Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100017
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
An integrated system for measuring thermoelectric properties of advanced materials. This facility will establish an integrated measuring system which will form the key step in developing thermoelectric materials. The instruments will support groundbreaking research in developing advanced materials with significant economic and environmental benefits for many industries, such as materials manufacturing and improving automobile energy efficiency.
Development of nano-structured thermoelectric materials for power generation from heat. To make thermoelectric technology attractive for practical power generation purposes, new high efficiency materials have to be developed. Our fabricated nanostructured thermoelectric materials will have improved performance due to the peculiarities in electrical and thermal transport. The novel thermoelectric materials and constructed prototype devices with high thermoelectric performance will be practically ....Development of nano-structured thermoelectric materials for power generation from heat. To make thermoelectric technology attractive for practical power generation purposes, new high efficiency materials have to be developed. Our fabricated nanostructured thermoelectric materials will have improved performance due to the peculiarities in electrical and thermal transport. The novel thermoelectric materials and constructed prototype devices with high thermoelectric performance will be practically used for various power generation purposes. This offers a long-term solution to the global warming threat through decreasing amounts of waste heat presently generated. It will also strengthen Australia's position in world-wide research on thermoelectricity.Read moreRead less
Boosting photosynthetic efficiency using a plant nanobionics approach. The project aims to improve light capture and enhance electron transport rates using a plant nanobionics approach. Biocompatible plasmonic low-dimensional transition metal oxides with unique optical and electronics properties will be selected as the bioinspired materials. The investigation will focus on developing oxide compounds as artificial antenna, capturing extended optical wavelengths that are not normally available to ....Boosting photosynthetic efficiency using a plant nanobionics approach. The project aims to improve light capture and enhance electron transport rates using a plant nanobionics approach. Biocompatible plasmonic low-dimensional transition metal oxides with unique optical and electronics properties will be selected as the bioinspired materials. The investigation will focus on developing oxide compounds as artificial antenna, capturing extended optical wavelengths that are not normally available to natural plants. Energetic hot electrons excited from plasmonic materials injected into the plant system will further be explored, achieving unprecedented energy conversion from solar to chemical. The anticipated findings will provide a strong base to develop new plant systems with improved photosynthetic efficiency.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100051
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$200,000.00
Summary
Fabrication and characterisation facilities for lithium rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors. The facility, unlike any currently existing in Australia, will help researchers studying electrodes and cells at a high level. It will provide a new path to high-level research performance and will significantly enhance Australia’s research capability to bring new materials/technologies under development closer to application.
Nanostructured Al Alloys: SPD Processing and Properties. The use of conventional Al alloys in automotive and airspace industries is often restricted by their low room temperature strength. Development of high strength Al alloys which could replace much more expensive Ti alloys or heavier steel in constructions is a very promising way to reduce structural weight and cost. Using the Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) technique, namely high pressure torsion and equal-channel angular extrusion, we ai ....Nanostructured Al Alloys: SPD Processing and Properties. The use of conventional Al alloys in automotive and airspace industries is often restricted by their low room temperature strength. Development of high strength Al alloys which could replace much more expensive Ti alloys or heavier steel in constructions is a very promising way to reduce structural weight and cost. Using the Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) technique, namely high pressure torsion and equal-channel angular extrusion, we aim to develop a new method for production of bulk nanostructured Al alloy with high room temperature strength for automotive and airspace applications.
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Advanced Polymer Electrolytes for Device Applications. The future of an energy sustainable society relies upon the development of a range of technologies that will involve devices such as lithium batteries, supercapacitors, sensors and fuel cells. One of the key challenges is the discovery and development of high performance materials which overcome performance limiting issues such as conductivity, durability and stability in current devices. Our recent discovery of novel successful approaches ....Advanced Polymer Electrolytes for Device Applications. The future of an energy sustainable society relies upon the development of a range of technologies that will involve devices such as lithium batteries, supercapacitors, sensors and fuel cells. One of the key challenges is the discovery and development of high performance materials which overcome performance limiting issues such as conductivity, durability and stability in current devices. Our recent discovery of novel successful approaches to the design of improved electrolyte materials will be systematically exploited to develop materials that will provide the significant advance in device performance that is required.Read moreRead less
Investigation of contaminant distribution, deposition and poisoning of cathodes of solid oxide fuel cells. The purpose of the project is to fundamentally study the poisoning process of contaminants on the performance degradation and activity of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) cathode and to develop contaminant-tolerant cathodes, so as to ensure the product life over five years of the BlueGen SOFC systems being developed by Ceramic Fuel Cells Ltd. in Melbourne.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100448
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,116.00
Summary
Developing high-performance GeTe-based thermoelectric materials. This project aims to develop high-performance germanium telluride-based thermoelectric materials by microstructure engineering and band engineering, which will accelerate the drive for eco-friendly energy technology. The outcomes can result in innovative strategies for maximising thermoelectric performance in broader materials and lead to significant progress in knowledge of materials science, solid-state physics, and chemical scie ....Developing high-performance GeTe-based thermoelectric materials. This project aims to develop high-performance germanium telluride-based thermoelectric materials by microstructure engineering and band engineering, which will accelerate the drive for eco-friendly energy technology. The outcomes can result in innovative strategies for maximising thermoelectric performance in broader materials and lead to significant progress in knowledge of materials science, solid-state physics, and chemical science. Thermoelectric devices assembled from as-obtained high-efficiency materials can be used for recovering waste-heat in mining industries and harvesting the waste-heat from engines to improve fuel consumption efficiency, which will strategically boost Australia's energy industry, environment, and economy.Read moreRead less
Ultrafine grained titanium for bio-implant applications. The project underpins the potential niche applications of ultrafine grained titanium for biomedical implants and establishes a knowledge base for expanding Australia's capacity for manufacturing titanium parts. The novel technology will lead to a broader usage of titanium by biomedical industry and promote the development of the titanium manufacturing industry in Australia. The development of ultrafine grained titanium specifically designe ....Ultrafine grained titanium for bio-implant applications. The project underpins the potential niche applications of ultrafine grained titanium for biomedical implants and establishes a knowledge base for expanding Australia's capacity for manufacturing titanium parts. The novel technology will lead to a broader usage of titanium by biomedical industry and promote the development of the titanium manufacturing industry in Australia. The development of ultrafine grained titanium specifically designed for bio-implants will increase Australia's competitiveness in the global market. The project targets at least three of the priority goals specified under National Research Priority breakthrough science, frontier technologies and advanced materials.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100188
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,572.00
Summary
Understanding failure mechanisms in micro-solder joints in three dimensional integrated circuit packaging. High-density three-dimensional integrated circuits used in microelectronic devices are evolving and placing increasing demands on micro-solder joints. Tin based lead-free solder alloys require further development to satisfy performance requirements, particularly with respect to the properties of the intermetallic forms between solder and substrate. This project investigates the mechanical p ....Understanding failure mechanisms in micro-solder joints in three dimensional integrated circuit packaging. High-density three-dimensional integrated circuits used in microelectronic devices are evolving and placing increasing demands on micro-solder joints. Tin based lead-free solder alloys require further development to satisfy performance requirements, particularly with respect to the properties of the intermetallic forms between solder and substrate. This project investigates the mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of intermetallic forms with trace element additions using micro-pillar compression and ultra-high voltage transmission electron microscopy. Beyond the development of techniques transferable to similar research, this project will lead to significant intellectual property relating to solder composition.Read moreRead less