aims to develop bioelectronic materials with long operational stability in physiological conditions and enhanced electronic performance that will effectively interface with electroresponsive tissue. These new materials will be integrated into bioadhesives from which simple bioelectronics devices will be fabricated and assessed for their capability to modulate biosignals and to interact with tissue. Disruption in biosignals causes numerous medical conditions such as epilepsy and heart failure and the development of flexible and biocompatible medical electronics devices that interface with tissue is essential for regaining and modulating these signals.Read moreRead less
Bioinspired Ion Transporters for Efficient Energy Conversion and Storage. This project aims to fabricate bioinspired light-driven ion transporters with biological-level active ion transport efficiency for efficient energy conversion and storage. Engineering of artificial membranes with ion-pump-like pore structures, specific ion binding sites and photo-excited molecular gates by an innovative bioinspired approach is expected to generate new knowledge in the field of biomimetic design of artifici ....Bioinspired Ion Transporters for Efficient Energy Conversion and Storage. This project aims to fabricate bioinspired light-driven ion transporters with biological-level active ion transport efficiency for efficient energy conversion and storage. Engineering of artificial membranes with ion-pump-like pore structures, specific ion binding sites and photo-excited molecular gates by an innovative bioinspired approach is expected to generate new knowledge in the field of biomimetic design of artificial ion-transporter membranes and bring new technologies to applications such as in solar energy harvesting, osmotic power generation, ionic batteries, and ionic circuits. The proposed research should provide significant benefits such as new energy conversion and storage technologies for Australian manufacturing industry.Read moreRead less