Bioinspired interfaces for improved carbon fibre composite performance. Carbon fibre composites, where carbon fibres are embedded in a polymer matrix, are gradually replacing traditional materials such as steel. For example, composites make up 50 per cent of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, resulting in a 20 per cent improvement in fuel economy. There is significant scope for improving the damage tolerance of these materials. A fundamental lack of understanding around the fibre matrix interface currentl ....Bioinspired interfaces for improved carbon fibre composite performance. Carbon fibre composites, where carbon fibres are embedded in a polymer matrix, are gradually replacing traditional materials such as steel. For example, composites make up 50 per cent of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, resulting in a 20 per cent improvement in fuel economy. There is significant scope for improving the damage tolerance of these materials. A fundamental lack of understanding around the fibre matrix interface currently limits the development of new composite systems to overcome the problems with damage tolerance. This project takes inspiration from nature to develop a fundamental understanding of the interfaces within carbon fibre composites and optimise their behaviour via model-guided surface and interface engineering. Read moreRead less
Reactivity and photochemistry of halide anions: atmospheric implications. Bromine and iodine are suspected to be responsible for most of the halogen-induced ozone loss in the stratosphere but are not currently included in atmospheric models due to a paucity of knowledge of the gas-phase chemistry and photochemistry of their anions and radicals. This project will develop and deploy advanced mass spectrometry and laser spectroscopy techniques to enable precision measurements of the reactions and p ....Reactivity and photochemistry of halide anions: atmospheric implications. Bromine and iodine are suspected to be responsible for most of the halogen-induced ozone loss in the stratosphere but are not currently included in atmospheric models due to a paucity of knowledge of the gas-phase chemistry and photochemistry of their anions and radicals. This project will develop and deploy advanced mass spectrometry and laser spectroscopy techniques to enable precision measurements of the reactions and photo-reactions of gas-phase iodide and bromide anions and their oxides. These state-of-the-art measurements of reaction kinetics and products will enable accurate chemical models that predict the impact of bromine and iodine chemistry on ozone levels and will inform future models for global climate.Read moreRead less
A molecular understanding of transport fuels to drive clean and efficient combustion. A molecular understanding of hydrocarbon combustion remains incomplete and this inhibits the deployment of alternative fuels and clean/efficient engine technologies. This project will develop the chemistry that will enable accurate combustion models to accelerate developments towards clean and efficient fuels for the twenty-first century.
Sustainable Reversible Polymerisation. This project aims to address the problem of the current lack of efficient chemical recyclability of polymers. For the majority of polymers, no methods exist so far that are scalable and economic at the same time. To reach this aim, we will utilise a mixture of clever chemical concepts with continuous flow engineering. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of depolymerisation and chemical recycling methods. The expected outcome of this p ....Sustainable Reversible Polymerisation. This project aims to address the problem of the current lack of efficient chemical recyclability of polymers. For the majority of polymers, no methods exist so far that are scalable and economic at the same time. To reach this aim, we will utilise a mixture of clever chemical concepts with continuous flow engineering. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of depolymerisation and chemical recycling methods. The expected outcome of this project is a scalable process and its practical demonstration for full chemical recycling of various polymers used in everyday applications. This will provide a benefit to society as it allows to tackle plastic pollution problems, and creates avenues to green methods in plastic recycling.
Read moreRead less
Formation, photochemistry and fate of gas-phase peroxyl radicals. This project aims to understand how peroxyl radical reactions modulate the composition of air. The gas-phase chemical reactions of organic peroxyl radicals contribute to air quality in clean and polluted environments. However, experimental observations of these reaction intermediates and the complex mechanisms governing their formation and fate are limited. This project will use mass spectrometry and laser-based methods to interro ....Formation, photochemistry and fate of gas-phase peroxyl radicals. This project aims to understand how peroxyl radical reactions modulate the composition of air. The gas-phase chemical reactions of organic peroxyl radicals contribute to air quality in clean and polluted environments. However, experimental observations of these reaction intermediates and the complex mechanisms governing their formation and fate are limited. This project will use mass spectrometry and laser-based methods to interrogate the chemical and photochemical reactions of peroxyl radicals in the gas phase. This project expects to understand the composition and dynamics of the troposphere and inform strategies to improve air quality.Read moreRead less
Transformation of organics in the unpolluted atmosphere. This project will develop the chemistry needed to model the removal of methane and other organic compounds from the unpolluted atmosphere. While the chemistry of urban environments is now understood, there are major shortcomings when describing remote environments, limiting our ability to model the lifetimes of key greenhouse gases and toxins.
Data Driven Polymer Synthesis. This project aims at full digitalization of the synthesis of high-added-value materials via combination of chemistry with data science and by constructing a fully automated robotic synthesis machine. The project expects to provide the data basis for advanced artificial intelligence application and its implementation. If successful, this will enable the prediction and automatic optimization of chemical reactions, providing rapid and more precise development of new m ....Data Driven Polymer Synthesis. This project aims at full digitalization of the synthesis of high-added-value materials via combination of chemistry with data science and by constructing a fully automated robotic synthesis machine. The project expects to provide the data basis for advanced artificial intelligence application and its implementation. If successful, this will enable the prediction and automatic optimization of chemical reactions, providing rapid and more precise development of new materials. This project will provide the benefit of significantly increasing the ability of Australian industry to use novel digital chemistry tools and to create revenue by faster product development, aiding in securing the over 60 000 jobs in this industry in Australia.Read moreRead less