Nanoengineering Smart and Precise Antimicrobial Polymers. Designing the next generation of antimicrobial polymers. This proposal aims to combat the critical global issue of antibiotic resistance via fundamental and innovative chemistry design solutions. The proposed new design will enable the polymers to activate intelligently and precisely in the presence of specific stimuli such as bacterial enzymes for the first time, thereby endowing the polymers with both antimicrobial and biocompatible pro ....Nanoengineering Smart and Precise Antimicrobial Polymers. Designing the next generation of antimicrobial polymers. This proposal aims to combat the critical global issue of antibiotic resistance via fundamental and innovative chemistry design solutions. The proposed new design will enable the polymers to activate intelligently and precisely in the presence of specific stimuli such as bacterial enzymes for the first time, thereby endowing the polymers with both antimicrobial and biocompatible properties. Both properties are crucially needed for successful translation into practical applications. This proposal will lead to new and effective avenues in fighting multidrug-resistant bacteria and will significantly benefit Australia's healthcare and agriculture sectors.Read moreRead less
DNA printing on a synthetic polymer template. This project aims to design and study DNA printing to manufacture long strands of DNA using simple but elegant fundamental non-enzymatic chemical reactions. Gene therapy is one of the most rapidly growing therapies in modern medicine but it is prohibitively expensive for the average person. Current methods of artificial gene synthesis are complicated with commercial DNA synthesis only supplying short DNA strands. The project outcomes will lead to a s ....DNA printing on a synthetic polymer template. This project aims to design and study DNA printing to manufacture long strands of DNA using simple but elegant fundamental non-enzymatic chemical reactions. Gene therapy is one of the most rapidly growing therapies in modern medicine but it is prohibitively expensive for the average person. Current methods of artificial gene synthesis are complicated with commercial DNA synthesis only supplying short DNA strands. The project outcomes will lead to a stable template directing the chemical reactions for DNA printing. This new approach will make life-saving gene therapy cheaper and more widely available for future generations and provide economic, and social benefits to all Australians.Read moreRead less
Molecular probes for selective sensing of membrane phospholipids. The goal of this project is to develop a toolkit of molecular probes that are able to selectively bind to the phospholipids that constitute a large part of biological membranes. Membranes are composed of over one thousand structurally different lipid molecules but we do not have a clear understanding of how these structural differences impact on cell function. This project will provide new tools that can be applied to expand our k ....Molecular probes for selective sensing of membrane phospholipids. The goal of this project is to develop a toolkit of molecular probes that are able to selectively bind to the phospholipids that constitute a large part of biological membranes. Membranes are composed of over one thousand structurally different lipid molecules but we do not have a clear understanding of how these structural differences impact on cell function. This project will provide new tools that can be applied to expand our knowledge of the impact of lipid diversity on biological function. This will underpin advances throughout cell biology. It will provide new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration between synthetic chemists and cell biologists.Read moreRead less
Macromolecular Engineering of Functional Metal–Ligand Materials. Materials self-assembled from metal ions and ligands have a range of important applications, including as advanced coatings, adhesives and catalysts. However, these materials have been largely limited to those assembled from naturally occurring ligands such as phenolics, restricting their properties and function. This project aims to greatly expand the range of accessible properties of metal–phenolic materials by combining self-ass ....Macromolecular Engineering of Functional Metal–Ligand Materials. Materials self-assembled from metal ions and ligands have a range of important applications, including as advanced coatings, adhesives and catalysts. However, these materials have been largely limited to those assembled from naturally occurring ligands such as phenolics, restricting their properties and function. This project aims to greatly expand the range of accessible properties of metal–phenolic materials by combining self-assembly with advanced polymer synthesis techniques. The expected outcome of the project is a new class of functional materials applicable as self-healing coatings, nanoadhesives and antimicrobial surfaces, thus underpinning next-generation technologies in materials science and nanotechnology.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100797
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$411,000.00
Summary
Shape-shifting polymer assemblies as stimuli-adaptive nanomaterials. This project aims to develop shape-shifting polymer nanomaterials that can adapt to changes in their environments by undergoing nanoscale morphology transformations. Shape-shifting polymer nanostructures are exciting new building blocks for designing the cutting-edge materials and biomedical therapies of tomorrow. This project will use shape-shifting polymer nanostructures to develop innovative tools for building technologies t ....Shape-shifting polymer assemblies as stimuli-adaptive nanomaterials. This project aims to develop shape-shifting polymer nanomaterials that can adapt to changes in their environments by undergoing nanoscale morphology transformations. Shape-shifting polymer nanostructures are exciting new building blocks for designing the cutting-edge materials and biomedical therapies of tomorrow. This project will use shape-shifting polymer nanostructures to develop innovative tools for building technologies that can detect environmental pollutants, accelerate tissue regeneration and deliver drugs to diseased tissue with unparalleled specificity. These technologies have high commercial potential with benefits to the Australian economy and the potential to contribute powerful technological impacts across Australia's biomedical, agricultural and environmental industries.Read moreRead less
