Smart foliage: imparting intelligence to synthetic leaves. This project aims to develop an innovative “lab-on-a-leaf” platform technology based on smart membranes with switchable pores to enable hitherto unachievable control of gas and vapour transfer. The innovated membrane based technology can be used as a versatile platform for many important applications, such as desalination and carbon capture. This project expects to advance the knowledge in biomimetic design of synthetic leaves, and bring ....Smart foliage: imparting intelligence to synthetic leaves. This project aims to develop an innovative “lab-on-a-leaf” platform technology based on smart membranes with switchable pores to enable hitherto unachievable control of gas and vapour transfer. The innovated membrane based technology can be used as a versatile platform for many important applications, such as desalination and carbon capture. This project expects to advance the knowledge in biomimetic design of synthetic leaves, and bring new membrane technologies to applications, such as desalination, solar energy harvesting, and evaporative cooling. This project should provide significant benefits for Australian manufacturing industry by addressing energy and environmental concerns and boosting national economic growth.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100383
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,554.00
Summary
Photothermal management with graphene metamaterials. Environmental and industrial thermal management represents major global energy consumption and CO2 emission. This project aims to investigate a game-changing passive thermal management solution to tackle both heating and cooling problems without using any electricity. This is made possible by designing a nanostructured graphene metamaterial to either totally reject or totally absorb electromagnetic waves in certain spectral ranges. Expected ou ....Photothermal management with graphene metamaterials. Environmental and industrial thermal management represents major global energy consumption and CO2 emission. This project aims to investigate a game-changing passive thermal management solution to tackle both heating and cooling problems without using any electricity. This is made possible by designing a nanostructured graphene metamaterial to either totally reject or totally absorb electromagnetic waves in certain spectral ranges. Expected outcomes include new design and fabrication strategies for novel photothermal films with high performance and cost-effectiveness. This is expected to lead to the development of novel energy efficient technologies for Australian industries, producing direct economic, social and environmental benefits.Read moreRead less
Liquid metal solvents for high entropy and atomically configured systems. Significant challenges remain in developing high entropy alloys, which are future disruptors in metallurgy, ranging from configurational entropy to atomic ordering. To address such challenges, we will explore liquid metal solvents for synthesising high entropy and atomically configured systems from the combination of reactive and high melting point elements stabilised in metallic solvents. Molecular imprinting, mechanical ....Liquid metal solvents for high entropy and atomically configured systems. Significant challenges remain in developing high entropy alloys, which are future disruptors in metallurgy, ranging from configurational entropy to atomic ordering. To address such challenges, we will explore liquid metal solvents for synthesising high entropy and atomically configured systems from the combination of reactive and high melting point elements stabilised in metallic solvents. Molecular imprinting, mechanical and electrochemical triggers will control interfacial atomic organisation and precipitation. The growth mechanisms, both at the interface and in the bulk, will be explored by high energy probing techniques and computational simulations. We will offer new metallurgical paradigms for future catalysis and sensing concepts.Read moreRead less
Autonomous Discovery of Green Inhibitors. The project aims to develop autonomous material design by integrating evolutionary algorithms and robotic experimentation. The project expects to pioneer a new method of materials discovery that could cut discovery times to 20% of traditional methods. Its expected to have significance through its discovery of new classes of corrosion inhibitors that are safe to both humans and the environment. The expected outcomes of this project will be a rapid disc ....Autonomous Discovery of Green Inhibitors. The project aims to develop autonomous material design by integrating evolutionary algorithms and robotic experimentation. The project expects to pioneer a new method of materials discovery that could cut discovery times to 20% of traditional methods. Its expected to have significance through its discovery of new classes of corrosion inhibitors that are safe to both humans and the environment. The expected outcomes of this project will be a rapid discovery methodology that can be used across materials science and new classes of safe corrosion inhibitors. This should provide significant benefits to workplace n safety and the environmental impact of the coatings industry while also increasing the rapid of innovation of new materials.Read moreRead less
Accessing Liquid Noble Metals for Low Temperature Chemical Reactions. We will explore noble metals in liquid form at low temperatures. We will show that while noble metals melting points are above 1000°C, a gallium matrix will allow their existence in liquid form at low temperatures (<75°C). A variety of noble metal gallium alloy combinations will be investigated for their catalytic activities which are expected to show very high kinetics. We will study both bulk and low dimensional analogues to ....Accessing Liquid Noble Metals for Low Temperature Chemical Reactions. We will explore noble metals in liquid form at low temperatures. We will show that while noble metals melting points are above 1000°C, a gallium matrix will allow their existence in liquid form at low temperatures (<75°C). A variety of noble metal gallium alloy combinations will be investigated for their catalytic activities which are expected to show very high kinetics. We will study both bulk and low dimensional analogues to understand the atomic dispersion of noble metals on interface and in the core of the alloys, for discoveries regarding the liquid state catalytic properties of the mixes. Subsequently, model chemical reactions will reveal the enhancement of the kinetics and what the project can offer to industrial innovations. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101068
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$454,554.00
Summary
Direct Electrolysis of Amine Captured CO2 for Producing Syngas. This project aims to develop electrolysis of amine captured carbon dioxide (CO2) technology to integrate CO2 capture and syngas production powered by renewable electricity. The aqueous amine captured CO2 will be directly electrolysed without CO2 desorption, compression, and purification, featuring extremely high efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Expected outcomes include the delivery of suitable amines, a family of chemically and s ....Direct Electrolysis of Amine Captured CO2 for Producing Syngas. This project aims to develop electrolysis of amine captured carbon dioxide (CO2) technology to integrate CO2 capture and syngas production powered by renewable electricity. The aqueous amine captured CO2 will be directly electrolysed without CO2 desorption, compression, and purification, featuring extremely high efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Expected outcomes include the delivery of suitable amines, a family of chemically and structurally controlled electrocatalysts, an in-depth understanding of CO2 electrolysis mechanisms, and the demonstration of robust electrolyser prototypes. This project will provide significant benefits to Australia’s energy and environmental security, and boost its clean energy industry and economic growth.Read moreRead less
Upcycling of mixed plastics from bioprocessed municipal solid waste. This project aims to develop a scalable catalytic process that can sustainably upcycle mixed plastics from bioprocessed municipal solid waste into hydrogen and valuable carbon nanotube products. The process will integrate pyrolysis, reforming, and carbon growth technology into a single reactor, enabled by the rational design of multifunctional catalysts. Through computational process simulation and optimization, life cycle anal ....Upcycling of mixed plastics from bioprocessed municipal solid waste. This project aims to develop a scalable catalytic process that can sustainably upcycle mixed plastics from bioprocessed municipal solid waste into hydrogen and valuable carbon nanotube products. The process will integrate pyrolysis, reforming, and carbon growth technology into a single reactor, enabled by the rational design of multifunctional catalysts. Through computational process simulation and optimization, life cycle analysis, and techno-economic assessment, investment and operational costs at larger scale are anticipated to be greatly reduced. By mitigating mixed waste plastics from going to landfills, the project will also provide significant benefits to clean energy production and advanced material manufacturing in Australia. Read moreRead less