Stretchable Organic Transistors for Wearable Electronics and Robotics. The project aims to address the challenges of fabricating stretchable organic transistors for applications in wearable electronics and robotics through the development of new semiconducting polymers with stretchability and integrating them into novel, stretchable organic transistor configurations. The project will take a molecular engineering approach to the complex needs of this challenge by combining appropriate chemical f ....Stretchable Organic Transistors for Wearable Electronics and Robotics. The project aims to address the challenges of fabricating stretchable organic transistors for applications in wearable electronics and robotics through the development of new semiconducting polymers with stretchability and integrating them into novel, stretchable organic transistor configurations. The project will take a molecular engineering approach to the complex needs of this challenge by combining appropriate chemical functionality which provides high charge carrier mobility with judiciously placed flexible spacers and side chains to provide mechanical dexterity. These novel polymers will be integrated into transistor structures and their fabricated arrays deposited on stretchable substrates will be used for a real world applications.Read moreRead less
Ferroelectric bilayer composites with giant electromechanical properties. This project aims to create a novel bilayer ferroelectric material structure that provides giant electromechanical response at the nano-scale. Traditional electromechanical devices based on ferroelectric materials including position sensors, mechanical actuators, and ultrasonic transducers rely on bulk form. As technology moves toward integrated functionalities, future electro-mechanical materials need to be scaled down t ....Ferroelectric bilayer composites with giant electromechanical properties. This project aims to create a novel bilayer ferroelectric material structure that provides giant electromechanical response at the nano-scale. Traditional electromechanical devices based on ferroelectric materials including position sensors, mechanical actuators, and ultrasonic transducers rely on bulk form. As technology moves toward integrated functionalities, future electro-mechanical materials need to be scaled down to thin film form. Currently, doing this induces mechanical constraints that dramatically suppress the electromechanical response. Using this approach one layer relieves this mechanical constraint while the other gives a giant electromechanical response, providing a pathway for future functional devices. Read moreRead less
It’s a fine line: analytical and experimental optimisation of drawing metal-in-dielectric nanowire composites to manufacture engineered metamaterials. Exploitation of ‘smart materials’ is a major opportunity for 21st century Australian manufacturing if cost effective bulk production is available. Metamaterials are ideal building blocks for such new-age materials, being dielectric/metal composites structured on sub-wavelength dimensions, offering diverse properties unavailable in natural material ....It’s a fine line: analytical and experimental optimisation of drawing metal-in-dielectric nanowire composites to manufacture engineered metamaterials. Exploitation of ‘smart materials’ is a major opportunity for 21st century Australian manufacturing if cost effective bulk production is available. Metamaterials are ideal building blocks for such new-age materials, being dielectric/metal composites structured on sub-wavelength dimensions, offering diverse properties unavailable in natural materials. Fibre drawing is a proven mass-production technology for translating the structure of a (macroscale) preform to microscale and has recently been applied it to fabricate microscale metamaterials. By overcoming fundamental instabilities, this project will transform the technique to manufacture nanoscale structured composites and demonstrate practical metamaterial-based optical devices with unique properties.Read moreRead less
An account of wetting phenomena on nano-engineered surfaces. This project aims to provide researchers and industry with a toolbox to predict wetting behaviour on surfaces with nanoscale topography. A combined experimental and numerical study will lead to the discovery of the mechanisms by which topographical and chemical properties of the surface trigger the formation of nanostructure-induced air pockets and how these phenomena determine surface wettability. This will provide significant benefi ....An account of wetting phenomena on nano-engineered surfaces. This project aims to provide researchers and industry with a toolbox to predict wetting behaviour on surfaces with nanoscale topography. A combined experimental and numerical study will lead to the discovery of the mechanisms by which topographical and chemical properties of the surface trigger the formation of nanostructure-induced air pockets and how these phenomena determine surface wettability. This will provide significant benefits, as the predictive surface-wettability model will enhance controllability and productivity of diverse manufacturing processes and lead to new applications, high-value products and economic benefits in mining, energy, electronics, biomedicine and other fields.Read moreRead less
The development of advanced diluted magnetic semiconductors through nonmagnetic element doping and defect engineering for spin transistors. This project is to develop advanced diluted magnetic semiconductor materials by nonmagnetic element doping and defects engineering for the fabrication of spin devices (for example, spin transistors) and to understand the physics and engineering science of 'spin' behaviour.
