Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101113
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,000.00
Summary
Optimal reaction pathways towards advanced energy technology. This project aims to develop a novel lithium-ion battery (LIB) system that delivers high energy-density, a long cycle life, low-cost, and high safety based on conversion-type lithium oxide cathodes. Expected outcomes of this project will address the preliminary challenges for the practical use of lithium-oxide, which requires innovative designs of reaction pathways to lithium oxide cathode and lithium metal anode architectures as well ....Optimal reaction pathways towards advanced energy technology. This project aims to develop a novel lithium-ion battery (LIB) system that delivers high energy-density, a long cycle life, low-cost, and high safety based on conversion-type lithium oxide cathodes. Expected outcomes of this project will address the preliminary challenges for the practical use of lithium-oxide, which requires innovative designs of reaction pathways to lithium oxide cathode and lithium metal anode architectures as well as a fundamental in-depth understanding of the electrochemical and growing mechanisms. This project will establish a manufacturing road-map for a novel lithium-ion battery system in Australia with practical reliability by integrating active lithium oxide cathode, optimized electrolyte, and lithium metal anode.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL210100017
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,115,000.00
Summary
Nanoscale-interactions making future functional materials more powerful . Traditional crystal chemistry can no longer meet the demands for development of new functional materials - the foundation of modern industry. The program aims to overcome this challenge by introducing a new strategy into experimental and theoretical research to transform our understanding and application of nanoscale structural and chemical features in materials. The program expects to build new crystal chemistry that incl ....Nanoscale-interactions making future functional materials more powerful . Traditional crystal chemistry can no longer meet the demands for development of new functional materials - the foundation of modern industry. The program aims to overcome this challenge by introducing a new strategy into experimental and theoretical research to transform our understanding and application of nanoscale structural and chemical features in materials. The program expects to build new crystal chemistry that includes nanoscale-interaction information and deep machine-learning to improve the predictability of material properties. Potential outcomes of the program include enhanced capacity for revolutionary materials development thus keeping Australia's leading position in innovative technology, benefiting academia and industry.Read moreRead less
Advanced materials for space propulsion: satellites and cubesats. Poorly controlled interactions between plasmas and surfaces often mean loss of process efficiency and surface degradation over time. For Hall thrusters, a type of engine used to move satellites in space, this means increased fuel consumption and shorter useful life. Through modelling and experiment, this project will show how intelligent selection of advanced materials and plasma parameters can minimise surface wear, enable in sit ....Advanced materials for space propulsion: satellites and cubesats. Poorly controlled interactions between plasmas and surfaces often mean loss of process efficiency and surface degradation over time. For Hall thrusters, a type of engine used to move satellites in space, this means increased fuel consumption and shorter useful life. Through modelling and experiment, this project will show how intelligent selection of advanced materials and plasma parameters can minimise surface wear, enable in situ material repair to extend device lifetime, and modulate plasma properties to increase thruster efficiency for a given task. These benefits enable reliable propulsion platforms for massive communication and observation satellite networks and deep space exploration.Read moreRead less
Ultrathin III-V Solar Cells via Crack-Assisted Layer Exfoliation. III-V semiconductors are excellent photovoltaic materials with highest demonstrated solar-to-electricity conversion efficiencies, but find limited usage in terrestrial applications due to high material and fabrication costs. This project aims to improve the cost-effectiveness of III-V solar cells by developing ultrathin III-V semiconductors via crack-assisted layer transfer approach and epitaxy-free fabrication via heterojunction ....Ultrathin III-V Solar Cells via Crack-Assisted Layer Exfoliation. III-V semiconductors are excellent photovoltaic materials with highest demonstrated solar-to-electricity conversion efficiencies, but find limited usage in terrestrial applications due to high material and fabrication costs. This project aims to improve the cost-effectiveness of III-V solar cells by developing ultrathin III-V semiconductors via crack-assisted layer transfer approach and epitaxy-free fabrication via heterojunction architectures, paving the way for cost-effective, high-efficiency, flexible solar cells. The expected outcomes include a disruptive technology for integrated photovoltaics, novel contact and passivation materials, as well as new knowledge generated in materials science and optoelectronics disciplines.Read moreRead less
