Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100131
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$398,000.00
Summary
Photo-electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide in gas phase. This project aims to develop a highly efficient gas-phase photo-electrocatalytic process for converting carbon dioxide into high-value chemicals or fuels, through an integrated dual-chamber system. The project expects to use this new system to simplify the catalysis process and precisely control the reaction conditions, in order to investigate the reaction mechanism of carbon dioxide reduction and develop innovative photocatalysts ....Photo-electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide in gas phase. This project aims to develop a highly efficient gas-phase photo-electrocatalytic process for converting carbon dioxide into high-value chemicals or fuels, through an integrated dual-chamber system. The project expects to use this new system to simplify the catalysis process and precisely control the reaction conditions, in order to investigate the reaction mechanism of carbon dioxide reduction and develop innovative photocatalysts and electrocatalysts. Successful implementation of this project should yield fundamental new knowledge in catalysis and material areas, promote the study of carbon dioxide recycle use to confront the worldwide environmental issues and energy crisis.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL210100050
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,263,000.00
Summary
Interfacial design and engineering for high-performance batteries. This Fellowship aims to design the next generation of batteries - for use in portable devices, electric vehicles and smart grids - that will overcome the energy density, cycle life, and safety issues, and will contribute to a more sustainable future. This comprehensive and ground-breaking research program combines experiment and theory of electrode/electrolyte interfacial behaviour with materials engineering, to develop a toolkit ....Interfacial design and engineering for high-performance batteries. This Fellowship aims to design the next generation of batteries - for use in portable devices, electric vehicles and smart grids - that will overcome the energy density, cycle life, and safety issues, and will contribute to a more sustainable future. This comprehensive and ground-breaking research program combines experiment and theory of electrode/electrolyte interfacial behaviour with materials engineering, to develop a toolkit of new battery design principles. The program expects to deliver high energy-density batteries with outstanding safety profiles and extended cycle lives. These outcomes would revolutionise battery technologies and position Australia as a global leader in the critical transition to a decarbonised economy.
Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100816
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$430,000.00
Summary
Liquid Metal Nano Metallurgy by Controlled Phase Transition Thermodynamics. The phase transformation thermodynamics of post-transition metals, which form low-melting-point alloys, remain largely unknown. This project aims to explore low-energy metallurgy pathways enabled by liquid metals to discover such dynamics. The strategy is to harvest structured/crystalline materials by incorporating target metal species into liquid metal solvents and stimulating autonomous phase separation and pattern for ....Liquid Metal Nano Metallurgy by Controlled Phase Transition Thermodynamics. The phase transformation thermodynamics of post-transition metals, which form low-melting-point alloys, remain largely unknown. This project aims to explore low-energy metallurgy pathways enabled by liquid metals to discover such dynamics. The strategy is to harvest structured/crystalline materials by incorporating target metal species into liquid metal solvents and stimulating autonomous phase separation and pattern formation during phase transition. Contemporary instruments and technologies will be employed to achieve active control of these fundamental processes at different scales. The expected outcomes will reveal new insights in traditional metallurgy as well as extend metallurgical concepts to electronics, optics, and catalysis.Read moreRead less
Engineering Processable, Tough Hydrogels with Biological Activity. The project aims to design a new class of tough hydrogels to address issues in engineering complex soft and robust structures. These hydrogels have superior properties compared with current materials as they are biologically active, processable by various manufacturing techniques, elastic and have a capacity for rapid self-recovery that are ideal for soft tissues. Their physical property is tunable by modification of their compos ....Engineering Processable, Tough Hydrogels with Biological Activity. The project aims to design a new class of tough hydrogels to address issues in engineering complex soft and robust structures. These hydrogels have superior properties compared with current materials as they are biologically active, processable by various manufacturing techniques, elastic and have a capacity for rapid self-recovery that are ideal for soft tissues. Their physical property is tunable by modification of their compositions that enable construction of complex seamless structure such as valved conduit with anistropic property. Expected outcomes of this project include new insights into material design, multi-physics modelling, and multi-material additive manufacturing for broad applications in soft robotics and medical implants.Read moreRead less
Iron-based high-temperature topological superconductors. Because of topological non-trivial nature and zero resistance, topological superconductors are very promising in the application of future electronic devices. This project aims to achieve intrinsic and robust topological superconductors at high-temperature by engineering iron-based superconductors via precisely controlling the defects, chemical doping, interface and substrates. Expected outcomes of this project will include high-temperatur ....Iron-based high-temperature topological superconductors. Because of topological non-trivial nature and zero resistance, topological superconductors are very promising in the application of future electronic devices. This project aims to achieve intrinsic and robust topological superconductors at high-temperature by engineering iron-based superconductors via precisely controlling the defects, chemical doping, interface and substrates. Expected outcomes of this project will include high-temperature iron-based topological superconductors as new material platforms for the study of exotic properties of topological superconductivity and future application in high-temperature fault-tolerant quantum computing. Read moreRead less
