TiO2 nanoparticle design and photocatalysis applications. The aim is to design nanosized TiO2 photocatalsysts with superior photoactivity using various synthesis paths. Nanosized TiO2 particles will be prepared using sol-gel, aerosol and plasma processing, their physical and chemical properties will be closely studied and their photocatalytic ability will be assessed. Such tailor-made photocatalysts have significant commercial potential value, as they would be highly suitable for the photooxidat ....TiO2 nanoparticle design and photocatalysis applications. The aim is to design nanosized TiO2 photocatalsysts with superior photoactivity using various synthesis paths. Nanosized TiO2 particles will be prepared using sol-gel, aerosol and plasma processing, their physical and chemical properties will be closely studied and their photocatalytic ability will be assessed. Such tailor-made photocatalysts have significant commercial potential value, as they would be highly suitable for the photooxidation of organic compounds and the photoreduction of metal ions in wastewaters. Findings from this work will pave the way for a "green" technology such as photocatalysis to become more efficient and hence a competitive alternative to conventional water treatment methods.Read moreRead less
Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Vanadium Oxide Nanostructures and Their Functional Properties. This project is primarily devoted to material science and nanotechnology, one of the cutting-edge areas in Australia's National Research Priority. Successful completion of this project will result in controlled synthesis, functional assembly and fundamental understanding of vanadium oxide nanostructures. The research findings will be useful for developing new and complex nanostructures for func ....Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Vanadium Oxide Nanostructures and Their Functional Properties. This project is primarily devoted to material science and nanotechnology, one of the cutting-edge areas in Australia's National Research Priority. Successful completion of this project will result in controlled synthesis, functional assembly and fundamental understanding of vanadium oxide nanostructures. The research findings will be useful for developing new and complex nanostructures for functional applications in lithium ionic batteries, catalysts and gas sensors. The conduct of this project will significantly expand the knowledge creativity of Australia in research in advanced materials.Read moreRead less
A novel approach to fighting fungal infections: targeted disruption of hydrophobin monolayers. Fungal infestations of important crops such as cotton cause large economic losses to Australian agriculture while in the medical sector, fungal infections are responsible for high levels of mortality in immunocompromised patients. Our research will provide a new approach to fighting fungal infections by targeting the hydrophobin proteins, which form a robust coating on fungal aerial structures, such as ....A novel approach to fighting fungal infections: targeted disruption of hydrophobin monolayers. Fungal infestations of important crops such as cotton cause large economic losses to Australian agriculture while in the medical sector, fungal infections are responsible for high levels of mortality in immunocompromised patients. Our research will provide a new approach to fighting fungal infections by targeting the hydrophobin proteins, which form a robust coating on fungal aerial structures, such as spores. This layer is critical for fungal growth and reproduction and confers water resistance and tolerance to harsh conditions. Our work seeks to develop reagents that can specifically block regions on the protein that are responsible for forming this coating.
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Organometallic Transformations of Organic Molecules. Simple hydrocarbons such as natural gas and petroleum are amongst the most abundant and readily available natural feedstocks for the organic chemical industry. However, apart from simply burning them for fuel, there are very few methods for using these materials as starting materials for industry. In chemical terms, simple hydrocarbons are very stable and this makes them difficult substances to convert cleanly to other more useful compounds. ....Organometallic Transformations of Organic Molecules. Simple hydrocarbons such as natural gas and petroleum are amongst the most abundant and readily available natural feedstocks for the organic chemical industry. However, apart from simply burning them for fuel, there are very few methods for using these materials as starting materials for industry. In chemical terms, simple hydrocarbons are very stable and this makes them difficult substances to convert cleanly to other more useful compounds. This research program investigates new approaches for converting hydrocarbons to more useful materials by using metals such as iron and ruthenium. This research program will provide a new route to ?value-added? products from hydrocarbons and develop new uses for these abundant raw materials.Read moreRead less
Asymmetric Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Bioactive Alkaloids and their Analogues. We propose to develop innovative methods for preparing bioactive natural products and their analogues with potential applications as new and safer therapeutic drugs and agricultural chemicals. This project would make important scientific contributions to the advancement of the fundamentals of synthetic organic chemistry and contribute to Australia's development as a knowledge-based economy. The methodolo ....Asymmetric Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Bioactive Alkaloids and their Analogues. We propose to develop innovative methods for preparing bioactive natural products and their analogues with potential applications as new and safer therapeutic drugs and agricultural chemicals. This project would make important scientific contributions to the advancement of the fundamentals of synthetic organic chemistry and contribute to Australia's development as a knowledge-based economy. The methodology and products developed may have potential pharmaceutical and agricultural applications from which the country could benefit from in the future. This project would help developed skilled people that may develop innovative outcomes in the future, especially in the developing pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in Australia.Read moreRead less
