Safety and robustness of tall timber buildings under extreme dynamic events. This project aims to develop innovative and robust structural connections in tall mass timber buildings by characterising their mechanical behaviour under dynamic loads induced by extreme events like earthquakes or progressive collapse. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the safe, economic, and efficient design of mass timber buildings. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced robustness design ....Safety and robustness of tall timber buildings under extreme dynamic events. This project aims to develop innovative and robust structural connections in tall mass timber buildings by characterising their mechanical behaviour under dynamic loads induced by extreme events like earthquakes or progressive collapse. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the safe, economic, and efficient design of mass timber buildings. Expected outcomes of this project include enhanced robustness design guidelines for the engineering community. This should lead to significant benefits, such as contributing to uptake of viable low-cost timber housing solutions in response to population growth and contributing to net zero emissions in Australia by 2050, and transition to safer and resilient infrastructure in urban development.Read moreRead less
Composite steel-timber structural system. This project aims to deliver a novel composite steel–timber system that alleviates many of the environmental concerns of the industry, while improving efficiency by using lighter materials. It aims to develop a unique composite system comprised of steel I-section beams and prefabricated timber slabs, with shear connection being provided by bolting or screws. The project plans to assess the structural system experimentally and numerically, and to craft gu ....Composite steel-timber structural system. This project aims to deliver a novel composite steel–timber system that alleviates many of the environmental concerns of the industry, while improving efficiency by using lighter materials. It aims to develop a unique composite system comprised of steel I-section beams and prefabricated timber slabs, with shear connection being provided by bolting or screws. The project plans to assess the structural system experimentally and numerically, and to craft guidelines for the safe and efficient design of these members. The novel lightweight composite system would enhance the speed of construction, allow for deconstructability and reuse and, because plantation timber sequestrates carbon dioxide, have a low carbon footprint.Read moreRead less
Bioinspired Ceramifiable Fire-Retardant Composite Coatings. This project aims to design bioinspired, adhesive, ceramifiable fire-retardant coatings through understanding their composition-property relationship and fire-retardant mechanism. The fire-retardant coatings are then applied to typical polymer foams to create fire-safe building thermal insulation materials. This project will generate new knowledge in materials science that helps to expedite next-generation advanced fire-retardant coatin ....Bioinspired Ceramifiable Fire-Retardant Composite Coatings. This project aims to design bioinspired, adhesive, ceramifiable fire-retardant coatings through understanding their composition-property relationship and fire-retardant mechanism. The fire-retardant coatings are then applied to typical polymer foams to create fire-safe building thermal insulation materials. This project will generate new knowledge in materials science that helps to expedite next-generation advanced fire-retardant coatings for a variety of flammable substrates. Expected outcomes of this project are cost-effective fire-retardant coatings and fire-safe, inexpensive thermal insulation materials. This project will bring significant economic benefits to Australia and help to create fire-resilient and energy-efficient buildings.Read moreRead less
Molecular modelling of the structure and mechanical properties of clay-based polymer nanocomposites. Nanotechnology is one of the most rapidly growing areas in the 21st century. Its world market is expected to reach US$2.6 trillions in 2014, valued at 15% of global manufacturing output. The use of clay nanofillers as polymer reinforcement is an emerging cutting-edge research and of paramount importance in Australia in view of its heavy dependence on mineral industries. The project will tackle th ....Molecular modelling of the structure and mechanical properties of clay-based polymer nanocomposites. Nanotechnology is one of the most rapidly growing areas in the 21st century. Its world market is expected to reach US$2.6 trillions in 2014, valued at 15% of global manufacturing output. The use of clay nanofillers as polymer reinforcement is an emerging cutting-edge research and of paramount importance in Australia in view of its heavy dependence on mineral industries. The project will tackle the core problems in this field. The research outcomes will lead to highly value-added mineral products and better process control. Furthermore, the application of polymer nanocomposites in automotive and packaging industries will significantly decrease energy consumption and CO2 emission, and increase the shelf-life for food and beverage. Read moreRead less
An innovative approach to fabricate thermally stable polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites. By fully taking advantage of excellent affinity of water with polar layered silicate and polar polymer, an innovative approach to fabricate thermally stable polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites via melt extrusion with the aid of water/water vapour will be developed. In this process, the pristine layered silicate will be directly exfoliated into individual layers with nanometer thickness and high aspe ....An innovative approach to fabricate thermally stable polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites. By fully taking advantage of excellent affinity of water with polar layered silicate and polar polymer, an innovative approach to fabricate thermally stable polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites via melt extrusion with the aid of water/water vapour will be developed. In this process, the pristine layered silicate will be directly exfoliated into individual layers with nanometer thickness and high aspect ratio, and uniformly dispersed in a polymer matrix. This novel approach is environmentally benign and cost-effective since no alkyl ammonium surfactants are required. The resultant nanocomposites will exhibit excellent barrier properties, high thermal stability, environmental durability and superior mechanical properties. These qualities make them very attractive for many applications in the automotive and packaging industries.Read moreRead less
