Improving anti-salt crystallisation for solar-steam desalination. This project aims to solve a critical issue of solar-steam desalination by fundamental research. The solar-steam desalination technology offers an ideal strategy to utilize solar light as the energy source for desalination and water purification to produce affordable clean water. Photothermal materials play a key role in the desalination system to convert sunlight to heat and subsequently evaporate the saline water to generate ste ....Improving anti-salt crystallisation for solar-steam desalination. This project aims to solve a critical issue of solar-steam desalination by fundamental research. The solar-steam desalination technology offers an ideal strategy to utilize solar light as the energy source for desalination and water purification to produce affordable clean water. Photothermal materials play a key role in the desalination system to convert sunlight to heat and subsequently evaporate the saline water to generate steam as clean water. However, salt crystallization on the photothermal material surfaces severely limits the performance of the materials and clean water production. Solving this problem could accelerate the commercialisation and application of this technology, which will benefit millions of people worldwide.Read moreRead less
Novel CO2-stable oxygen transporting membranes for oxyfuel-based CO2 capture and utilization. Industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is considered the main contribution to global warming. This project aims to develop a new class of oxygen transporting membrane (OTM) for CO2 capture and utilisation. To achieve this objective, the formation process and the unique characteristic of the membrane, as well as the oxygen transportation mechanism through the membrane will be investigated, experimental ....Novel CO2-stable oxygen transporting membranes for oxyfuel-based CO2 capture and utilization. Industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) emission is considered the main contribution to global warming. This project aims to develop a new class of oxygen transporting membrane (OTM) for CO2 capture and utilisation. To achieve this objective, the formation process and the unique characteristic of the membrane, as well as the oxygen transportation mechanism through the membrane will be investigated, experimentally and theoretically. This will advance the membrane technology in economically viable and efficient, clean energy applications.Read moreRead less
Engineered redox polymers for catalytic water purification. This project aims to develop a novel family of chemically and structurally controlled redox polymer as metal-free catalysts for wastewater micropollutant treatment. Innovations lie in the synthesis of high-performance and nanostructured carbon-based materials, multiscale modeling, and in situ characterizations for understanding structure-property relationship in carbon catalysis. Expected outcomes will deliver innovations in functional ....Engineered redox polymers for catalytic water purification. This project aims to develop a novel family of chemically and structurally controlled redox polymer as metal-free catalysts for wastewater micropollutant treatment. Innovations lie in the synthesis of high-performance and nanostructured carbon-based materials, multiscale modeling, and in situ characterizations for understanding structure-property relationship in carbon catalysis. Expected outcomes will deliver innovations in functional materials, mechanism, catalytic engineering, and sustainable separation processes. This project will provide significant benefits in renovating smart nanomaterials in advanced manufacturing and clean environmental technologies, promoting Australia’s economic development and environment protection.Read moreRead less
Conducting polymer materials. This project aims to understand the optical, electrical and optoelectronic properties of conductive polymers by studying how ions influence the charge transport through the polymeric structure. The discovery of conductive polymers in the 1970s led to smartphone and laptop touch displays and solar cells. These materials promise even more still – but how they operate at the atomic level is not understood. This project could lead to an ability to harness and control th ....Conducting polymer materials. This project aims to understand the optical, electrical and optoelectronic properties of conductive polymers by studying how ions influence the charge transport through the polymeric structure. The discovery of conductive polymers in the 1970s led to smartphone and laptop touch displays and solar cells. These materials promise even more still – but how they operate at the atomic level is not understood. This project could lead to an ability to harness and control these properties for energy storage and wearable displays. These materials’ biological neutrality could lead to drug delivery and sensing applications in the agriculture and healthcare spaces.Read moreRead less
Electrocatalytic Refinery for Fuels and Chemicals . The aim is to produce the fundamental science for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals through an advanced electrocatalytic approach using abundant small-molecule sources like water, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides as feedstocks. A range of highly active and selective electrode catalysts will be developed for electrolysis processes at ambient temperatures and pressures, by an interdisciplinary approach combining atomic-level materi ....Electrocatalytic Refinery for Fuels and Chemicals . The aim is to produce the fundamental science for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals through an advanced electrocatalytic approach using abundant small-molecule sources like water, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides as feedstocks. A range of highly active and selective electrode catalysts will be developed for electrolysis processes at ambient temperatures and pressures, by an interdisciplinary approach combining atomic-level material design principles, in situ/ex situ instrumental techniques, and modern computation methods. The expected outcomes will be of great significance for renewable energy use and clean fuel generation – the major energy and environmental challenges facing Australia and the world.Read moreRead less