Ferroelectric bilayer composites with giant electromechanical properties. This project aims to create a novel bilayer ferroelectric material structure that provides giant electromechanical response at the nano-scale. Traditional electromechanical devices based on ferroelectric materials including position sensors, mechanical actuators, and ultrasonic transducers rely on bulk form. As technology moves toward integrated functionalities, future electro-mechanical materials need to be scaled down t ....Ferroelectric bilayer composites with giant electromechanical properties. This project aims to create a novel bilayer ferroelectric material structure that provides giant electromechanical response at the nano-scale. Traditional electromechanical devices based on ferroelectric materials including position sensors, mechanical actuators, and ultrasonic transducers rely on bulk form. As technology moves toward integrated functionalities, future electro-mechanical materials need to be scaled down to thin film form. Currently, doing this induces mechanical constraints that dramatically suppress the electromechanical response. Using this approach one layer relieves this mechanical constraint while the other gives a giant electromechanical response, providing a pathway for future functional devices. Read moreRead less
Topotactic Control of Magnetism in Multiferroic and Skyrmion Materials. The engineering and utilisation of multiferroic and skyrmion materials is currently receiving tremendous attention as they offer a plethora of fascinating phenomena for fundamental research and future technological applications in nanoelectronics and high density data storage. One bottleneck for applications is the precise control of magnetism in single phase materials. The project is expected to deliver insight into synthes ....Topotactic Control of Magnetism in Multiferroic and Skyrmion Materials. The engineering and utilisation of multiferroic and skyrmion materials is currently receiving tremendous attention as they offer a plethora of fascinating phenomena for fundamental research and future technological applications in nanoelectronics and high density data storage. One bottleneck for applications is the precise control of magnetism in single phase materials. The project is expected to deliver insight into synthesis and properties of new topotactic magnetic materials. The utilization of topotactic transitions (reversible stoichiometric changes in materials that lead to changes in the crystal structure) can be seen as a new concept for designing controllable multiferroic and skyrmion host materials for future nanoelectronics.Read moreRead less
Magnetic skyrmion materials for next generation spintronic-based devices. Magnetic skyrmions are a novel class of materials with unique spin arrangement, making them suitable for the next generation of information processing and storage with ultrahigh density and extremely low energy consumption. This project aims to establish Australia as a world authority in the field of magnetic skyrmions and their applications, by developing ground-breaking materials and advanced technologies. The expected o ....Magnetic skyrmion materials for next generation spintronic-based devices. Magnetic skyrmions are a novel class of materials with unique spin arrangement, making them suitable for the next generation of information processing and storage with ultrahigh density and extremely low energy consumption. This project aims to establish Australia as a world authority in the field of magnetic skyrmions and their applications, by developing ground-breaking materials and advanced technologies. The expected outcomes of this project include the creation of new functional materials, leading to a better understanding of the skyrmions and producing a foundation for the future development of novel information storage devices.Read moreRead less
Solar powered water splitting/flow cell system for hydrogen and electricity. This project aims to develop an advanced solar energy conversion system for converting solar energy to hydrogen fuel and electric power. It aims to achieve unprecedented conversion efficiency by Integrating solar water splitting with the rechargeable battery. The solar-powered system without external bias assisted can split water and charge the battery. The significance of this project is to propose an innovative concep ....Solar powered water splitting/flow cell system for hydrogen and electricity. This project aims to develop an advanced solar energy conversion system for converting solar energy to hydrogen fuel and electric power. It aims to achieve unprecedented conversion efficiency by Integrating solar water splitting with the rechargeable battery. The solar-powered system without external bias assisted can split water and charge the battery. The significance of this project is to propose an innovative concept of efficient energy conversion and establish a promising research area of solar energy utilization. The project's success will bring game-changing breakthroughs, push the frontier of solar energy and accelerate its practical application in the hydrogen industry, which is crucial to Australia National Hydrogen Strategy.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170101069
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Two-dimensional inorganic nanostructures for hydrogen evolution reaction. This project aims to synthesise highly active electrochemical catalysts of two-dimensional (2D) inorganic nanostructure for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The electrocatalysis of water to produce hydrogen gas could generate clean energy, but the platinum catalyst’s cost and low activity make it impractical. This project will develop 2D inorganic nanosheets with tuneable pores and electronic band structures, hybridised ....Two-dimensional inorganic nanostructures for hydrogen evolution reaction. This project aims to synthesise highly active electrochemical catalysts of two-dimensional (2D) inorganic nanostructure for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The electrocatalysis of water to produce hydrogen gas could generate clean energy, but the platinum catalyst’s cost and low activity make it impractical. This project will develop 2D inorganic nanosheets with tuneable pores and electronic band structures, hybridised with organic and/or inorganic semiconductor nanomaterials for HER, and use density functional theory calculation to investigate these hybridised nanosheets’ mechanisms for HER. These highly efficient and low-cost catalysts are expected to generate clean energy and create opportunities for Australian industries.Read moreRead less