Microspheres from (Sun)Light – A Sustainable Materials Platform. This project will break new ground in light-induced step-growth precipitation polymerisation techniques for polymer particle formation that do not require any initiator, surfactants, additives or heating, thus constituting an environmentally friendly process. The project will establish the underpinning photochemical particle formation processes and establish a broad monomer base for the production of particles with a wide property ....Microspheres from (Sun)Light – A Sustainable Materials Platform. This project will break new ground in light-induced step-growth precipitation polymerisation techniques for polymer particle formation that do not require any initiator, surfactants, additives or heating, thus constituting an environmentally friendly process. The project will establish the underpinning photochemical particle formation processes and establish a broad monomer base for the production of particles with a wide property profile, including particles with tailored surface properties and the ability to degrade upon a defined trigger signal. Scaling the particles' synthesis, including using Australian sunlight, will enable multi-gram production allowing real-world applications.Read moreRead less
Ceramic matrix nanocomposites. Using a novel process developed by the applicant, this project will create and study ceramic matrix nanocomposites of two types: (i) those in which the nanoparticles are homogeneously distributed in alumina and (ii) functionally-graded nanocomposites of controlled heterogeneity, that is, nanocomposites in which the nanoparticles are distributed heterogeneously in glass. Homogeneous nanocomposites of alumina are potentially of great importance to the mining industry ....Ceramic matrix nanocomposites. Using a novel process developed by the applicant, this project will create and study ceramic matrix nanocomposites of two types: (i) those in which the nanoparticles are homogeneously distributed in alumina and (ii) functionally-graded nanocomposites of controlled heterogeneity, that is, nanocomposites in which the nanoparticles are distributed heterogeneously in glass. Homogeneous nanocomposites of alumina are potentially of great importance to the mining industry as they can increase the toughness and wear resistance of mining components. Heterogeneous nanocomposities have the potential to revolutionise the dental restoration industry by combining greatly increased toughness with the aesthetic benefit of controllable translucency.Read moreRead less
The development of super-toughened epoxies using a novel nanomaterial. Epoxy resins are widely used as structural adhesives and coatings in engineering structures. This project will address the problem of the intrinsic brittleness of epoxy by making it significantly tougher with superior performance and cost-effectiveness. Our technology for producing super-toughened epoxy will lead to a wide range of applications for new and existing products in the construction, automotive, aerospace, adhesive ....The development of super-toughened epoxies using a novel nanomaterial. Epoxy resins are widely used as structural adhesives and coatings in engineering structures. This project will address the problem of the intrinsic brittleness of epoxy by making it significantly tougher with superior performance and cost-effectiveness. Our technology for producing super-toughened epoxy will lead to a wide range of applications for new and existing products in the construction, automotive, aerospace, adhesive and microelectronics industries.Read moreRead less
Design and synthesis of transparent conducting metal oxides. With advances in solar cell and flexible display technologies the demand and performance requirements for transparent conductors used as electrodes in these devices will increase dramatically. This research program is focused on developing new materials to meet the demand and the challenges of new, more advanced technologies. The project has the potential to generate valuable intellectual property in the form of new generation transpar ....Design and synthesis of transparent conducting metal oxides. With advances in solar cell and flexible display technologies the demand and performance requirements for transparent conductors used as electrodes in these devices will increase dramatically. This research program is focused on developing new materials to meet the demand and the challenges of new, more advanced technologies. The project has the potential to generate valuable intellectual property in the form of new generation transparent conducting oxide materials for a rapidly growing set of applications. The new devices will directly improve our standard of living and additional economic benefits will come from commercialisation of the technology both here and overseas.Read moreRead less
Corrosion triggered self-passivation of magnesium alloys . This project aims to sustainably protect magnesium alloys from aqueous corrosion in engineering services through an unprecedented self-passivation mechanism (analogues to stainless steel). This project is expected to generate new knowledge in the area of passivation mechanisms for magnesium alloys in corrosive environments through high-throughput screening and in-situ corrosion characterisation at atomic scale. This should provide signif ....Corrosion triggered self-passivation of magnesium alloys . This project aims to sustainably protect magnesium alloys from aqueous corrosion in engineering services through an unprecedented self-passivation mechanism (analogues to stainless steel). This project is expected to generate new knowledge in the area of passivation mechanisms for magnesium alloys in corrosive environments through high-throughput screening and in-situ corrosion characterisation at atomic scale. This should provide significant benefits, such as enabling the debut of a scientific strategy to transform the magnesium alloy market with respect to end use (such as electric car industry), energy composition and emissions, which has significant industrial interest as it will provide new opportunities to minimise carbon footprint.Read moreRead less