New stimuli-responsive polymer membranes using graphene as a multifunctional scaffold. Membranes are used in a range of applications to filter liquids and gases and increasingly must be able to be activated by stimuli such as temperature, pH and voltage. We will develop a new type of membrane which is easy to make, is strong and allows the incorporation of a variety of stimuli-responsive polymers within a functional graphene scaffold.
Light-responsive spin transport and spintronics with stable perovskites. This project aims to investigate the impacts of spin/orbital degrees of freedom of electrons in perovskites, and to realise efficient spin injection and transport in perovskite spintronic devices. Halide perovskite is a fast-rising star in the photovoltaic field and possess unique merits including low-cost processing, good charge transport and high light absorption. However there are questions regarding their physical prope ....Light-responsive spin transport and spintronics with stable perovskites. This project aims to investigate the impacts of spin/orbital degrees of freedom of electrons in perovskites, and to realise efficient spin injection and transport in perovskite spintronic devices. Halide perovskite is a fast-rising star in the photovoltaic field and possess unique merits including low-cost processing, good charge transport and high light absorption. However there are questions regarding their physical properties. This project will explore the synthesis and characterisation of layered perovskites and lead-free hybrid compounds, and use these new materials in charge/spin transport devices. As a result of the strong charge-spin-orbital correlation in perovskite semiconductors, the project is expected to have a significant impact on not only spin-based devices but also charge-based energy conversion and storage applications related to halide perovskites.Read moreRead less
New bar-encoded polymer microbeads for multiplexed bioanalysis-a quick and high-throughput approach for complex disease diagnosis. Distinguishable new bar-encoded (element-encoded) polymer microbeads associated with a mass spectroscopy-flow cytometer detector provide a novel platform for highly multiplexed biological analysis. Such an approach can simultaneously identify many non-self-agents at low concentrations, which facilitates early-stage complex disease diagnosis.
Towards High-quality Hetero-epitaxial III-V Semiconductor Nanowires. The use of semiconductor nanowires has uncovered many scientific curiosities and extended their potential applications in many fields. In general, nanowire growth is governed by metallic catalysts, involving nanowire nucleation and growth. So far, the role of catalysts during nanowire nucleation is not clear and needs urgent attention. This project aims to investigate the behaviour of catalysts before and during the nucleation ....Towards High-quality Hetero-epitaxial III-V Semiconductor Nanowires. The use of semiconductor nanowires has uncovered many scientific curiosities and extended their potential applications in many fields. In general, nanowire growth is governed by metallic catalysts, involving nanowire nucleation and growth. So far, the role of catalysts during nanowire nucleation is not clear and needs urgent attention. This project aims to investigate the behaviour of catalysts before and during the nucleation of III-V nanowires by means of nano-characterisation to ultimately integrate high-quality III-V nanowires on silicon substrates. The new knowledge developed from this project is expected to provide critical insights for developing high-quality III-V nanowires integrated on silicon substrates.Read moreRead less
Developing novel two-dimensional hybrid nanostructures for renewable energy. This project aims to develop novel two-dimensional (2D) hybrid nanostructures with new physical and chemical properties. This innovation intends to address the critical challenges of control functionalisation of 2D hybrid nanostructures: essential to understanding the potential of nanomaterials in key applications of energy generation. Expected outcomes include scalable technology to produce functional 2D nanomaterials ....Developing novel two-dimensional hybrid nanostructures for renewable energy. This project aims to develop novel two-dimensional (2D) hybrid nanostructures with new physical and chemical properties. This innovation intends to address the critical challenges of control functionalisation of 2D hybrid nanostructures: essential to understanding the potential of nanomaterials in key applications of energy generation. Expected outcomes include scalable technology to produce functional 2D nanomaterials and hybrid nanostructures to accelerate research to advanced materials and frontier material manufacturing technologies. This project will provide significant social and economic benefits to Australia in the growth of sectors in advanced materials, energy generation, and advanced manufacturing.Read moreRead less