Advanced Fibre Interfaces in Active Water Management Systems. Flooding is a critical issue in Australia, generating considerable economic losses, including by stormwater contamination. The current project will pioneer an integrated solution for stormwater retention, while removing chemical pollutants. In collaboration with the company ROCKWOOL-Lapinus - based on a stonewool fibre platform - we will (i) design fibre coatings based on a versatile and chemically simple deposition process, (ii) inco ....Advanced Fibre Interfaces in Active Water Management Systems. Flooding is a critical issue in Australia, generating considerable economic losses, including by stormwater contamination. The current project will pioneer an integrated solution for stormwater retention, while removing chemical pollutants. In collaboration with the company ROCKWOOL-Lapinus - based on a stonewool fibre platform - we will (i) design fibre coatings based on a versatile and chemically simple deposition process, (ii) incorporate functionalities onto the fibres allowing active stormwater treatment to e.g. retain pollutants or target heavy metals and (iii) investigate these interfaces in-depth by advanced surface and interface characterisation methods to understand the fibre interface properties from nano- to macroscale.Read moreRead less
Photochemical Design of Microstructured Aerospace Materials. Commercial aviation and shipping spend over US$300 billion on fuel and emit almost 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually at an enormous environmental cost. This project will provide the material chemistry innovation basis for the production of drag reduction surfaces that can be applied to enable a more effective airflow over an aircraft, thus reducing fuel consumption. Critically, the material design approach will not only deliv ....Photochemical Design of Microstructured Aerospace Materials. Commercial aviation and shipping spend over US$300 billion on fuel and emit almost 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually at an enormous environmental cost. This project will provide the material chemistry innovation basis for the production of drag reduction surfaces that can be applied to enable a more effective airflow over an aircraft, thus reducing fuel consumption. Critically, the material design approach will not only deliver a high performance coating for the production of drag reduction surfaces, but allow these surfaces to be tailored to specific application profiles including UV resistance and anti-fouling properties. The project will place an Australian company at the forefront of drag reduction technologyRead moreRead less
Biomimetic hydrogels. Hydrogels are promising materials to repair and regenerate damaged tissues, but their weak mechanical properties limit their applications. This project aims to develop hydrogels with better mechanical properties by mimicking the way natural tissues, such as cartilage, work. Specifically, we aim to develop a new class of hydrogels by adding molecular polymer brushes to traditional materials. We will design the hydrogels with long-term stability and render them suitable as vi ....Biomimetic hydrogels. Hydrogels are promising materials to repair and regenerate damaged tissues, but their weak mechanical properties limit their applications. This project aims to develop hydrogels with better mechanical properties by mimicking the way natural tissues, such as cartilage, work. Specifically, we aim to develop a new class of hydrogels by adding molecular polymer brushes to traditional materials. We will design the hydrogels with long-term stability and render them suitable as viable hosts for chondrocytes. Through this project, we will grow fundamental knowledge in polymer chemistry and tissue engineering, and pave the way for new technologies to repair damaged joints and tissues.Read moreRead less