Rational Electrolyte Design and Engineering for Next-Generation Batteries. The fast-growing energy storage market demands new battery technologies with high energy density. Lithium (Li) metal batteries are an ideal solution, although instability of the Li metal/electrolyte interface remains a challenge. The project aims to drive key advancements in electrolyte engineering for Li metal batteries with long life and high safety. Advanced characterisation and computation will reveal the structure-pr ....Rational Electrolyte Design and Engineering for Next-Generation Batteries. The fast-growing energy storage market demands new battery technologies with high energy density. Lithium (Li) metal batteries are an ideal solution, although instability of the Li metal/electrolyte interface remains a challenge. The project aims to drive key advancements in electrolyte engineering for Li metal batteries with long life and high safety. Advanced characterisation and computation will reveal the structure-property relationship of electrolyte to build electrolyte design principles. This will contribute to ground-breaking knowledge, commercialisation, and boost Australia’s capability to design and manufacture next-generation energy storage devices for billion-dollar markets in smart grids, portable devices and electric vehicles.Read moreRead less
Photocatalysts for Converting Plastic Wastes into Hydrogen and Chemicals. The aim is to produce new fundamental science for sustainable production of hydrogen and value-added chemicals through a solar-driven photocatalytic approach using abundant plastic wastes and high-performance photocatalysts. A range of active, selective, robust and cheap photocatalysts will be developed for conversion processes at ambient temperatures and pressures, via an interdisciplinary approach combining atomic-level ....Photocatalysts for Converting Plastic Wastes into Hydrogen and Chemicals. The aim is to produce new fundamental science for sustainable production of hydrogen and value-added chemicals through a solar-driven photocatalytic approach using abundant plastic wastes and high-performance photocatalysts. A range of active, selective, robust and cheap photocatalysts will be developed for conversion processes at ambient temperatures and pressures, via an interdisciplinary approach combining atomic-level material design principles, in situ/ex situ characterisations and theoretical computations. Expected outcomes will be of high impact for solar energy use, and fuels/chemicals generation. Environmental impact will derive from consuming abundant plastic wastes; helping mitigate plastic contamination of global concern.Read moreRead less
Blue energy harvesting and storage technology for wearable electronics. This project aims to develop new self-charging power devices that can harvest and store body energy generated during body motions, and power smart and implantable medical electronics. The project will develop new Piezo-supercapacitors by designing new electrode materials and cell designs. The charge storage and transport kinetics will be uncovered using advanced in-situ characterisation techniques and modern simulation metho ....Blue energy harvesting and storage technology for wearable electronics. This project aims to develop new self-charging power devices that can harvest and store body energy generated during body motions, and power smart and implantable medical electronics. The project will develop new Piezo-supercapacitors by designing new electrode materials and cell designs. The charge storage and transport kinetics will be uncovered using advanced in-situ characterisation techniques and modern simulation methods. The project expects to generate new knowledge in blue energy harvesting and storage systems, training for young scientists, and generate intellectual property with potential commercialised products to be used in implantable devices, placing Australia at the forefront of new technology.Read moreRead less
Develop Catalyst Materials for Future Fuels by Operando Computation. This project aims to design catalyst materials for the production of future fuels (green ammonia, hydrocarbon and alcohol). Using carbon and nitrogen as energy carriers, these fuels are generated from renewable sources such as wind or solar; they are safe, reliable, and possess high energy density. The outcomes include advance in computational electrochemistry to the Opeando level, electrocatalysts design principles with clearl ....Develop Catalyst Materials for Future Fuels by Operando Computation. This project aims to design catalyst materials for the production of future fuels (green ammonia, hydrocarbon and alcohol). Using carbon and nitrogen as energy carriers, these fuels are generated from renewable sources such as wind or solar; they are safe, reliable, and possess high energy density. The outcomes include advance in computational electrochemistry to the Opeando level, electrocatalysts design principles with clearly articulated reaction mechanisms, and candidate materials for experimental validation. Facilitated by advanced computation techniques and reliable catalyst materials design procedure, this project will address the biggest challenge in future fuel generation, which is the lack of efficient catalyst materials. Read moreRead less
Nanofluid stickiness will transform the Energy and Biotechnology Industries. This project aims to determine how minuscule particles behave on surfaces with different nano-architecture. Modern technologies already use nanodecorated materials to lubricate engines or capture tumour cells. Yet, their potential in applications for sustainable catalysis, gas treatment or water splitting cannot be realised until we understand how nano-objects adsorb to surfaces with features of comparable size. The exp ....Nanofluid stickiness will transform the Energy and Biotechnology Industries. This project aims to determine how minuscule particles behave on surfaces with different nano-architecture. Modern technologies already use nanodecorated materials to lubricate engines or capture tumour cells. Yet, their potential in applications for sustainable catalysis, gas treatment or water splitting cannot be realised until we understand how nano-objects adsorb to surfaces with features of comparable size. The expected outcomes include new methods, models and a workable map of protein adsorption allowing us to 1) create advanced substrates for targeted applications and 2) understand existing phenomenon governed by naturally occurring nanoroughness. It will benefit manufacturing in fields ranging from biology to energy production.Read moreRead less