Design Of Practical Passive Cooling Radiators Utilising Spectrally Selective Covers And Surfaces. Radiative cooling offers a means to cool buildings sustainably without complex and costly heat pumps or air conditioners. Units similar to solar panels can be designed with surfaces which radiate mostly into the 8 - 12 micron atmospheric window, which has a radiance much less than for other wavelengths. Commercial development has been limited by problems associated with the degradation, performance ....Design Of Practical Passive Cooling Radiators Utilising Spectrally Selective Covers And Surfaces. Radiative cooling offers a means to cool buildings sustainably without complex and costly heat pumps or air conditioners. Units similar to solar panels can be designed with surfaces which radiate mostly into the 8 - 12 micron atmospheric window, which has a radiance much less than for other wavelengths. Commercial development has been limited by problems associated with the degradation, performance or cost of radiator surfaces. This project seeks to improve both performance and durability with innovative use of alternative materials and sputtered coatings suitable for mass manufacture, and to test the outdoor performance of laboratory produced radiative plates.Read moreRead less
Design of high performance heat sink composites. Heat sink composites are advanced materials that have the very substantial but widely untapped potential to reduce Society's energy consumption by means of utilizing waste energy or through energy-efficient temperature control. This Project uses computational analysis and parallel experimentation to design optimum heat-sink composites for highly energy-efficient temperature control of chemical batteries or electronic components as well as the mean ....Design of high performance heat sink composites. Heat sink composites are advanced materials that have the very substantial but widely untapped potential to reduce Society's energy consumption by means of utilizing waste energy or through energy-efficient temperature control. This Project uses computational analysis and parallel experimentation to design optimum heat-sink composites for highly energy-efficient temperature control of chemical batteries or electronic components as well as the means for the efficient heating/cooling of buildings. The outcomes of the project will lay the scientific foundation for the industrial scale development of advanced heat sinks that will lower energy costs and decrease climate changing emissions. This represents a new market for Australian industry.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775511
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
Laser Flash Thermophysical Properties Analyzer for the Development of Advanced Materials, Food Processing Technologies and Biomedical Components. The Australian's energy, mining, metallurgical and food industries spearhead the advancement of technologies in the global competitive market. They are the locomotive of Australian economy's strength. Future progress of these industries will be largely driven by advances in materials and food processing technology. The installation of the proposed fa ....Laser Flash Thermophysical Properties Analyzer for the Development of Advanced Materials, Food Processing Technologies and Biomedical Components. The Australian's energy, mining, metallurgical and food industries spearhead the advancement of technologies in the global competitive market. They are the locomotive of Australian economy's strength. Future progress of these industries will be largely driven by advances in materials and food processing technology. The installation of the proposed facility will add a new dimension to high-level research performance and significantly enhance the capability for characterization of various forms of materials, foods and biomedical components in Australia. The continual development of advanced materials and food processing technology will potentially provide a sustainable means for meeting the increasing global challenge for the industries.Read moreRead less
Multifunctional 2D materials for sustainable energy applications. This project seeks to explore the great potential of novel graphene-like two dimensional (2-D) materials for energy applications. 2-D materials, which possess atomic or molecular thickness and infinite planar lengths, are regarded as a building block for many applications due to their unique nanostructures, electronic and mechanical properties. This project is focused on the design and exploration of layered two-dimensional artifi ....Multifunctional 2D materials for sustainable energy applications. This project seeks to explore the great potential of novel graphene-like two dimensional (2-D) materials for energy applications. 2-D materials, which possess atomic or molecular thickness and infinite planar lengths, are regarded as a building block for many applications due to their unique nanostructures, electronic and mechanical properties. This project is focused on the design and exploration of layered two-dimensional artificial graphene and graphene analogues with ‘on-demand’ properties to exploit advanced energy applications. There is now a pressing need to integrate graphene sheets into multidimensional and multifunctional systems with spatially well-defined configurations, and integrated systems with a controllable structure and predictable performance. Project outcomes may lead to next-generation devices in energy storage and other applications.Read moreRead less
