Thermal transport in multi-phase flows for concentrating solar applications. This project seeks to advance the field of heat transfer in high-temperature systems involving liquid metals, with emphasis on energy storage and solar power technologies. The concept couples a tubular sodium boiler with a sodium chloride phase-change storage system for continuous energy supply. Sodium chloride is low cost and has a melting temperature suitable for a wide range of industrial processes. The project plans ....Thermal transport in multi-phase flows for concentrating solar applications. This project seeks to advance the field of heat transfer in high-temperature systems involving liquid metals, with emphasis on energy storage and solar power technologies. The concept couples a tubular sodium boiler with a sodium chloride phase-change storage system for continuous energy supply. Sodium chloride is low cost and has a melting temperature suitable for a wide range of industrial processes. The project plans to address the challenge of sodium stability in highly irradiated tubes by investigating mass, momentum, energy and radiative transport in liquid metals. It is intended that this will inform the design and testing of novel sodium boilers to provide stable and isothermal process heat for continuous or on-demand production of power, chemical fuels and commodities.Read moreRead less
Molecular Interactions of Chemical Agents with Ion-Channel Proteins. With a minimal number of functional units (proteins) viruses are able to replicate. All of these proteins are possible antiviral targets. In this project we wil1 focus on a short protein called Vpu found in membranes of the HIV-1 virus and aim to analyse the interaction of potential pore blocking compounds. It is essential to know exactly where they sit and how the overall structure of Vpu is affected. For this enterprise we wi ....Molecular Interactions of Chemical Agents with Ion-Channel Proteins. With a minimal number of functional units (proteins) viruses are able to replicate. All of these proteins are possible antiviral targets. In this project we wil1 focus on a short protein called Vpu found in membranes of the HIV-1 virus and aim to analyse the interaction of potential pore blocking compounds. It is essential to know exactly where they sit and how the overall structure of Vpu is affected. For this enterprise we will use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. This information will serve as a springboard for future investigations of virus membrane proteins.
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Green Manufacturing of Graphene from Indigenous Natural Graphite and Graphene-based Nanofiltration Membranes. This project aims to investigate radical new approaches to reduce chemical and energy requirements for transformation of indigenous natural graphite to a high-value material graphene. The graphite which will be used is the by-product of the Uley mines of South Australia. Graphene is an atomically thin arrangement of carbon atoms with combinations of remarkable chemical inertness, strengt ....Green Manufacturing of Graphene from Indigenous Natural Graphite and Graphene-based Nanofiltration Membranes. This project aims to investigate radical new approaches to reduce chemical and energy requirements for transformation of indigenous natural graphite to a high-value material graphene. The graphite which will be used is the by-product of the Uley mines of South Australia. Graphene is an atomically thin arrangement of carbon atoms with combinations of remarkable chemical inertness, strength, and massive surface area. Utilising fluid phase dispersed graphene, this project aims to develop scalable and industrially-adaptable methods to manufacture thin yet mechanically robust, inert, fouling-resistant, highly-permeable graphene-based asymmetric membranes. These advanced membranes are expected to find wide application in reducing discharge of mining effluents and recovery of precious metals.Read moreRead less
An Open Source Approach to Understanding an Important Parasite Ion Pump. This project plans to synthesise new compounds that bind the protein ATP4, an essential ion pump in the malaria parasite. It plans to generate a three-dimensional map to understand how these compounds stop ATP4 from working. Several promising new medicines for malaria target ATP4, yet we do not understand properly how they do so. The project’s intended aims will be achieved using new methods in synthetic chemistry and membr ....An Open Source Approach to Understanding an Important Parasite Ion Pump. This project plans to synthesise new compounds that bind the protein ATP4, an essential ion pump in the malaria parasite. It plans to generate a three-dimensional map to understand how these compounds stop ATP4 from working. Several promising new medicines for malaria target ATP4, yet we do not understand properly how they do so. The project’s intended aims will be achieved using new methods in synthetic chemistry and membrane biology, and by leveraging global scientific inputs through online research methods allowing anyone to participate.Read moreRead less