Nanoconfined ionic liquids for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. This project aims to develop ionic liquid-based nanoporous composite catalysts for efficient electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into value-added chemicals and fuels using electricity generated from renewable sources. Novel nanoporous catalysts will be constructed and impregnated with a secondary phase of task-specific ionic liquids to promote carbon dioxide reduction. An expected outcome of the project is an und ....Nanoconfined ionic liquids for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide. This project aims to develop ionic liquid-based nanoporous composite catalysts for efficient electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into value-added chemicals and fuels using electricity generated from renewable sources. Novel nanoporous catalysts will be constructed and impregnated with a secondary phase of task-specific ionic liquids to promote carbon dioxide reduction. An expected outcome of the project is an understanding of the fundamental physicochemical and electrochemical behaviour of the nanoconfined ionic liquid/catalyst interfaces which will allow optimisation and enhancement of their properties. This project is expected to contribute to clean energy and sustainable environments.Read moreRead less
Three-dimensional, precious-metal-free electrolysis of water. The project plans to develop an efficient water electrolyser prototype made of nonprecious materials. The recent breakthrough in developing cost-effective catalysts for water electrolysis has opened enormous opportunities for large-scale production of hydrogen fuels and storage of electricity generated from clean energy sources such as solar and wind. This project aims to develop a new generation of three-dimensional, nanostructured e ....Three-dimensional, precious-metal-free electrolysis of water. The project plans to develop an efficient water electrolyser prototype made of nonprecious materials. The recent breakthrough in developing cost-effective catalysts for water electrolysis has opened enormous opportunities for large-scale production of hydrogen fuels and storage of electricity generated from clean energy sources such as solar and wind. This project aims to develop a new generation of three-dimensional, nanostructured electrodes made of nonprecious metals for water electrolysis, which match or outperform the benchmark electrodes based on precious metals. In making these electrodes, the project plans to explore the fundamental behaviours of hierarchical nanoporous electrode architectures and discover new catalyst materials.Read moreRead less
Miniaturised Ionic Liquid Systems: Design, Electrochemistry and Application. The project aims to develop a new generation of miniature electrochemical devices based on ionic liquids, salts that are liquid at room temperature. In making these devices the project will study the fundamental physicochemical and electrochemical behaviour of the ionic liquid microinterfaces formed, and this will allow optimisation and enhancement of their properties. A gas sensor made of a micro-pattern of ionic liqui ....Miniaturised Ionic Liquid Systems: Design, Electrochemistry and Application. The project aims to develop a new generation of miniature electrochemical devices based on ionic liquids, salts that are liquid at room temperature. In making these devices the project will study the fundamental physicochemical and electrochemical behaviour of the ionic liquid microinterfaces formed, and this will allow optimisation and enhancement of their properties. A gas sensor made of a micro-pattern of ionic liquid drops will be designed to detect gaseous toxic amines, which are released from numerous anthropogenic sources including waste water, sewage treatment, farms and industry. These sensors will be small, specific to the target gas, sensitive, fast in response and portable.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100136
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,100,000.00
Summary
High Performance Solid State NMR Spectroscopy for Materials Research. The project will support research in a diverse set of fields such as biomedical engineering catalysis, energy storage and waste recovery, with cutting edge next-generation solid state (400 MHz) nuclear magnetic resonance capabilities and research expertise. The system enabling high sensitivity, high throughput analysis over extended temperature range will enable addressing of fundamental questions regarding the structure-prope ....High Performance Solid State NMR Spectroscopy for Materials Research. The project will support research in a diverse set of fields such as biomedical engineering catalysis, energy storage and waste recovery, with cutting edge next-generation solid state (400 MHz) nuclear magnetic resonance capabilities and research expertise. The system enabling high sensitivity, high throughput analysis over extended temperature range will enable addressing of fundamental questions regarding the structure-property relationships of advanced functional materials. Accessible to a wide user base in fundamental and applied research, in medicine, energy, catalysis and recycling of waste, the project will extend the current facilities to develop Sydney as regional centre for advanced solid state nuclear magnetic resonance analysis.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100144
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,225,000.00
Summary
