Solar rechargeable batteries for wearable electronics. This project aims to develop a new solar battery as a sustainable power source for future wearable electronics. The research will develop solar rechargeable Zinc-Manganese oxide batteries based on new stretchable microelectrodes and materials engineering for the direct storage of solar energy. Expected outcomes include new classes of planar-type solar batteries, functional microelectrodes and energy materials, as well as new knowledge genera ....Solar rechargeable batteries for wearable electronics. This project aims to develop a new solar battery as a sustainable power source for future wearable electronics. The research will develop solar rechargeable Zinc-Manganese oxide batteries based on new stretchable microelectrodes and materials engineering for the direct storage of solar energy. Expected outcomes include new classes of planar-type solar batteries, functional microelectrodes and energy materials, as well as new knowledge generated from collaborations across materials science, photoelectrochemistry and nanotechnology disciplines. These will not only expand the applications of solar batteries to a new domain of wearable electronics, but also may eventually lead to new industry advances in functional materials for clean energy.Read moreRead less
Fundamentals of Electrically Conductive Elastomer Composites. This project aims to address the performance instability of stretchable/flexible electronics and devices, by developing mechanically resilient, electrically conductive patterns of nanomaterials to be encased in elastomers. It expects to generate new knowledge in the field of composite processing, to provide fundamentals for composite industry to develop novel strain gauges and conductors. Expected outcomes include a methodology for st ....Fundamentals of Electrically Conductive Elastomer Composites. This project aims to address the performance instability of stretchable/flexible electronics and devices, by developing mechanically resilient, electrically conductive patterns of nanomaterials to be encased in elastomers. It expects to generate new knowledge in the field of composite processing, to provide fundamentals for composite industry to develop novel strain gauges and conductors. Expected outcomes include a methodology for stabilising the cyclic performance of electrically conductive elastomer composites. This project is anticipated to provide significant long-term benefits not only for underwater infrastructure condition monitoring but for remote and personalised health-monitoring.Read moreRead less
Boosting photosynthetic efficiency using a plant nanobionics approach. The project aims to improve light capture and enhance electron transport rates using a plant nanobionics approach. Biocompatible plasmonic low-dimensional transition metal oxides with unique optical and electronics properties will be selected as the bioinspired materials. The investigation will focus on developing oxide compounds as artificial antenna, capturing extended optical wavelengths that are not normally available to ....Boosting photosynthetic efficiency using a plant nanobionics approach. The project aims to improve light capture and enhance electron transport rates using a plant nanobionics approach. Biocompatible plasmonic low-dimensional transition metal oxides with unique optical and electronics properties will be selected as the bioinspired materials. The investigation will focus on developing oxide compounds as artificial antenna, capturing extended optical wavelengths that are not normally available to natural plants. Energetic hot electrons excited from plasmonic materials injected into the plant system will further be explored, achieving unprecedented energy conversion from solar to chemical. The anticipated findings will provide a strong base to develop new plant systems with improved photosynthetic efficiency.Read moreRead less
Lithium-rich cathode materials for high-energy lithium-ion batteries. This project aims to develop lithium-rich cathode materials for a new generation of high-energy lithium-ion batteries. These innovative materials could double the capacity of commercial cathodes, thereby doubling the energy density of lithium-ion batteries. A further increase is anticipated from fundamental insights into anionic redox. Expected outcomes include materials with optimised architecture and chemistry, stabilisation ....Lithium-rich cathode materials for high-energy lithium-ion batteries. This project aims to develop lithium-rich cathode materials for a new generation of high-energy lithium-ion batteries. These innovative materials could double the capacity of commercial cathodes, thereby doubling the energy density of lithium-ion batteries. A further increase is anticipated from fundamental insights into anionic redox. Expected outcomes include materials with optimised architecture and chemistry, stabilisation of lithium-rich cathodes, identification of redox mechanism of lithium-rich cathode materials, technologies for producing lithium-rich cathode materials on a large scale and fabrication of new generation high-energy lithium-ion batteries. This project will have benefits especially in the transport and energy sectors. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101478
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$353,446.00
Summary
Long life sodium ion batteries by optimising initial coulombic efficiency. The project aims to develop novel structured phosphorus (Sn/P)-based composites as anode electrodes for sodium ion storage, which have high initial coulombic efficiency (charge capacity), high capacity and stable cycle life. Approaches of modifying surface structure will improve initial coulombic efficiency of Sn/P-based composites, and strategies to stabilise solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film will obtain long-cycle ....Long life sodium ion batteries by optimising initial coulombic efficiency. The project aims to develop novel structured phosphorus (Sn/P)-based composites as anode electrodes for sodium ion storage, which have high initial coulombic efficiency (charge capacity), high capacity and stable cycle life. Approaches of modifying surface structure will improve initial coulombic efficiency of Sn/P-based composites, and strategies to stabilise solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film will obtain long-cycle stability. The success of this project will greatly accelerate the commercialisation of sodium ion batteries and support the utilisation of renewable energy in Australia.Read moreRead less
