Closing the Future: New Foundations for the Physics of Possibility. The distinction between a fixed and an open future is deeply embedded in human thought, and also central to some of the most profound puzzles in contemporary physics. By revealing the human origins of out fundamental concepts of possibility in time, this project will enhance our understanding of one of the most basic features of our experience of the world, lay foundations for a new treatment of time and possibility in foundame ....Closing the Future: New Foundations for the Physics of Possibility. The distinction between a fixed and an open future is deeply embedded in human thought, and also central to some of the most profound puzzles in contemporary physics. By revealing the human origins of out fundamental concepts of possibility in time, this project will enhance our understanding of one of the most basic features of our experience of the world, lay foundations for a new treatment of time and possibility in foundamental physics, and throw important new light on the mysteries of the quantum world.Read moreRead less
Poly-crystalline Thin Films for LASER Applications. This project is based on a recent discovery which reports LASER emission in disordered media such as polycrystalline ZnO. This behaviour appears to be related to the crystallographic properties of ZnO (wurztite) material. Using a novel deposition process the defect density, size of crystallites and macroscopic orientation within such thin films will be controlled independently. This will provide an opportunity to study the fundamental basis of ....Poly-crystalline Thin Films for LASER Applications. This project is based on a recent discovery which reports LASER emission in disordered media such as polycrystalline ZnO. This behaviour appears to be related to the crystallographic properties of ZnO (wurztite) material. Using a novel deposition process the defect density, size of crystallites and macroscopic orientation within such thin films will be controlled independently. This will provide an opportunity to study the fundamental basis of such behaviour. In conjunction with this the development of structure in similarly produced GaN (wurztite) films will be examined. This work should also provide practical information concerning the potential performance of LASER devices based on disordered materials.Read moreRead less
Thin Films of Oxide Ceramics. Aluminium oxide films are used extensively in the Australian industries of Protective & Decorative Coatings (examples include door-knobs and cutting-tools). The industry will be offered a remarkably simple process for preparation of high quality films. In the microelectronic industry, the uses of aluminium oxide films as a dielectric alternative to silicon dioxide has just started to emerge world - wide and this new process would make a dramatic impact with commerci ....Thin Films of Oxide Ceramics. Aluminium oxide films are used extensively in the Australian industries of Protective & Decorative Coatings (examples include door-knobs and cutting-tools). The industry will be offered a remarkably simple process for preparation of high quality films. In the microelectronic industry, the uses of aluminium oxide films as a dielectric alternative to silicon dioxide has just started to emerge world - wide and this new process would make a dramatic impact with commercial benefits for Australia. Read moreRead less
The Interface of Oil-in-Water Emulsions. The interface between two immiscible liquids controls many phenomena including the formation and properties of emulsions, the nature of many chemical separation processes and the behaviour of biological systems. There are few methods to study such interfaces and most of these are susceptible to trace contamination by adventitious surfactants, but emulsions with their large surface area avoid this problem. Significant advances are possible with the new Aus ....The Interface of Oil-in-Water Emulsions. The interface between two immiscible liquids controls many phenomena including the formation and properties of emulsions, the nature of many chemical separation processes and the behaviour of biological systems. There are few methods to study such interfaces and most of these are susceptible to trace contamination by adventitious surfactants, but emulsions with their large surface area avoid this problem. Significant advances are possible with the new Australian technique of electroacoustics, complemented by neutron scattering, nmr, rheological and dielectric response measurements on concentrated emulsions. Our surfactant-free emulsions provide a fundamental breakthrough in such studies, leading to new materials from nanostructures.Read moreRead less
The Science of Exoplanets - Finding & Understanding our Planetary Neighbours. There can be few questions more fundamental to humanity, and more capable of engaging young Australians in science and technology, than to ask "Are we alone in the Universe?". The discovery of planetary systems orbiting other stars now enables us to realistically address this fundamental question in the years ahead. A critical component of this global endeavour will be determining 'How common are Earth-like planets orb ....The Science of Exoplanets - Finding & Understanding our Planetary Neighbours. There can be few questions more fundamental to humanity, and more capable of engaging young Australians in science and technology, than to ask "Are we alone in the Universe?". The discovery of planetary systems orbiting other stars now enables us to realistically address this fundamental question in the years ahead. A critical component of this global endeavour will be determining 'How common are Earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars?'. This project will establish the nation's leading research group in this field and employ the world's leading astronomical facilities to place Australia at the forefront of the international race to answer these fundamental questions. Read moreRead less
Time-asymmetry and the Bohmian view of the quantum world. Australia is among the world leaders in research on decoherence and time asymmetry. This research will make significant and innovative contributions to a unified understanding of these two areas by determining their connections and mutual implications. It will thus play an important role in further expanding Australia's role in fundamental research on the boundary between philosophy and physics. Results from this research will also be rel ....Time-asymmetry and the Bohmian view of the quantum world. Australia is among the world leaders in research on decoherence and time asymmetry. This research will make significant and innovative contributions to a unified understanding of these two areas by determining their connections and mutual implications. It will thus play an important role in further expanding Australia's role in fundamental research on the boundary between philosophy and physics. Results from this research will also be relevant to the theoretical and conceptual basis of next-generation quantum technologies.