High Performance Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction Facility. This project aims to establish an advanced multidisciplinary facility for the structural characterisation of chemical and biological molecules. Through providing a broad suite of advanced capabilities, including measurement under a range of conditions and rapid crystal screening, the project expects to greatly accelerate research efforts across a wide spectrum of the molecular sciences. Expected outcomes include detailed understandings ....High Performance Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction Facility. This project aims to establish an advanced multidisciplinary facility for the structural characterisation of chemical and biological molecules. Through providing a broad suite of advanced capabilities, including measurement under a range of conditions and rapid crystal screening, the project expects to greatly accelerate research efforts across a wide spectrum of the molecular sciences. Expected outcomes include detailed understandings of the structures and functions of an array of scientifically and technologically important systems, spanning materials, proteins and pharmaceuticals. This should provide significant benefits, both in advancing the understanding of these systems and in spurring commercial development and application.Read moreRead less
A new explanation for the hydrophobic effect. The hydrophobic effect is a fundamental natural phenomenon: why do oil and water spontaneously separate and not mix? The project team proposes a new and novel explanation for this effect, based on known properties of water. The project team's theory explains hydrophobic effects in physics, chemistry and biology.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100090
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$200,000.00
Summary
Surface and Colloid Characterisation Facility. Surface and colloid characterisation facility: Surface science lies at the heart of biointerface and colloid science. This facility will enable particle size, shape, distribution, surface area and charge to be measured as well as the amount of material adsorbed to interfaces, the configuration of that material and the response of the surface to stimuli such as changing pH or salinity. All these parameters influence the properties of these important ....Surface and Colloid Characterisation Facility. Surface and colloid characterisation facility: Surface science lies at the heart of biointerface and colloid science. This facility will enable particle size, shape, distribution, surface area and charge to be measured as well as the amount of material adsorbed to interfaces, the configuration of that material and the response of the surface to stimuli such as changing pH or salinity. All these parameters influence the properties of these important systems. As such this facility will underpin the research of a number of groups across three institutions over the next decade and promote collaboration between scientists with a range of complementary expertise in fields where surface science is important from biology to ionic liquids.Read moreRead less
Resolving the interstellar carbon crisis with multilaser spectroscopy. This project aims to provide astronomers of the future with firm diagnostic tools to identify and understand exotic carbon species in the interstellar medium. Life on Earth began after delivery of carbon-based pre-biotic material to the young planet by comets and meteorites. This material came from outside the solar system, but we do not yet know the chemical make-up of the interstellar matter. This is because we do not under ....Resolving the interstellar carbon crisis with multilaser spectroscopy. This project aims to provide astronomers of the future with firm diagnostic tools to identify and understand exotic carbon species in the interstellar medium. Life on Earth began after delivery of carbon-based pre-biotic material to the young planet by comets and meteorites. This material came from outside the solar system, but we do not yet know the chemical make-up of the interstellar matter. This is because we do not understand precisely how the interstellar molecules and dust interact with starlight. This project will create and study models of interstellar matter in the laboratory, and will determine the chemical form of carbon in the interstellar medium. This will have lasting impact on astrophysical models, as well as theories of the origin of life.Read moreRead less
Next-generation polymer films for control of material interactions. This project will develop smart polymer films which incorporate a mechanism which rapidly switches the coating from being attracted to or repelled by adjacent material. These films will be made using a new water-based technology and assessed for potential application such as: (1) active agents for mineral processing, or (2) high performance lubricants.
Unravelling the dominant drivers of ion specificity. This project aims to understand what governs the sensitivity of many technological and biological processes to the precise nature of the salt present in solution. The term ‘ion-specific’ encompasses all the circumstances in which the influence of a salt in solution depends on the precise chemical nature of the salt, not just the electrical charge on the ions that form the salt. As such, ion-specific effects abound and have important consequenc ....Unravelling the dominant drivers of ion specificity. This project aims to understand what governs the sensitivity of many technological and biological processes to the precise nature of the salt present in solution. The term ‘ion-specific’ encompasses all the circumstances in which the influence of a salt in solution depends on the precise chemical nature of the salt, not just the electrical charge on the ions that form the salt. As such, ion-specific effects abound and have important consequences in most situations involving solutions, including cellular functions and battery technology. This project will enable us to understand and control the influence of specific ions, building on our recently described fundamental ion-specific series with colloid science experiments and quantum simulations. This project should overcome current challenges in predicting ion-specific effects leading to progress in a wide variety of applications of colloid and interface science, from sensor interfaces to self-assembly.Read moreRead less