Oxide-based high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are one of the most efficient energy conversion technologies for producing electricity from fuels such as hydrogen and methanol. Current PEMFCs use precious metal catalysts, and the performance of liquid methanol fuel is disappointingly low due to the inability of polymer or hybrid membranes to operate at temperatures above 160-180 degrees centigrade. This work aims to develop an all ox ....Oxide-based high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are one of the most efficient energy conversion technologies for producing electricity from fuels such as hydrogen and methanol. Current PEMFCs use precious metal catalysts, and the performance of liquid methanol fuel is disappointingly low due to the inability of polymer or hybrid membranes to operate at temperatures above 160-180 degrees centigrade. This work aims to develop an all oxide-based PEMFC technology using a recently developed sintered and heteropolyacid functionalised mesoporous silica membrane. The utilisation of all-oxide-PEMFCs using non-precious metal catalysts is expected to significantly enhance the power density, reduce costs, and enhance the commercial viability of PEMFC technologies.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100229
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$230,000.00
Summary
Carbon-free high temperature vacuum sintering facility. This facility will provide an extremely clean sintering environment for development of advanced materials free from imperfections for applications which range from energy conversion to medical components. It will ensure that Australia is an important international leader in both fundamental research and industrial innovation.
New mesoporous materials for use in high temperature proton exchange fuel cell membranes. A novel high temperature proton exchange membrane based on heteropolyacid (HPA) functionalised mesoporous silica will be developed. This research into the fundamental materials science of novel proton exchange membranes is expected to impact significantly on the advancement and commercialisation of portable fuel cell devices.
Metal-support interactions: single atoms Vs nanoclusters. This project aims to fundamentally understand the catalytic mechanism at an atomic level through metal-metal and metal-metal/support interactions. The optimised configuration of active sites for a specific reaction is consequently identified, providing the design principles of novel catalysts. The precisely control of synthesis for such active sites and assembly of the target active sites into a catalyst will deliver a completely new meth ....Metal-support interactions: single atoms Vs nanoclusters. This project aims to fundamentally understand the catalytic mechanism at an atomic level through metal-metal and metal-metal/support interactions. The optimised configuration of active sites for a specific reaction is consequently identified, providing the design principles of novel catalysts. The precisely control of synthesis for such active sites and assembly of the target active sites into a catalyst will deliver a completely new methodology for catalyst development. The expected outcomes from this project include new science and knowledge of Chemistry, new design philosophy and strategies for catalysts, and the highly efficient catalysts for electrocatalytic reactions, benefiting Australian renewable energy research and industry.Read moreRead less
Tailoring the microwave dielectric properties of promising electroceramics for use in wireless telecommunication components and devices. This project aims to develop and tailor the microwave dielectric properties of promising electroceramic materials specifically targeting next generation wireless telecommunications applications. The partnership between the ANU and the Australian company Microwave and Materials Designs has the potential to enable new microwave electroceramic materials to be disc ....Tailoring the microwave dielectric properties of promising electroceramics for use in wireless telecommunication components and devices. This project aims to develop and tailor the microwave dielectric properties of promising electroceramic materials specifically targeting next generation wireless telecommunications applications. The partnership between the ANU and the Australian company Microwave and Materials Designs has the potential to enable new microwave electroceramic materials to be discovered and then incorporated into new microwave components and/or devices developed in response to the requirements of the international wireless telecommunications market. The requested PhD student will gain experience in both the industrial and academic worlds and the skills needed to be part of Australia's high-tech workforce. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668469
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$195,000.00
Summary
The Rapid Kinetics Research Facility - an Integrated system for rapid kinetic studies of materials using synchrotron radiation. The Rapid Kinetics Research Facility will provide Australian researchers with the tools to follow and understand very rapid processes within advanced materials. This will greatly assist in: i) the development of more efficient materials processing technologies, ii) the development of advanced catalysts able to neutralize pollutants and reduce the energy cost of industri ....The Rapid Kinetics Research Facility - an Integrated system for rapid kinetic studies of materials using synchrotron radiation. The Rapid Kinetics Research Facility will provide Australian researchers with the tools to follow and understand very rapid processes within advanced materials. This will greatly assist in: i) the development of more efficient materials processing technologies, ii) the development of advanced catalysts able to neutralize pollutants and reduce the energy cost of industrial processes, iii) the development of viable hydrogen fuel storage media and iv) the training of young Australian researchers in advanced methods of materials characterization. Read moreRead less
High Performance Monolithic Perovskite Photocapacitors. Monolithic perovskite photocapacitor (MPPC) consisted of integrated energy harvesting perovskite solar cell and energy storage supercapacitor through an internally shared electrode can deliver stable electricity by harnessing solar energy. The performance of MPPC is dependent of properties of the shared electrode materials. This project aims to synthesis carbon materials with tailored surface, electrical and structure properties that are re ....High Performance Monolithic Perovskite Photocapacitors. Monolithic perovskite photocapacitor (MPPC) consisted of integrated energy harvesting perovskite solar cell and energy storage supercapacitor through an internally shared electrode can deliver stable electricity by harnessing solar energy. The performance of MPPC is dependent of properties of the shared electrode materials. This project aims to synthesis carbon materials with tailored surface, electrical and structure properties that are required to make a highly functioning shared electrode in MPPC. The goal is to fabricate stable, high performance MPPC. Successful achievement of the outcomes will enable cost-effective, reliable, solar electricity, placing Australia at the forefront of exploiting photovoltaics technologies.Read moreRead less
Active channel organic transistors. The objective of our project is to create the next generation of electronic transistors based upon organic semiconductors. Specifically, the project will create devices for use in applications such as low power lighting, chemical sensing and lasers.
Towards energy-efficient lighting based on light-emitting diodes: the role of silicon carbide grown on Si Wafers. This project will investigate a potential solution to the problems of cost and quality of light-emitting diodes for solid-state lighting. The expected outcome is knowledge to underpin future development of solid-state lighting that is suitable for a wide replacement of the much less efficient and effective incandescent bulbs and fluorescent tubes.
Liquids to semiconductors: the formation of solution-processed electronics. This project aims to understand and control the formation of solution-processed organic semiconductors. This project will create unique experimental methodologies to study, in situ, the evolution of the structure and the emergence of electrical transport all the way from the initial solution to the final film. These findings will be used to formulate design rules and principles that will accelerate the development of sol ....Liquids to semiconductors: the formation of solution-processed electronics. This project aims to understand and control the formation of solution-processed organic semiconductors. This project will create unique experimental methodologies to study, in situ, the evolution of the structure and the emergence of electrical transport all the way from the initial solution to the final film. These findings will be used to formulate design rules and principles that will accelerate the development of solution-processed semiconductors beyond current trial-and-error approaches. This will provide significant benefits, such as unlocking the potential of soft and flexible semiconductors for new technologies based on sustainable manufacturing.Read moreRead less