High performance conductive mesoporous carbon electrodes: a low energy desalination alternative. The high cost of existing desalination technology has limited its wider application. There is an urgent need for alternatives which require less energy than current methods. The proposed electrosorption process utilising porous carbon electrodes has the advantage of very low energy demand. Electrosorption therefore has the opportunity to become an alternative desalination option for application in a ....High performance conductive mesoporous carbon electrodes: a low energy desalination alternative. The high cost of existing desalination technology has limited its wider application. There is an urgent need for alternatives which require less energy than current methods. The proposed electrosorption process utilising porous carbon electrodes has the advantage of very low energy demand. Electrosorption therefore has the opportunity to become an alternative desalination option for application in a national and global water desalination market. Advancement in water desalination technology has the potential for a profound social, economical and environmental impact. This vital research is aligned with the National Research Priority 1, An Environmentally Sustainable Australia; Priority Goal: Water, A critical resource.Read moreRead less
Zeolitic Nanoflake-Polymer Composite Membranes for Low Energy Desalination. The desalination of seawater is becoming an important source of drinking water for Australia. The current desalination process using polymer membranes is energy-intensive. The proposed project will contribute to the development of low energy desalination technology by advancing membrane design and fabrication techniques. The use of zeolitic nanoflake-polymer composite membranes developed in this project is expected to su ....Zeolitic Nanoflake-Polymer Composite Membranes for Low Energy Desalination. The desalination of seawater is becoming an important source of drinking water for Australia. The current desalination process using polymer membranes is energy-intensive. The proposed project will contribute to the development of low energy desalination technology by advancing membrane design and fabrication techniques. The use of zeolitic nanoflake-polymer composite membranes developed in this project is expected to substantially reduce energy consumption in the desalination process. This research will produce important economic and environmental benefits by developing a green technology for fresh water production and water treatment for power generation, irrigation and other industrial uses.Read moreRead less
Development of the thinnest possible, multifunctional DNA-nanoparticle membranes for ultrafast filtration and smart sensing. Development of ultrathin and multifunctional membranes is currently in urgent need to improve our technologies in energy, environment and healthcare. This project will apply innovative nanobiomaterials to build such membrane systems and establish the design rules and develop key technologies.
Quantification of airborne engineered nanoparticles: developing a scientific framework to inform their regulation and control. Despite the presence of airborne engineered nanoparticles in many commercial/research facilities, there are no established methods for their detection/characterisation. This work aims to develop a foundation for the quantitative assessment of airborne engineered nanoparticles, which is critical for controlling exposure and minimising health risks.
Detection, characteristics and dynamics of airborne engineered nanoparticles for human exposure assessment. Recent advances in nanotechnology have led to questions about the safety of airborne engineered nanoparticles in commercial and research facilities. This project aims to develop an understanding of nanoparticle emission and behaviour in the air, which is needed to control workplace exposure to these particles and minimise the risk to human health.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101617
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,000.00
Summary
Novel Three Dimensional Porous Boron Nitride Foam for Water Cleaning. This project aims to develop new three-dimensional (3D) porous nanomaterials of boron nitride (BN) foam with excellent sorption properties for water purification. New chemical synthesis approaches will be used to produce 3D porous BN foams with high porosity, large surface area and high mechanical stability leading to a high adsorption capacity, easy regeneration and excellent recycle ability for water purification. The expect ....Novel Three Dimensional Porous Boron Nitride Foam for Water Cleaning. This project aims to develop new three-dimensional (3D) porous nanomaterials of boron nitride (BN) foam with excellent sorption properties for water purification. New chemical synthesis approaches will be used to produce 3D porous BN foams with high porosity, large surface area and high mechanical stability leading to a high adsorption capacity, easy regeneration and excellent recycle ability for water purification. The expected outcomes include a new class of light absorbent materials, new production techniques and a high efficiency water cleaning technique.Read moreRead less
Porous Nanosheets. This research aims to develop novel efficient absorbent materials from porous boron (carbon) nitride (B(C)N) nanosheets, which are new two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials consisting of a few atomic layers. The porous B(C)N nanosheets have a large surface area and a strong selective adsorption property. In addition, they can be regenerated and re-used for many times due to high thermal stability. This project aims to synthesise these nanosheets with controlled nanoporous structu ....Porous Nanosheets. This research aims to develop novel efficient absorbent materials from porous boron (carbon) nitride (B(C)N) nanosheets, which are new two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials consisting of a few atomic layers. The porous B(C)N nanosheets have a large surface area and a strong selective adsorption property. In addition, they can be regenerated and re-used for many times due to high thermal stability. This project aims to synthesise these nanosheets with controlled nanoporous structures. Applications for removing pollutants from water and air will be evaluated. The outcomes are expected to advance our knowledge in 2D nanomaterials, create new technologies for cleaning-up of oil spillage and contaminated water, and provide benefits for environmental protection.Read moreRead less
Tunable antifouling behaviour on rough surfaces. The impact of subtle variations in nano and micro scale surface roughness on larger scale wetting and antifouling behaviour of surfaces is investigated. This will lead to next generation non-toxic coatings for both medical and marine applications. The environmental implications will be a significant feature of the ongoing assessment of this study.
Exploring the Dynamics of Nanostructure Self-Organisation during Compound Semiconductor Epitaxy. The application of LEEM to GaAs and InAs will be a world first, positioning Australia at the forefront of nanoscale self-organisation, leading to important international recognition and publicity. The spectacular movies obtained will revolutionise our basic understanding of compound semiconductor self-organisation and facilitate an improved control over nanostructure fabrication using MBE. This will ....Exploring the Dynamics of Nanostructure Self-Organisation during Compound Semiconductor Epitaxy. The application of LEEM to GaAs and InAs will be a world first, positioning Australia at the forefront of nanoscale self-organisation, leading to important international recognition and publicity. The spectacular movies obtained will revolutionise our basic understanding of compound semiconductor self-organisation and facilitate an improved control over nanostructure fabrication using MBE. This will generate entirely new device structures relevant to the frontier technologies of photonics and quantum information processing. The project will provide high level training for post-graduate and honours students in nanoscale characterisation and synchrotron science.Read moreRead less
Green Manufacturing of Graphene from Indigenous Natural Graphite and Graphene-based Nanofiltration Membranes. This project aims to investigate radical new approaches to reduce chemical and energy requirements for transformation of indigenous natural graphite to a high-value material graphene. The graphite which will be used is the by-product of the Uley mines of South Australia. Graphene is an atomically thin arrangement of carbon atoms with combinations of remarkable chemical inertness, strengt ....Green Manufacturing of Graphene from Indigenous Natural Graphite and Graphene-based Nanofiltration Membranes. This project aims to investigate radical new approaches to reduce chemical and energy requirements for transformation of indigenous natural graphite to a high-value material graphene. The graphite which will be used is the by-product of the Uley mines of South Australia. Graphene is an atomically thin arrangement of carbon atoms with combinations of remarkable chemical inertness, strength, and massive surface area. Utilising fluid phase dispersed graphene, this project aims to develop scalable and industrially-adaptable methods to manufacture thin yet mechanically robust, inert, fouling-resistant, highly-permeable graphene-based asymmetric membranes. These advanced membranes are expected to find wide application in reducing discharge of mining effluents and recovery of precious metals.Read moreRead less