High energy density, long life, safe lithium Ion battery for electric cars. This project aims to develop next-generation lithium-ion batteries with high energy density, safety, long cycle life, and fast charge capability, using a Ni-rich layered oxide cathode and silicon/carbon composite anode. This lithium-ion battery system is expected to meet 2020 targets for electric vehicles. The project will also investigate the reaction/electrode fading mechanism of the proposed anode/cathode materials fo ....High energy density, long life, safe lithium Ion battery for electric cars. This project aims to develop next-generation lithium-ion batteries with high energy density, safety, long cycle life, and fast charge capability, using a Ni-rich layered oxide cathode and silicon/carbon composite anode. This lithium-ion battery system is expected to meet 2020 targets for electric vehicles. The project will also investigate the reaction/electrode fading mechanism of the proposed anode/cathode materials for the deep understanding of these electrode materials, and provide guidance for future electrode materials design and battery research. This will provide significant benefits for automotive industries, smart grid, and business in storing renewable energy and better environment and sustainability.Read moreRead less
Elastomer/Graphene Composites for Reinforcement at Low Strain. This project aims to develop new elastomer/graphene composites by designing and fabricating graphene precursors which can transform into graphene sheets during melt compounding with elastomers. These sheets have tunable surface affinity with elastomers, to attain expected dispersion in elastomers for effective reinforcement at low strain. The dominant filler in industry – carbon black – is ineffective at low strain. The outcomes are ....Elastomer/Graphene Composites for Reinforcement at Low Strain. This project aims to develop new elastomer/graphene composites by designing and fabricating graphene precursors which can transform into graphene sheets during melt compounding with elastomers. These sheets have tunable surface affinity with elastomers, to attain expected dispersion in elastomers for effective reinforcement at low strain. The dominant filler in industry – carbon black – is ineffective at low strain. The outcomes are anticipated to transform the current manufacturing practice of rubber products for applications in agricultural, automobile, construction, medical and mining industries.Read moreRead less
Development of ambient air operation rechargeable sodium-air batteries. This project aims to develop Sodium (Na)-air batteries for large-scale renewable energy storage. The expected outcomes include development of new air cathode materials, gel polymer electrolytes and oxygen selective membranes, establishing novel Na-air battery systems for ambient air operation using advanced electrode materials, gel polymer electrolytes, and oxygen selective membranes, and exploring the electrochemical reacti ....Development of ambient air operation rechargeable sodium-air batteries. This project aims to develop Sodium (Na)-air batteries for large-scale renewable energy storage. The expected outcomes include development of new air cathode materials, gel polymer electrolytes and oxygen selective membranes, establishing novel Na-air battery systems for ambient air operation using advanced electrode materials, gel polymer electrolytes, and oxygen selective membranes, and exploring the electrochemical reaction mechanisms and degradation Na-air battery systems by the operando study method and other advanced techniques. The success of this project will contribute to the Australia Science and Research Priority area of energy.Read moreRead less
Smart design technology enabling the mid-infrared revolution. While mid-infrared (MIR) lasers have become indispensable to key industries ranging from research and healthcare to defence, industrial deployment of this technology has been hampered by the lack of cost-effective MIR optical fibres. This project aims to overcome this barrier through the creation of an innovative design toolkit for the fabrication of complex optical fibre structures. This efficient and commercially viable concept-to-m ....Smart design technology enabling the mid-infrared revolution. While mid-infrared (MIR) lasers have become indispensable to key industries ranging from research and healthcare to defence, industrial deployment of this technology has been hampered by the lack of cost-effective MIR optical fibres. This project aims to overcome this barrier through the creation of an innovative design toolkit for the fabrication of complex optical fibre structures. This efficient and commercially viable concept-to-manufacture development process will pave the way towards the MIR fibre technology revolution and will yield significant economic benefits spanning industrial process controls and environmental monitoring to hazardous chemical detection and biological sensing.Read moreRead less
A Novel Approach to Polymer/Nanosheet Composites and Their Fundamentals. Multifunctional Polymer/nanosheet composites have not yet been widely scaled up in polymer processing and composite industries mainly due to cost and inhaling hazard. This project proposes a novel methodology which embeds nanosheet preparation within polymer melt to both remove the inhaling hazard and lower the cost; the key is to develop two groups of nanosheet intercalation compounds which can expand at the polymer proces ....A Novel Approach to Polymer/Nanosheet Composites and Their Fundamentals. Multifunctional Polymer/nanosheet composites have not yet been widely scaled up in polymer processing and composite industries mainly due to cost and inhaling hazard. This project proposes a novel methodology which embeds nanosheet preparation within polymer melt to both remove the inhaling hazard and lower the cost; the key is to develop two groups of nanosheet intercalation compounds which can expand at the polymer processing temperature, to exfoliate and disperse nanosheets in polymers. It is expected to generate new knowledge of the structure-property relationships and fracture mechanisms of these composites, for industry to scale up this technology and to develop new product.Read moreRead less