Sensing single electrons with single molecules. The focus of this project is on optical detection of single electron transport in solids and in large/bio molecules. Successful experimental demonstration of the proposed technique will considerably enhance Australia's standing in high profile areas of natural sciences. In practical terms, it can contribute to development of new generation solar cells, artificial photosynthetic centres, and a new generation of nanoprobes for biomedical application ....Sensing single electrons with single molecules. The focus of this project is on optical detection of single electron transport in solids and in large/bio molecules. Successful experimental demonstration of the proposed technique will considerably enhance Australia's standing in high profile areas of natural sciences. In practical terms, it can contribute to development of new generation solar cells, artificial photosynthetic centres, and a new generation of nanoprobes for biomedical applications. Because the single-molecule technique is a new and dynamic field, opportunities exist for significant commercial property development. The project will also train a number of students in several fields of high technology, all of which are likely to have high demand in the future.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989390
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
Versatile Scanning X-ray Microscopy Facility at the Australian Synchrotron. The challenges of the modern world means that the Australian community must continue to have access to state of the art research tools. An important component of international synchrotron sources is the very high resolution x-ray microscope. These microscopes are used to image samples of biological, material or environmental significance with extraordinary precision. This project will establish such a microscope at the A ....Versatile Scanning X-ray Microscopy Facility at the Australian Synchrotron. The challenges of the modern world means that the Australian community must continue to have access to state of the art research tools. An important component of international synchrotron sources is the very high resolution x-ray microscope. These microscopes are used to image samples of biological, material or environmental significance with extraordinary precision. This project will establish such a microscope at the Australian Synchrotron in Clayton, and nucleates an extensive nationwide collaboration that is devoted to the development of this and related techniques and their application to problems of national scientific, environmental and technological importance.Read moreRead less
SILICON BASED PHOTONIC CRYSTALS FOR MONITORING BIOMOLECULAR INTERACTIONS. Two great goals of biomolecular science are to monitor biomolecular interactions in real time and with sufficient sensitivity to allow small amounts of biological material to be investigated. The achievement of these goals is limited by the methods of transducing these reactions. The aim of this multidisciplinary proposal is to overcome this limitation by developing photonic devices that exploit the unique properties of na ....SILICON BASED PHOTONIC CRYSTALS FOR MONITORING BIOMOLECULAR INTERACTIONS. Two great goals of biomolecular science are to monitor biomolecular interactions in real time and with sufficient sensitivity to allow small amounts of biological material to be investigated. The achievement of these goals is limited by the methods of transducing these reactions. The aim of this multidisciplinary proposal is to overcome this limitation by developing photonic devices that exploit the unique properties of nanoporous silicon. The hybridisation of DNA will be used as a model biorecognition reaction. Potential applications of these photonic devices are as highly sensitive affinity sensors and as tools for investigating the kinetics of biomolecular interactions.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101061
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$424,848.00
Summary
Single particle imaging: x-ray imaging of individual dynamic biomolecules. X-ray lasers produce powerful ultra-short pulses of light that can take temporal snap shots of small radiation-sensitive biological complexes. Thanks to superconducting technology, the next generation of x-ray lasers will be able to produce x-ray pulses at greater rates than ever before. But because of the sheer number of possible molecular configurations, these molecular movies will have only a small amount of data per f ....Single particle imaging: x-ray imaging of individual dynamic biomolecules. X-ray lasers produce powerful ultra-short pulses of light that can take temporal snap shots of small radiation-sensitive biological complexes. Thanks to superconducting technology, the next generation of x-ray lasers will be able to produce x-ray pulses at greater rates than ever before. But because of the sheer number of possible molecular configurations, these molecular movies will have only a small amount of data per frame, posing an enormous challenge for current imaging methods. I aim to meet this challenge by developing an innovative multi-conformational image reconstruction algorithm. This will provide a new window into the molecular dynamics of biological systems, the building blocks of life, and enable rational drug design.Read moreRead less
Quantitative multidimensional optical spectroscopy: revealing dynamics and structure in complex condensed matter systems. Understanding how quantum mechanics affects photosynthesis and how it can cause interactions between distant nanostructures are intriguing problems that may be of great significance for future smart technologies. This project will gain unprecedented insight into these processes using a novel technique to identify and resolve the mechanisms responsible.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100137
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,000.00
Summary
Femtosecond broad wavelength range laser facility. This facility will provide a unique source of ultra-short laser pulses spanning the X-ray to the infrared regions. It will provide a powerful coherent X-ray source that will position Australia at the forefront of coherent imaging science and the ability to perform ultrafast infrared spectroscopic measurements.
