High-Performance Polymer Composites for Electrical Discharging. This project aims to address the problem of electrostatic discharge by developing new industry-compatible processing techniques and taking advantage of the synergy between graphene and carbon nanotubes and fibres. Electrostatic discharge due to accumulation of static electricity is a significant problem for lightweight polymer composites used in hazard environments, such as pumps for underground mining, oil and gas storage and satel ....High-Performance Polymer Composites for Electrical Discharging. This project aims to address the problem of electrostatic discharge by developing new industry-compatible processing techniques and taking advantage of the synergy between graphene and carbon nanotubes and fibres. Electrostatic discharge due to accumulation of static electricity is a significant problem for lightweight polymer composites used in hazard environments, such as pumps for underground mining, oil and gas storage and satellites. The outcomes will potentially transform the current manufacturing practice of anti-static composites for industry applications including mining, energy, space and agriculture. Read moreRead less
Fire-Retardant Composite Resins for Bushfire-Safe Wind Farm Infrastructures. This project aims to develop advanced fire-retardant composite resins for manufacturing bushfire-safe wind farm infrastructures. The innovation of the project is the development of a new class of low-cost, novel, highly effective fire retardants and their value-added fire-retardant composite resins with well-preserved physical properties. This will be achieved by understanding the composition-property relationship of fi ....Fire-Retardant Composite Resins for Bushfire-Safe Wind Farm Infrastructures. This project aims to develop advanced fire-retardant composite resins for manufacturing bushfire-safe wind farm infrastructures. The innovation of the project is the development of a new class of low-cost, novel, highly effective fire retardants and their value-added fire-retardant composite resins with well-preserved physical properties. This will be achieved by understanding the composition-property relationship of fire retardants and optimising their synthetic parameters. The project will help position Australia’s advanced composite manufacturing at the forefront of technology. It will also accelerate Australia’s energy transition to renewables by enabling bushfire-safe wind farm infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occu ....Flipping the mattress: infinite polyurethane recycling by synthetic biology. Australia is covered in billions of tonnes of plastic and yet <10% is recycled today. Polyurethane (PU) is ubiquitous in our everyday lives, from lacquer coatings to elastane clothing to durable foam padding in car seats, cushions and mattresses. Currently, there are few avenues for PU recycling and much ends up in landfill e.g., a single mattress produces 15-20kg of PU foam waste. Luckily, biodegradation of PU can occur naturally via various microbial means and from insects, like Galleria mellonella larvae. The overall aim of this research project is to understand plastic biodegradation and translate nature’s solutions into flexible and efficient synthetic enzyme technologies that can sustainably recycle commonly used PU foams. Read moreRead less
Lightweight Photovoltaic Modules for Low-Load Capacity Building Roofs. This project aims to develop lightweight and reliable high efficiency photovoltaic modules that expand solar energy installations onto low-load capacity building roofs. New lightweight materials will be developed for packaging with multi-functionalities such as fast heat dissipation. This project will produce economical prototypes and enable and
facilitate cost reduction of crystalline silicon photovoltaic module installation ....Lightweight Photovoltaic Modules for Low-Load Capacity Building Roofs. This project aims to develop lightweight and reliable high efficiency photovoltaic modules that expand solar energy installations onto low-load capacity building roofs. New lightweight materials will be developed for packaging with multi-functionalities such as fast heat dissipation. This project will produce economical prototypes and enable and
facilitate cost reduction of crystalline silicon photovoltaic module installations on lightweight buildings, overcoming current constraints of heavy glass modules and making more solar energy exploited in both Australia’s urban and rural areas. This will get steps closer to zero emission buildings, by providing renewable energy alternative to conventional fossil fuel-based power generation.Read moreRead less
Innovative Double Patterning Strategies for Integrated Circuit Manufacture. The global computer chips industry is predicted to be worth in excess of 1.5 trillion USD by 2030. Despite its success, the industry is under threat due to rising costs of manufacture of the latest chips, in large part because of the complexity of the manufacturing process. This project aims to introduce new polymers for production of computer chips and, in collaboration with our industry partner, develop new methods of ....Innovative Double Patterning Strategies for Integrated Circuit Manufacture. The global computer chips industry is predicted to be worth in excess of 1.5 trillion USD by 2030. Despite its success, the industry is under threat due to rising costs of manufacture of the latest chips, in large part because of the complexity of the manufacturing process. This project aims to introduce new polymers for production of computer chips and, in collaboration with our industry partner, develop new methods of manufacture to enable the next generation of chips. The project has potential to generate valuable intellectual property, support new processes and equipment for our partners, and help train the next generation of Australian researchers in the growing field of polymeric nanotechnology. Read moreRead less