metal hydride reactors for high temperature thermochemical heat storage. The aim of this project is to develop a laboratory-based prototype for energy storage in concentrating solar power (CSP) systems using metal hydrides as a chemical energy storage medium. The successful development of cost-effective energy storage technologies is expected to dramatically increase the deployability of CSP systems and this, in turn, will greatly enhance our capacity to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The outc ....metal hydride reactors for high temperature thermochemical heat storage. The aim of this project is to develop a laboratory-based prototype for energy storage in concentrating solar power (CSP) systems using metal hydrides as a chemical energy storage medium. The successful development of cost-effective energy storage technologies is expected to dramatically increase the deployability of CSP systems and this, in turn, will greatly enhance our capacity to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The outcomes of the project are planned to be used towards the development of a commercially viable solar thermal energy storage system. The project also plans to conduct fundamental research into the development of new high-temperature metal hydrides suitable for energy storage in CSP systems.Read moreRead less
Concentrating solar thermal energy storage using metal hydrides. This project will investigate energy storage for concentrating solar thermal energy systems. These systems can be used to efficiently generate electricity in remote locations, day and night, using solar energy. The solar energy is converted to heat energy and then chemical energy stored in a metal-hydrogen compound.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101596
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,220.00
Summary
Development of high performance silicon-based thermoelectrics through band engineering. Thermoelectric (TE) materials, converting waste heat into electricity, have been considered as a sustainable solution to the current energy dilemma. This project aims to realise high-efficiency silicon-based thermoelectrics through rational design of their band structure and nanostructure. This will advance the knowledge of maximising the TE performance in silicon-based thermoelectrics and develop new strateg ....Development of high performance silicon-based thermoelectrics through band engineering. Thermoelectric (TE) materials, converting waste heat into electricity, have been considered as a sustainable solution to the current energy dilemma. This project aims to realise high-efficiency silicon-based thermoelectrics through rational design of their band structure and nanostructure. This will advance the knowledge of maximising the TE performance in silicon-based thermoelectrics and develop new strategies for improving existing TE materials in general. The resulting high performance silicon-based thermoelectrics will greatly promote TE power generation in a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly way, due to their abundance and nontoxicity, benefiting Australia's emerging energy industry, environment and economy.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100188
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,000,000.00
Summary
Epitaxial growth facility for advanced materials. An advanced materials fabrication facility accessible to all Australian researchers will be established. This will allow crystal growth at the atomic level for novel materials with applications including fundamental physics, nanocomposites, energy storage and conversion systems, and solar cells.
First-Principles Engineering of Advanced Multicomponent Materials for Clean, Energy Efficient Thermoelectric and Catalytic Technologies. The quantum mechanical, first-principles calculations for studying advanced multicomponent materials and surfaces of high current technological interest will produce significant results as well as fundamental knowledge of key mechanisms that will aid in the design and tailoring of new catalytic and thermoelectric materials. The project is directly relevant to ....First-Principles Engineering of Advanced Multicomponent Materials for Clean, Energy Efficient Thermoelectric and Catalytic Technologies. The quantum mechanical, first-principles calculations for studying advanced multicomponent materials and surfaces of high current technological interest will produce significant results as well as fundamental knowledge of key mechanisms that will aid in the design and tailoring of new catalytic and thermoelectric materials. The project is directly relevant to the designated priority area - Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries. It will involve collaboration with leading international experts, thus enhancing Australia's knowledge base and research capacity. This clearly has immediate benefits through the transfer and propagation of cutting-edge knowledge and skills to students and post-docs.Read moreRead less
Cadmium telluride/Germanium (CdTe/Ge) tandem-junction solar cells for efficiency enhancement in thin-film photovoltaics. The purpose of this project is to improve the efficiency of large-area, thin-film CdTe solar cells by using them in a tandem arrangement with thin-film Ge cells. An increase of 25 per cent in efficiency appears possible, which would greatly improve the prospects for cost-competitive photovoltaic power generation.