Biomolecular optoelectronic materials and devices. The melanins are the molecules in our skin, eyes and hair that provide colour and protection from the sun. In addition to being important bio-molecules, they have properties which make them useful for high tech applications especially in electronics and optoelectronics. Unfortunately, our current understanding of these fascinating materials is poor. In our project we aim to solve this limiting problem. We will develop new science to explain thei ....Biomolecular optoelectronic materials and devices. The melanins are the molecules in our skin, eyes and hair that provide colour and protection from the sun. In addition to being important bio-molecules, they have properties which make them useful for high tech applications especially in electronics and optoelectronics. Unfortunately, our current understanding of these fascinating materials is poor. In our project we aim to solve this limiting problem. We will develop new science to explain their behaviour, and use this knowledge to create bio-compatible hi-tech materials and devices. We anticipate significant benefits from the perspectives of basic science and utilisation of biomaterials for new green technologies.Read moreRead less
Scanning Probe Microscopy for Fabrication and Analysis of Polymer Photovoltaics. Australian economic growth will depend increasingly on the provision of devices using materials designed at the molecular level. Scanning probe microscopy, which uses tips placed very close to surfaces to analyse or modify the surfaces with molecular precision, is an indispensible tool in designing such materials. In this project, scanning probe microscopy will be used to analyse and build structures on polymer sola ....Scanning Probe Microscopy for Fabrication and Analysis of Polymer Photovoltaics. Australian economic growth will depend increasingly on the provision of devices using materials designed at the molecular level. Scanning probe microscopy, which uses tips placed very close to surfaces to analyse or modify the surfaces with molecular precision, is an indispensible tool in designing such materials. In this project, scanning probe microscopy will be used to analyse and build structures on polymer solar cells in order to maximise the efficiency of the cells and build prototype nanoscale polymer devices. This will lead to the improvement in devices delivering sustainable energy production - a technology which has the promise of producing energy cheaply from sunlight.Read moreRead less
Optical Nano-plasmonics. There is much current interest and excitement in nano-optics, where light interacts with features on its own scale or finer than it. One way of achieving strong interactions between light and finely structured systems is to incorporate metallic elements, and use the resonances called surface plasmons which arise due to electric currents flowing on the metal. We will develop accurate ways of calculating the properties of these plasmons for a range of metal-dielectric syst ....Optical Nano-plasmonics. There is much current interest and excitement in nano-optics, where light interacts with features on its own scale or finer than it. One way of achieving strong interactions between light and finely structured systems is to incorporate metallic elements, and use the resonances called surface plasmons which arise due to electric currents flowing on the metal. We will develop accurate ways of calculating the properties of these plasmons for a range of metal-dielectric systems, in order to design highly miniaturized structures which can manipulate light for applications in optical sensors and related devices.Read moreRead less
Functional micro-multiplexers based on nonlinear three-dimensional photonic crystal superprisms. The development of functional nonlinear micro-multiplexers is vital to on-chip applications in optical information processing, telecom and bio-sensing. The proposed project will enable both enormous improvements of device performance and the significant reduction in the cost and size of the associated infrastructures and eventually facilitate the next generation miniaturised all-optical networks. The ....Functional micro-multiplexers based on nonlinear three-dimensional photonic crystal superprisms. The development of functional nonlinear micro-multiplexers is vital to on-chip applications in optical information processing, telecom and bio-sensing. The proposed project will enable both enormous improvements of device performance and the significant reduction in the cost and size of the associated infrastructures and eventually facilitate the next generation miniaturised all-optical networks. The success of the project will make essential contributions to the emerging photonics and nanotechnology, and strengthen Australia's international leading role in these fields. The improvement of device performance, the development of new IP, and the commercialisation of novel products will deliver major social and economic benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less