Development of next generation smart sucker rod wear guides . In a natural gas wells, sucker rod guides protect the production tubing from wear by the rod string. Premature and erratic failures are costing the industry tens of millions every year. In collaboration with two local SMEs, this project aims to develop the next generation of smart and durable wear guides. The project seeks to understand the complex three body wear mechanisms that drive guide and tubing wear, then use this knowledge to ....Development of next generation smart sucker rod wear guides . In a natural gas wells, sucker rod guides protect the production tubing from wear by the rod string. Premature and erratic failures are costing the industry tens of millions every year. In collaboration with two local SMEs, this project aims to develop the next generation of smart and durable wear guides. The project seeks to understand the complex three body wear mechanisms that drive guide and tubing wear, then use this knowledge to develop new wear resistant compounds and develop a smart guide that provides feedback on its wear state. This will enable the industry partners to supply cutting edge technology to the global oil and gas industry that not only reduces well operation cost but also enhances well resilience.Read moreRead less
Phase Change Materials for Wind and Solar Energy Storage. This project aims to develop and demonstrate new phase change materials to advance the technology of thermal energy storage. The project will focus on new materials that store thermal energy in the temperature range between 100 - 220°C that is optimal for distributed storage of solar and wind energy. The utility and economics of renewable energy sources are strongly limited by their intermittent nature and inexpensive means of storage are ....Phase Change Materials for Wind and Solar Energy Storage. This project aims to develop and demonstrate new phase change materials to advance the technology of thermal energy storage. The project will focus on new materials that store thermal energy in the temperature range between 100 - 220°C that is optimal for distributed storage of solar and wind energy. The utility and economics of renewable energy sources are strongly limited by their intermittent nature and inexpensive means of storage are urgently required. Expected outcomes of this project include a practical technology, which can be implemented at household and industry level, providing cheap energy from zero-carbon sources. The project aims to provide significant benefits to energy users and support further development of renewables.Read moreRead less
High performance polymer fibres for recyclable composites . The project aims to develop novel drawn polymer fibres with aligned carbon nanotubes incorporated inside and also grafted nanotubes on their surface. Such polymer fibres can be used to reinforce thermoplastics to make high performance composites with effective recyclability. This is important as the existing thermosetting composites are not recyclable and significant property enhancement require high loading (>30%) of reinforcing fibres ....High performance polymer fibres for recyclable composites . The project aims to develop novel drawn polymer fibres with aligned carbon nanotubes incorporated inside and also grafted nanotubes on their surface. Such polymer fibres can be used to reinforce thermoplastics to make high performance composites with effective recyclability. This is important as the existing thermosetting composites are not recyclable and significant property enhancement require high loading (>30%) of reinforcing fibres. The outcomes of this project will be novel technology for making high stiffness polymer fibres and their use in thermoplastic composites. The benefits will be to allow easy processing and recycling. They will be used in down-sizing of high volume products and high value automotive or aerospace products.Read moreRead less
Next Generation Polymeric Scaffolds For Dual Agent Delivery. This project aims to provide a novel suite of degradable polymeric scaffolds for releasing multiple active agents with tailored release profiles by utilising both polymer and small molecule synthesis techniques. The project expects to generate new copolymers and polymer networks that exploit molecular architecture to regulate the release profile of the active agents incorporated. The expected outcome is the establishment of design crit ....Next Generation Polymeric Scaffolds For Dual Agent Delivery. This project aims to provide a novel suite of degradable polymeric scaffolds for releasing multiple active agents with tailored release profiles by utilising both polymer and small molecule synthesis techniques. The project expects to generate new copolymers and polymer networks that exploit molecular architecture to regulate the release profile of the active agents incorporated. The expected outcome is the establishment of design criteria for tailoring the release of active agent from the polymer scaffold. This should provide significant benefits by developing a new technology platform that could be readily adapted to applications in agriculture, pharmaceutical science and veterinary medicine where controlled release is required.
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Next generation easy-clean lenses by robust liquid-repellent nanotextures. This project aims to produce better performing self-cleaning lenses, which are less likely to get dirty and are easy to clean. It will develop water and oil repellent coatings with superior optical transparency and mechanical, solvent and UV stability for both hard coated and anti-reflection coated optical lenses. Engineering of stable, ultra-liquid repellent nanomaterials on transparent surfaces will create a foundation ....Next generation easy-clean lenses by robust liquid-repellent nanotextures. This project aims to produce better performing self-cleaning lenses, which are less likely to get dirty and are easy to clean. It will develop water and oil repellent coatings with superior optical transparency and mechanical, solvent and UV stability for both hard coated and anti-reflection coated optical lenses. Engineering of stable, ultra-liquid repellent nanomaterials on transparent surfaces will create a foundation of knowledge for the industrial development of the future generation of easy care coatings, with vast application potential.Read moreRead less