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Development of growth strategies to fabricate wide band gap ferromagnetic semiconductors for spin electronics applications. Spin Electronics technology will enable a revolutionary class of electronic devices. Gallium nitride (GaN) containing transition metals (TM) (eg Mn, Ni and Fe) is a very promising dilute magnetic semiconductor for practical spintronics applications as this material exhibits magnetic behaviour above room temperature. However, electronic and magnetic properties of this new cl ....Development of growth strategies to fabricate wide band gap ferromagnetic semiconductors for spin electronics applications. Spin Electronics technology will enable a revolutionary class of electronic devices. Gallium nitride (GaN) containing transition metals (TM) (eg Mn, Ni and Fe) is a very promising dilute magnetic semiconductor for practical spintronics applications as this material exhibits magnetic behaviour above room temperature. However, electronic and magnetic properties of this new class of semiconductors have not yet been optimised. This project aims to develop and test a new growth strategy, known as the co-doping method for the fabrication of high quality TM doped GaN. A broad range of complementary advanced spectroscopic techniques will be used to evaluate and refine this new fabrication method.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989492
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
Dynamic Texture Measurement Facility. A texture goniometer is an advanced tool for texture characterisation of steels, light alloys, nanomaterials, superconductors and minerals. The ability to conduct dynamic texture measurements will significantly enhance the effectiveness of four material-based research institutes at the University of Wollongong and at Deakin University, as well as collaborative research with BlueScope Steel. The research is directly aligned to the National Research Priority o ....Dynamic Texture Measurement Facility. A texture goniometer is an advanced tool for texture characterisation of steels, light alloys, nanomaterials, superconductors and minerals. The ability to conduct dynamic texture measurements will significantly enhance the effectiveness of four material-based research institutes at the University of Wollongong and at Deakin University, as well as collaborative research with BlueScope Steel. The research is directly aligned to the National Research Priority of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industry. The equipment will provide a valuable resource for industries in the Illawarra region of NSW and in regional South-West Victoria.Read moreRead less
Design and Creation of Nanomechanical Architectures from Folding of Ultrathin Bi-layer Films. The project will achieve progress in designing, modelling, analyzing, and characterization of nanomechanical architectures that will have broad application in Australian science and industry. If successful, our research will revolutionize nanofabrication technology and nano-design methods. The project will lead to a scientific understanding of atomic interaction and stress field effect in the formation ....Design and Creation of Nanomechanical Architectures from Folding of Ultrathin Bi-layer Films. The project will achieve progress in designing, modelling, analyzing, and characterization of nanomechanical architectures that will have broad application in Australian science and industry. If successful, our research will revolutionize nanofabrication technology and nano-design methods. The project will lead to a scientific understanding of atomic interaction and stress field effect in the formation of nanosystems. The result of this research will significantly lower fabrication costs and enhance the potential of nanomaterials in various areas such as electronics and bioelectronics, telecommunication, medical instrumentations, and pharmaceutical design. Read moreRead less
Template-Free Synthesis of Zeolite Nanocrystals and Their Application for Zeolite-Polymer Nanocomposites. A novel method is proposed for template-free synthesis of zeolite nanocrystals, in which polymer hydrogels will be used, in-situ, to control zeolite nucleation and growth from precursor solutions. The as-synthesised and surface modified zeolite nanocrystals will be used to fabricate zeolite-polymer nanocomposites, which will have significant applications in areas including gas separation, ca ....Template-Free Synthesis of Zeolite Nanocrystals and Their Application for Zeolite-Polymer Nanocomposites. A novel method is proposed for template-free synthesis of zeolite nanocrystals, in which polymer hydrogels will be used, in-situ, to control zeolite nucleation and growth from precursor solutions. The as-synthesised and surface modified zeolite nanocrystals will be used to fabricate zeolite-polymer nanocomposites, which will have significant applications in areas including gas separation, catalysts and fuel cells.Read moreRead less