Lightly Loaded Energy Farm Foundations in Cracked Desiccated Soil. This project aims are to understand the effects of seasonal changes in moisture on piles in clayey soils that develop desiccation cracks during dry times of the year. The project is significant because the economics of energy farms requires low cost foundations for their viability, but current methods of foundation design require long piles to overcome uncertainties in capacity and serviceability when soil shrinks in dry periods ....Lightly Loaded Energy Farm Foundations in Cracked Desiccated Soil. This project aims are to understand the effects of seasonal changes in moisture on piles in clayey soils that develop desiccation cracks during dry times of the year. The project is significant because the economics of energy farms requires low cost foundations for their viability, but current methods of foundation design require long piles to overcome uncertainties in capacity and serviceability when soil shrinks in dry periods and swells in wetter periods. The main outcome of the project will be recommendations for the design of lightly loaded pile foundations in soils that shrink and swell significantly. The benefits will be the reduced risk and cost associated with the geotechnical aspects of foundation design.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
Environmentally benign polymer solar cells. The project aims to prepare polymer solar cells, by developing water-compatible conjugated materials for the active layer. This technology would be cost-efficient and not use environmentally harmful solvents. The project would achieve aqueous compatibility of these hydrophobic molecules through substitution and careful positioning of functional groups. Fabrication processes will be optimised to incorporate these materials into solar cells, with a focus ....Environmentally benign polymer solar cells. The project aims to prepare polymer solar cells, by developing water-compatible conjugated materials for the active layer. This technology would be cost-efficient and not use environmentally harmful solvents. The project would achieve aqueous compatibility of these hydrophobic molecules through substitution and careful positioning of functional groups. Fabrication processes will be optimised to incorporate these materials into solar cells, with a focus on controlling the morphology of the active material. Determining the relationships between conjugated molecular design and cell performance should provide a new direction in solar-cell technology.Read moreRead less
Develop materials for stable and efficient printed polymer solar cells. The project aims to develop strategies to overcome current limitations of polymer solar cells by enhancing the thermal stability of these devices. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of stable and high-performance polymer solar cells, that can be manufactured by the printing industry in Australia. The expected outcome of this project includes new high performing materials, processing and additive strat ....Develop materials for stable and efficient printed polymer solar cells. The project aims to develop strategies to overcome current limitations of polymer solar cells by enhancing the thermal stability of these devices. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of stable and high-performance polymer solar cells, that can be manufactured by the printing industry in Australia. The expected outcome of this project includes new high performing materials, processing and additive strategies to overcome the key challenge to commercialising polymer solar cells. A significant benefit is their printability, providing the opportunity to establish a sovereign capability to manufacture low cost energy production systems in Australia.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100158
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$200,000.00
Summary
Supercontinuum fibre laser consortium for the chemical and materials sciences. A supercontinuum fibre laser facility will be established across nodes at The University of Adelaide and The University of Melbourne, and used to probe the chemical basis of photosynthesis, explore the properties of organic solar cell materials and biomaterials, develop efficient metal catalysts, and detect metal vapours in gases.