Flexible molecular crystals: single crystals that bend, stretch and twist. This project aims to thoroughly quantify the elastic flexibility of a suite of metal-organic molecular crystals. Since antiquity, crystalline materials have been thought to be brittle and inflexible. Crystals can, in fact, display appreciable, even remarkable, elasticity. Some crystals can bend, stretch and twist. The influence that the molecules, and their arrangements in crystals, have on the extent of elasticity will b ....Flexible molecular crystals: single crystals that bend, stretch and twist. This project aims to thoroughly quantify the elastic flexibility of a suite of metal-organic molecular crystals. Since antiquity, crystalline materials have been thought to be brittle and inflexible. Crystals can, in fact, display appreciable, even remarkable, elasticity. Some crystals can bend, stretch and twist. The influence that the molecules, and their arrangements in crystals, have on the extent of elasticity will be determined along with molecular-scale mechanisms for contortion. This information will be used to design new crystals with predictable and tunable elasticity for potential applications previously considered impossible for crystalline materials.Read moreRead less
Sulfoxide Polymers - A New Paradigm in Polymer Design. Low fouling polymers are important for moderating interactions of molecules and particles with cells. In pharmaceutical sciences they are essential tools for extending the pharmacokinetics of dissolved drugs. However, the widely-used low-fouling polymer, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been recently reported to induce formation of anti-PEG antibodies. Polymeric alternatives to PEG are thus desperately needed. We introduce in this project sup ....Sulfoxide Polymers - A New Paradigm in Polymer Design. Low fouling polymers are important for moderating interactions of molecules and particles with cells. In pharmaceutical sciences they are essential tools for extending the pharmacokinetics of dissolved drugs. However, the widely-used low-fouling polymer, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been recently reported to induce formation of anti-PEG antibodies. Polymeric alternatives to PEG are thus desperately needed. We introduce in this project super-hydrophilic polymers incorporating sulfoxide groups, mimics of the polar solvent DMSO. The project aims to explore how polymer architecture can enhance biocompatibility and reduce biofouling. The outcome will be a new class of low-fouling polymeric materials with broad application in the biosciences.Read moreRead less
Optimising One-Dimensional van der Waals Heterostructures. This project aims to develop and optimise a new class of nanostructured materials – One-Dimensional van der Waals Heterostructures. These materials are nanoscale versions of coaxial cables, in that they consist of multiple nanotubes ‘stacked’ inside each other, like Russian dolls. These materials constitute an exciting new frontier in materials science, since their properties and applications are limited only by the types of nanotubes in ....Optimising One-Dimensional van der Waals Heterostructures. This project aims to develop and optimise a new class of nanostructured materials – One-Dimensional van der Waals Heterostructures. These materials are nanoscale versions of coaxial cables, in that they consist of multiple nanotubes ‘stacked’ inside each other, like Russian dolls. These materials constitute an exciting new frontier in materials science, since their properties and applications are limited only by the types of nanotubes in their structure, and the order in which they are stacked. This project will pair cutting-edge experimental synthesis and molecular modelling to establish how these factors can be controlled, delivering function-designable nanomaterials with wide-ranging electronic, mechanical and optical properties.
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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100163
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$411,000.00
Summary
Harnessing dynamic materials to produce better heterogeneous catalysts. This project aims to investigate an emerging class of catalysts featuring dynamic reaction sites using innovative computational chemistry methods. The capability of traditional materials has reached a performance status quo for many catalytic reactions. Dynamic materials may unlock a new dimension in catalyst design; however, their influence on reactivity is unclear, and the combination of materials and dynamics represents a ....Harnessing dynamic materials to produce better heterogeneous catalysts. This project aims to investigate an emerging class of catalysts featuring dynamic reaction sites using innovative computational chemistry methods. The capability of traditional materials has reached a performance status quo for many catalytic reactions. Dynamic materials may unlock a new dimension in catalyst design; however, their influence on reactivity is unclear, and the combination of materials and dynamics represents an immense parameter space. This project expects to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding dynamic catalytic processes. Expected outcomes of this project include the identification of specific materials and dynamics that achieve extraordinary efficiency for the benefit of sustainable chemical production.Read moreRead less
High-brightness, low-efficiency roll-off materials for augmented realities. The proposal aims to apply new materials design theory to create new classes of highly efficient materials and overcome device efficiency roll-off issue for next-generation transparent electronics. The project expects to advance new see-through technology through new materials and device architectures innovations. Expected key outcomes include novel highly efficient multi-nuclear metal complexes generation, establishment ....High-brightness, low-efficiency roll-off materials for augmented realities. The proposal aims to apply new materials design theory to create new classes of highly efficient materials and overcome device efficiency roll-off issue for next-generation transparent electronics. The project expects to advance new see-through technology through new materials and device architectures innovations. Expected key outcomes include novel highly efficient multi-nuclear metal complexes generation, establishment of new knowledge of materials’ structure-property relationship and fundamental understanding of device physics, creation of new transparent display pixels, new training of young scientists and new IPs generation, which will provide benefits to maximise Australia's competitive advantages and meet with global innovation need.Read moreRead less