Quantum Induced Kinetic Molecular Sieving of Hydrogen Isotopes in Nanoporous Materials. This research addresses a key challenge in gas separation; that of separation of deuterium from hydrogen, while advancing the molecular science of adsorption and transport of light gases in molecularly confined spaces. This project has a multitude of benefits for Australia, not only because of the economic potential of deuterium, but because it will see a new generation of Australian researchers trained in mu ....Quantum Induced Kinetic Molecular Sieving of Hydrogen Isotopes in Nanoporous Materials. This research addresses a key challenge in gas separation; that of separation of deuterium from hydrogen, while advancing the molecular science of adsorption and transport of light gases in molecularly confined spaces. This project has a multitude of benefits for Australia, not only because of the economic potential of deuterium, but because it will see a new generation of Australian researchers trained in multidisciplinary cutting-edge research while addressing several areas of national priority, including breakthrough sciences, and development of frontier technologies, and thereby creating new opportunities for industry.Read moreRead less
Improved Nanoscale and Molecular Models for Nanostructured Carbons, and their Applications in Simulation of Confined Fluids. This project has a multitude of benefits for Australia, a key one of which is the promotion of cross-disciplinary interaction and collaboration to conduct leading edge research in a technologically important area. In addition the project will utilize two PhD students who will be trained in research, and gain a broad range of skills in this multifaceted project involving t ....Improved Nanoscale and Molecular Models for Nanostructured Carbons, and their Applications in Simulation of Confined Fluids. This project has a multitude of benefits for Australia, a key one of which is the promotion of cross-disciplinary interaction and collaboration to conduct leading edge research in a technologically important area. In addition the project will utilize two PhD students who will be trained in research, and gain a broad range of skills in this multifaceted project involving theory, simulation and experiment. The research, grounded in molecular fundamentals, will also lead to the development of advanced tools for adsorption process modelling, useful in process design and scale-up, and contribute to Goal 1 of National Priority Area 3: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.Read moreRead less
Modelling of Adsorption Dynamics in Microporous Solids based on Molecular Dynamics Computations. This project seeks to incorporate non-equilibrium molecular dynamics calculations into particle scale models for adsorption kinetics. Molecular dynamics calculations will be performed for hydrocarbon molecules in small pores to obtain transport coefficients in pores of various sizes, at various bulk gas pressures and temperatures. These transport coefficients will be used in particle scale models t ....Modelling of Adsorption Dynamics in Microporous Solids based on Molecular Dynamics Computations. This project seeks to incorporate non-equilibrium molecular dynamics calculations into particle scale models for adsorption kinetics. Molecular dynamics calculations will be performed for hydrocarbon molecules in small pores to obtain transport coefficients in pores of various sizes, at various bulk gas pressures and temperatures. These transport coefficients will be used in particle scale models to obtain a dynamic model, which will be utilised to interpret experimental data from the literature as well as that being obtained in our laboratory. Such first principles-based modelling has not been performed before at the particle scale, and will mitigate the empiricism in existing approaches.Read moreRead less
Development of Superflux Carbon Nanotube Membranes for Gas Separation. The project seeks to develop gas separation membranes displaying superfluxes - throughputs 10 to 100 times higher than current systems, with lower operating costs. There is compelling evidence that very high flow rates are achievable and they have been shown for single gas transport. Theory predicts that highly selective separations are possible, but this has not yet been experimentally shown - a key outcome from this proje ....Development of Superflux Carbon Nanotube Membranes for Gas Separation. The project seeks to develop gas separation membranes displaying superfluxes - throughputs 10 to 100 times higher than current systems, with lower operating costs. There is compelling evidence that very high flow rates are achievable and they have been shown for single gas transport. Theory predicts that highly selective separations are possible, but this has not yet been experimentally shown - a key outcome from this project. The applications are widespread and include separation of carbon dioxide from power station flue gas for sequestration, purification of natural gas and provision of pure component gases such as oxygen and nitrogen amongst others.Read moreRead less
A fundamental study of milk ultrafiltration. The Dairy Industry is one of Australia's largest domestic and export industries. The fundamental knowledge and models developed in this project will be used to optimise dairy membrane processing. This will reduce water and energy use to improve the global competitiveness and reduce the environmental impact of the Australian Dairy Industry.