Porous Electromaterials for Hydrogen Production and Energy Storage. This project aims to develop nanocomposite electrodes and membranes for efficient production of renewable hydrogen and the next generation of high-energy-density battery technologies. This will be accomplished by the engineering of multi-scale porous materials with tuneable electrical, chemical and morphological properties using earth abundant elements. The intended outcome is the establishment of a scalable methodology for the ....Porous Electromaterials for Hydrogen Production and Energy Storage. This project aims to develop nanocomposite electrodes and membranes for efficient production of renewable hydrogen and the next generation of high-energy-density battery technologies. This will be accomplished by the engineering of multi-scale porous materials with tuneable electrical, chemical and morphological properties using earth abundant elements. The intended outcome is the establishment of a scalable methodology for the structuring and effective integration of microporous materials in highly conductive scaffolds, achieving superior charge and molecular transport, as well as high surface activity. Broad social and economic benefits are anticipated providing new technological solutions for renewable energy storage and fuel production.Read moreRead less
A new in-situ structural measurement capability during nanoindentation. A new in-situ structural measurement capability during nanoindentation. This project aims to develop an in-situ Raman capability to obtain dynamic structural and mechanical behaviour of materials as a function of pressure during nanoindentation; and apply the new capability to directly monitor phase changes in silicon and germanium under pressure and correlate them with the simultaneous electrical responses. Anticipated outc ....A new in-situ structural measurement capability during nanoindentation. A new in-situ structural measurement capability during nanoindentation. This project aims to develop an in-situ Raman capability to obtain dynamic structural and mechanical behaviour of materials as a function of pressure during nanoindentation; and apply the new capability to directly monitor phase changes in silicon and germanium under pressure and correlate them with the simultaneous electrical responses. Anticipated outcomes are new instrumentation to directly probe the pressure-temperature phase diagram, and measure electrical properties of novel end phases in these semiconductors.Read moreRead less
Porous transparent conducting oxides for efficient solar fuel production. This project aims to develop highly porous, transparent and electrically conducting networks of oxide nanoparticles for artificial photosynthesis applications. The majority of hydrogen is currently produced via natural gas reforming, a process that generates a significant carbon footprint due to the use of fossil fuels. This project will develop novel materials and fabrication methods to improve the efficiency of hydrogen ....Porous transparent conducting oxides for efficient solar fuel production. This project aims to develop highly porous, transparent and electrically conducting networks of oxide nanoparticles for artificial photosynthesis applications. The majority of hydrogen is currently produced via natural gas reforming, a process that generates a significant carbon footprint due to the use of fossil fuels. This project will develop novel materials and fabrication methods to improve the efficiency of hydrogen production using clean and renewable solar energy. This project will contribute to development of technologies for the chemical storage of renewable energy, and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. This will have applications in the areas of optoelectronic devices, medical biosensors, and photocatalysis, offering downstream benefits for the society, the economy and the environment.Read moreRead less
Epitaxial growth of III-V microring lasers for integrated silicon photonics. This project aims to investigate the growth and demonstration of compound semiconductor microring lasers on silicon substrates, using selective area growth to engineer the shape of the lasing cavity at the nano/micro-scale. Silicon photonics is currently a dominant technology in optical and data communication systems, and the continued development demands higher speeds, lower power consumption and lower costs. However, ....Epitaxial growth of III-V microring lasers for integrated silicon photonics. This project aims to investigate the growth and demonstration of compound semiconductor microring lasers on silicon substrates, using selective area growth to engineer the shape of the lasing cavity at the nano/micro-scale. Silicon photonics is currently a dominant technology in optical and data communication systems, and the continued development demands higher speeds, lower power consumption and lower costs. However, on-chip integrated, high efficiency lasers are still elusive due to mismatch in material platforms between the lasers and silicon substrates. This project will produce reliable, efficient and easily manufacturable laser sources integrated on silicon photonic chips. It is also expected to pave the way for more development of this technology by the industry to further drive the cost of silicon photonics technology down whilst increasing data transmission speed.Read moreRead less