Design of hollow nanoparticles of titania for the sustainable production of hydrogen from water using sunlight. Hydrogen is a clean and non-polluting fuel that is the natural and sustainable replacement for greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels. Because of its abundant sunlight and vast titanium reserves (the world's largest) Australia is especially well-placed to develop the technology of producing hydrogen directly from water and sunlight using a titanium dioxide photo-anode. This research, whi ....Design of hollow nanoparticles of titania for the sustainable production of hydrogen from water using sunlight. Hydrogen is a clean and non-polluting fuel that is the natural and sustainable replacement for greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels. Because of its abundant sunlight and vast titanium reserves (the world's largest) Australia is especially well-placed to develop the technology of producing hydrogen directly from water and sunlight using a titanium dioxide photo-anode. This research, which consists of computational and experimental parts, is focused on laying the scientific foundation for that technology to be commercially viable. The national and community benefits are the availability of an inexpensive, limitless and clean fuel, reduction in reliance on energy imports, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and resultant global warming.Read moreRead less
Computational design of titanium dioxide-based ceramics for the renewable energy technology platform: Solar-Hydrogen. Hydrogen is a clean non-polluting fuel. Production of hydrogen (Solar-Hydrogen) directly from water and sunlight is a very appealing renewable energy technology. The key requirement to allow this technology to be adopted is finding an electrically suitable material. This research program takes an innovative approach by combining state of the art computational techniques to engine ....Computational design of titanium dioxide-based ceramics for the renewable energy technology platform: Solar-Hydrogen. Hydrogen is a clean non-polluting fuel. Production of hydrogen (Solar-Hydrogen) directly from water and sunlight is a very appealing renewable energy technology. The key requirement to allow this technology to be adopted is finding an electrically suitable material. This research program takes an innovative approach by combining state of the art computational techniques to engineer advanced ceramics having sophisticated electrical signatures. These ceramics will be synthesized in a partner experimental program to gauge their efficiencies for hydrogen production. The program will provide the foundation for a renewable energy technology that will provide clean energy and energy independence for Australia.Read moreRead less
Hydrogen storage materials for energy conversion applications. For a clean environment, the ideal synthetic fuel is hydrogen because it is lightweight, highly abundant and its oxidation product (water) is environmentally benign. However, the effective storage of hydrogen remains a scientific challenge. This project aims to develop innovative materials with high hydrogen storage capacity and long cycle life, including new composite hydrides, catalysed metal hydrides and various nanotubes. The exp ....Hydrogen storage materials for energy conversion applications. For a clean environment, the ideal synthetic fuel is hydrogen because it is lightweight, highly abundant and its oxidation product (water) is environmentally benign. However, the effective storage of hydrogen remains a scientific challenge. This project aims to develop innovative materials with high hydrogen storage capacity and long cycle life, including new composite hydrides, catalysed metal hydrides and various nanotubes. The expected outcome is the achievement of high reversible hydrogen storage capacity to meet all the demands required for energy conversion applications, in particular, for hydrogen storage/fuel-cell vehicular applications.Read moreRead less
Advanced Nanostructured Ceramic Composites for Ultracapacitors. The global climate changes and the related disastrous events such as heat flows, bushfires, and flooding will endanger the Australian population and our natural environment. The implementation of effective devices and technologies to reduce our carbon footprint is a priority task. The project addresses the issue by development of new ultracapacitor materials for next generation green energy storage devices through engineering and im ....Advanced Nanostructured Ceramic Composites for Ultracapacitors. The global climate changes and the related disastrous events such as heat flows, bushfires, and flooding will endanger the Australian population and our natural environment. The implementation of effective devices and technologies to reduce our carbon footprint is a priority task. The project addresses the issue by development of new ultracapacitor materials for next generation green energy storage devices through engineering and implementation of advanced nanoceramics and nanocomposites created by innovative nanotechnologies. The project will also contribute to other national research priorities such as materials and frontier technologies, reduction of atmospheric pollution, and decrease in the energy dependence of our country on oil.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101293
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
Nanoporous Iron-Based Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting. This project aims to develop high-performance water splitting devices based on nanoporous iron-based oxygen evolution electrocatalysts. The devices, which will produce hydrogen to relieve the energy shortage in Australia, can be powered by photovoltaic and wind-generated electricity or directly use solar energy. The development of new energy materials that can be used to make renewable and clean fuels from abundant and ....Nanoporous Iron-Based Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting. This project aims to develop high-performance water splitting devices based on nanoporous iron-based oxygen evolution electrocatalysts. The devices, which will produce hydrogen to relieve the energy shortage in Australia, can be powered by photovoltaic and wind-generated electricity or directly use solar energy. The development of new energy materials that can be used to make renewable and clean fuels from abundant and easily accessible resources is among the most challenging and demanding tasks today. The combination of iron doping and nanoporous structure are intended to improve both the intrinsic and extrinsic catalytic activities of the electrocatalysts to be developed in the project.Read moreRead less
