Solar-thermal desalination system for parallel water-electricity generation. This project aims to develop a multi-functional solar-thermal desalination device to simultaneously produce clean water and electricity. Interfacial solar evaporation-based desalination technology has the unique advantage of using solar light as the sole energy source for affordable clean water production. However, its absolute evaporation rate is still too low for practical application and all of the latent heat releas ....Solar-thermal desalination system for parallel water-electricity generation. This project aims to develop a multi-functional solar-thermal desalination device to simultaneously produce clean water and electricity. Interfacial solar evaporation-based desalination technology has the unique advantage of using solar light as the sole energy source for affordable clean water production. However, its absolute evaporation rate is still too low for practical application and all of the latent heat released from vapor condensation during desalination is wasted. Solving these two critical issues by the study of energy nexus, design and fabrication of advanced photothermal materials and desalination devices could accelerate practical adoption of this technology and benefit millions of people who desperately need clean water. Read moreRead less
Improving anti-salt crystallisation for solar-steam desalination. This project aims to solve a critical issue of solar-steam desalination by fundamental research. The solar-steam desalination technology offers an ideal strategy to utilize solar light as the energy source for desalination and water purification to produce affordable clean water. Photothermal materials play a key role in the desalination system to convert sunlight to heat and subsequently evaporate the saline water to generate ste ....Improving anti-salt crystallisation for solar-steam desalination. This project aims to solve a critical issue of solar-steam desalination by fundamental research. The solar-steam desalination technology offers an ideal strategy to utilize solar light as the energy source for desalination and water purification to produce affordable clean water. Photothermal materials play a key role in the desalination system to convert sunlight to heat and subsequently evaporate the saline water to generate steam as clean water. However, salt crystallization on the photothermal material surfaces severely limits the performance of the materials and clean water production. Solving this problem could accelerate the commercialisation and application of this technology, which will benefit millions of people worldwide.Read moreRead less
Multi-energy driven photothermal evaporators for all-weather desalination. This project aims to develop advanced Interfacial solar evaporation (ISE) technology to stably deliver clean water. This project expects to facilitate desalination practices by generating new ISE systems that use multiple energy sources from the environment and can operate under different weather conditions. Expected outcomes of this project include new knowledge in the area of renewable energy, improved ISE technique and ....Multi-energy driven photothermal evaporators for all-weather desalination. This project aims to develop advanced Interfacial solar evaporation (ISE) technology to stably deliver clean water. This project expects to facilitate desalination practices by generating new ISE systems that use multiple energy sources from the environment and can operate under different weather conditions. Expected outcomes of this project include new knowledge in the area of renewable energy, improved ISE technique and enhanced capacity for desalination and industrial wastewater treatment. This should provide significant benefits to remote communities who suffer from severe freshwater shortages and enhance research capabilities to position Australia as a global leader in developing green and affordable desalination technologies.Read moreRead less
CO2-coupled photothermal catalysis on superlattice structures. This project aims to develop a structure-tailored platform of superlattice materials for photothermal catalytic conversion of natural gases to valuable fuels and chemicals. Innovations lie in engineered atomic and bulk scale nanocrystals for high-efficiency sunlight harvesting to drive CO2-coupled catalysis of C-H bond activation. Advanced characterisations and multiscale computations will enable mechanistic insights into the synergy ....CO2-coupled photothermal catalysis on superlattice structures. This project aims to develop a structure-tailored platform of superlattice materials for photothermal catalytic conversion of natural gases to valuable fuels and chemicals. Innovations lie in engineered atomic and bulk scale nanocrystals for high-efficiency sunlight harvesting to drive CO2-coupled catalysis of C-H bond activation. Advanced characterisations and multiscale computations will enable mechanistic insights into the synergy of photo and thermal catalysis in hydrocarbon conversions. The projects will result in next-generation intelligent materials and clean technologies for solar fuels production and CO2 recycling. Outcomes will benefit Australia’s long-term energy security and sustainability toward a carbon-neutral society. Read moreRead less
Light Powered Materials for Producing Chemical Fuels. This project aims to develop a hybrid, solar-powered catalytic material for the manufacture of liquid hydrocarbon chemicals, without consuming external heating. The key concept is to transform hydrogen and carbon monoxide into long-chain hydrocarbons over hybrid materials that can convert light energy into heat and simultaneously catalyze the chemical transformation. Investigations on the relations between material synthesis, nanostructures, ....Light Powered Materials for Producing Chemical Fuels. This project aims to develop a hybrid, solar-powered catalytic material for the manufacture of liquid hydrocarbon chemicals, without consuming external heating. The key concept is to transform hydrogen and carbon monoxide into long-chain hydrocarbons over hybrid materials that can convert light energy into heat and simultaneously catalyze the chemical transformation. Investigations on the relations between material synthesis, nanostructures, and performance of the new catalysis processes will be conducted using experiments and theoretical computation. Expected outcomes include low cost and efficient materials for solar-to-fuel conversion, will provide benefits to low-carbon living, new clean energy resource and environmental protections.Read moreRead less
Understanding particle-laden flows for clean high temperature processes. This project aims to understand and provide computational design tools for the complex heat and mass transfer processes within the new technologies that needed for the high temperature processing of minerals with low net carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, both with and without the use of concentrated solar thermal energy. These models are needed to achieve low-cost scale-up and development of the new technologies under develop ....Understanding particle-laden flows for clean high temperature processes. This project aims to understand and provide computational design tools for the complex heat and mass transfer processes within the new technologies that needed for the high temperature processing of minerals with low net carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, both with and without the use of concentrated solar thermal energy. These models are needed to achieve low-cost scale-up and development of the new technologies under development, because they operate in regimes of particle-laden flow for which present numerical design tools are unreliable. The project will underpin the development of new technologies that are needed for Australia to meet its greenhouse emissions targets and to capitalise on the anticipated global demand for low-carbon-intensive metals and other value-added products.Read moreRead less
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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100109
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$240,000.00
Summary
Raman Spectroscopic System for In-Operando Electrochemical Studies. This proposal aims to establish a Raman microscopic system with real-time tracking capability, which will allow investigation of the activities of battery components during charging. An instrument that allows this level of interrogation is currently not available in Australia. Expected outcomes include advanced knowledge for improved battery technology, which will meet the increasing demand of electronic applications and provide ....Raman Spectroscopic System for In-Operando Electrochemical Studies. This proposal aims to establish a Raman microscopic system with real-time tracking capability, which will allow investigation of the activities of battery components during charging. An instrument that allows this level of interrogation is currently not available in Australia. Expected outcomes include advanced knowledge for improved battery technology, which will meet the increasing demand of electronic applications and provide commercial opportunities in Australia. This system will be highly versatile and extendable to other fields of energy and materials-related research, providing high-quality training of researchers, as well as a platform from which to enhance materials research capabilities in Australia.Read moreRead less