Porous Mineral Formulations for Controlled-Release Applications. The controlled release of biologically active agents from host materials is a process that is used routinely in pharmaceuticals delivery but has received only limited attention in large-scale, low-cost areas such as the agrochemicals industry. Here we identify a number of rare tubular mineral phases as having great potential for low-cost controlled release. These little-studied minerals, for which high quality deposits exist in Aus ....Porous Mineral Formulations for Controlled-Release Applications. The controlled release of biologically active agents from host materials is a process that is used routinely in pharmaceuticals delivery but has received only limited attention in large-scale, low-cost areas such as the agrochemicals industry. Here we identify a number of rare tubular mineral phases as having great potential for low-cost controlled release. These little-studied minerals, for which high quality deposits exist in Australia, consist of hollow tubules of nanoscale dimension. This project involves the first ever studies of the kinetics of guest release from these fascinating hosts, and promises to generate important new technologies in agrochemical delivery.Read moreRead less
Process for treatment of fluorine-containing synthetic greenhouse gases. It is generally agreed that increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are leading to higher average atmospheric temperatures. This research pursues the development of an energy-efficient, non-destructive process for transforming fluorine-containing greenhouse gases (GHGs) into valuable and environmentally benign products. The application of research will lead to the development of a new non-destructive proce ....Process for treatment of fluorine-containing synthetic greenhouse gases. It is generally agreed that increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are leading to higher average atmospheric temperatures. This research pursues the development of an energy-efficient, non-destructive process for transforming fluorine-containing greenhouse gases (GHGs) into valuable and environmentally benign products. The application of research will lead to the development of a new non-destructive process and will benefit Australia, socially by reducing emission of GHGs and thus protecting the environment, and economically through licensing of the technology for treatment of the growing stockpiles of synthetic GHGs.
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Stereoselective Synthesis of Bioactive Alkaloids for Structure Elucidation and Drug Discovery. It is proposed to develop innovative methods for preparing bioactive natural products and their analogues with potential applications as new and safer therapeutic drugs and agricultural chemicals. This project would make important scientific contributions to the advancement of the fundamentals of synthetic organic chemistry and contribute to Australia's development as a knowledge-based economy. The m ....Stereoselective Synthesis of Bioactive Alkaloids for Structure Elucidation and Drug Discovery. It is proposed to develop innovative methods for preparing bioactive natural products and their analogues with potential applications as new and safer therapeutic drugs and agricultural chemicals. This project would make important scientific contributions to the advancement of the fundamentals of synthetic organic chemistry and contribute to Australia's development as a knowledge-based economy. The methodology and products developed are likely to have potential pharmaceutical and agricultural applications from which the country could benefit in the future. This project will train skilled people who may develop innovative outcomes in the future, especially in the developing pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in Australia.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0238397
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$550,000.00
Summary
A ROBOTIC NMR SPECTROMETER FOR ACCELERATED DRUG DISCOVERY. The aim is to establish a facility that will use a robotic NMR instrument to help in the characterisation of drug-protein interactions and in the discovery of new drugs or agrichemicals. The significance is that with the wealth of new information arising on protein sequences from genomics programs there is an urgent need to accelerate the rate of discovery of ligands that bind to these proteins. Such ligands may provide useful drug lea ....A ROBOTIC NMR SPECTROMETER FOR ACCELERATED DRUG DISCOVERY. The aim is to establish a facility that will use a robotic NMR instrument to help in the characterisation of drug-protein interactions and in the discovery of new drugs or agrichemicals. The significance is that with the wealth of new information arising on protein sequences from genomics programs there is an urgent need to accelerate the rate of discovery of ligands that bind to these proteins. Such ligands may provide useful drug leads or help in defining the function of newly discovered proteins. The outcomes will be new knowledge on protein structure and function, and potentially, new bio-active molecules.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453671
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$133,770.00
Summary
NMR Facility for Natural Products Research. The aim is to establish a facility that will use high-field NMR and LC-NMR equipment to help in the characterisation of unknown compounds from natural products and in the discovery of new drugs and agrichemicals. The significance is that the facility will accelerate the rate of discovery of new bioactive molecules and will provide a wealth of new information on plant biodiversity. The outcomes will be new knowledge in natural products chemistry, and po ....NMR Facility for Natural Products Research. The aim is to establish a facility that will use high-field NMR and LC-NMR equipment to help in the characterisation of unknown compounds from natural products and in the discovery of new drugs and agrichemicals. The significance is that the facility will accelerate the rate of discovery of new bioactive molecules and will provide a wealth of new information on plant biodiversity. The outcomes will be new knowledge in natural products chemistry, and potentially, new bioactive molecules.Read moreRead less