Lowering membrane fouling by matching pre-treatment to membrane type. Delivery of potable and recycled water to communities and industry increasingly uses membrane treatment to ensure high standards of water quality, particularly as water scarcity leads to the use of poor quality water sources. Fouling of membranes occurs as water is treated, adding expense and complexity to the process. Reducing fouling will lower the cost of water treatment and improve the economics of treating water in smal ....Lowering membrane fouling by matching pre-treatment to membrane type. Delivery of potable and recycled water to communities and industry increasingly uses membrane treatment to ensure high standards of water quality, particularly as water scarcity leads to the use of poor quality water sources. Fouling of membranes occurs as water is treated, adding expense and complexity to the process. Reducing fouling will lower the cost of water treatment and improve the economics of treating water in smaller systems at source. This will enable greater reliability of localised treatment, which will reduce pumping requirements and decrease both cost and carbon emissions. Read moreRead less
A coupled finite volume method for viscoelastic flow problems on highly-skewed unstructured meshes: a computational rheology revolution. Commercial tools are unavailable for 21st century industry to analyse complex flow processes involving viscoelastic materials. Using fabrication of microstructured polymer optical fibre as a key case study, a coupled finite volume methodology holds the key for the next generation of computational rheology simulators.
Gas-phase and catalytic reaction of halons under reducing conditions. Halons are ozone-depleting substances, but their use continues in most countries. This project pursues techniques to convert, rather than destroy, halons into benign and useful products. The aims of this project are to gain a fundamental understanding of the reactions of the most commonly used halons, 1301, 1211 and 2402, and perform a detailed examination of catalytic processes for conversion of halons to HFCs. The primary ....Gas-phase and catalytic reaction of halons under reducing conditions. Halons are ozone-depleting substances, but their use continues in most countries. This project pursues techniques to convert, rather than destroy, halons into benign and useful products. The aims of this project are to gain a fundamental understanding of the reactions of the most commonly used halons, 1301, 1211 and 2402, and perform a detailed examination of catalytic processes for conversion of halons to HFCs. The primary outcome from the study will be the development of a process specifically designed to convert halons into useful products. This will assist with efforts to phase out continued halon use.Read moreRead less
Transformation of halons and CFC to valuable products through their reaction with methane. Halons and CFCs are well known as ozone depleting substances (ODS). This project pursues the development of a novel process to transform stockpiles of halons and CFCs into vinylidene difluoride (C2H2F2). Vinylidene difluoride is a highly valued commodity, used in the synthesis of heat resistant materials. The primary aim of this research is to gain understanding of the role of catalysts during conversion o ....Transformation of halons and CFC to valuable products through their reaction with methane. Halons and CFCs are well known as ozone depleting substances (ODS). This project pursues the development of a novel process to transform stockpiles of halons and CFCs into vinylidene difluoride (C2H2F2). Vinylidene difluoride is a highly valued commodity, used in the synthesis of heat resistant materials. The primary aim of this research is to gain understanding of the role of catalysts during conversion of CFC 12 and halon 1211 into the desired reaction product. The signifigance of the project is that it will facilitate development of a process for non-destructive treatment of ozone depleting substances. The major outcome of the proposed research is it will lay the technical foundation for the development of an energy efficient process to convert rather than destroy these ODS.Read moreRead less
Programming anisotropy into responsive soft materials. The project aims to generate viscoelastic soft materials with programmable anisotropy using aqueous suspensions of colloidal rods that have tunable surface coatings. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the rheology and structural characteristics of this unique class of materials. A key innovation is the use of charge-directed polymer self-assembly to control colloidal interactions, suspension rheology and phase behaviour. The in ....Programming anisotropy into responsive soft materials. The project aims to generate viscoelastic soft materials with programmable anisotropy using aqueous suspensions of colloidal rods that have tunable surface coatings. The project expects to generate new knowledge in the rheology and structural characteristics of this unique class of materials. A key innovation is the use of charge-directed polymer self-assembly to control colloidal interactions, suspension rheology and phase behaviour. The intended outcome is spatial control over the orientation of nanostructures, potentially mimicking the structural hierarchy found in nature. This should provide significant benefits to the creation of viscoelastic materials with complex rheology as well as structural, mechanical and optical heterogeneity.Read moreRead less