Designing a photo-electro-catalysis system for selective organic oxidation. The research aims to establish new composite materials to enable realisation of next generation organic electrolysers for renewable hydrogen production. Water electrolysis is seen as the front-running technology in Australia's drive to be a renewable hydrogen exporter. Significant opportunity exists in adopting organic electrolysis as an alternative with additional benefits, including lower energy input and value-added c ....Designing a photo-electro-catalysis system for selective organic oxidation. The research aims to establish new composite materials to enable realisation of next generation organic electrolysers for renewable hydrogen production. Water electrolysis is seen as the front-running technology in Australia's drive to be a renewable hydrogen exporter. Significant opportunity exists in adopting organic electrolysis as an alternative with additional benefits, including lower energy input and value-added chemical production (alongside H2), off-setting costs. Challenges exist with controlling organic product selectivity and restricting carbon dioxide generation. The project intends to deliver a system which uses complementary phenomena (light activation, controllable polarity, magnetic response) to resolve said challenges. Read moreRead less
Controlled synthesis of well-aligned single crystalline one-dimensional semiconducting nanomaterials for energy application. This proposal is at the forefront of a number of important fields, and therefore the outcomes are expected to be of great interest to a broad spectrum of industry sectors, including advanced materials, nanotechnology, and sustainable energy. The novel synthetic methods and the targeting material system could lead to advanced materials for energy application. The outcomes o ....Controlled synthesis of well-aligned single crystalline one-dimensional semiconducting nanomaterials for energy application. This proposal is at the forefront of a number of important fields, and therefore the outcomes are expected to be of great interest to a broad spectrum of industry sectors, including advanced materials, nanotechnology, and sustainable energy. The novel synthetic methods and the targeting material system could lead to advanced materials for energy application. The outcomes of this project will place Australian researchers among the pioneering groups in this area and will benefit several major technology-related fields including materials manufacture technology and sustainable energy.Read moreRead less
Polymerization of amyloid fibrils and electroactive hybrid nanowires using ionic liquids. The electronics world is constantly shrinking with devices being miniaturised and increasing levels of complexity built in. To maintain this trend, new technologies and new device fabrication approaches are required. APD Byrne, will develop new materials based on amyloid fibrils by their facile conversion to a range of novel high strength electroactive nanoscopic wires with application in many electronic d ....Polymerization of amyloid fibrils and electroactive hybrid nanowires using ionic liquids. The electronics world is constantly shrinking with devices being miniaturised and increasing levels of complexity built in. To maintain this trend, new technologies and new device fabrication approaches are required. APD Byrne, will develop new materials based on amyloid fibrils by their facile conversion to a range of novel high strength electroactive nanoscopic wires with application in many electronic devices. One such device that will benefit from these nanowires is organic solar cells. Solar is a clean renewable energy source that can reduce Australia's dependence on fossil fuels. The development of new approaches and materials aimed at increasing solar cell efficiencies is an important outcome for Australia.Read moreRead less
Functional topological materials for superior thermoelectric applications. The efficient generation of electricity from waste heat remains a significant technological challenge, hampered by the absence of efficient materials for conversion. This project aims to develop functionalized topological materials with ultra-high thermoelectric and photothermal performance for harvesting heat into electricity. A recent breakthrough in device efficiency will be a game-changer and position Australian acade ....Functional topological materials for superior thermoelectric applications. The efficient generation of electricity from waste heat remains a significant technological challenge, hampered by the absence of efficient materials for conversion. This project aims to develop functionalized topological materials with ultra-high thermoelectric and photothermal performance for harvesting heat into electricity. A recent breakthrough in device efficiency will be a game-changer and position Australian academics and industries at the forefront of next generation of renewable power generation and refrigeration products. The outcomes will provide an advantage to end-users and industry, and will open a new market for advanced thermoelectric devices in multidisciplinary fields, communities and emerging industries.Read moreRead less
Piezoelectric nanofibre membranes with built-in p-n junction: new self-rectifying piezoelectric power generators. This project will aim to develop new knowledge about how to efficiently convert small mechanical energy into directly usable electric power using piezoelectric nanofibre membranes and will fill this knowledge gap by systematically understanding the influence of doping agents on the charge transport during energy conversion.