New Polymers for Cellulose-based Bioplastics. We will design new cellulose derivatives by combining carefully engineered synthetic polymers to cellulose. We will explore the fundamental science underpinning the manufacture of these bioplastics, and apply the concept to the design of two new materials, with (super)hydrophobic and antibacterial properties. These materials have the potential to replace synthetic plastics, which comprise one of the major outputs of the chemical industry worldwide. P ....New Polymers for Cellulose-based Bioplastics. We will design new cellulose derivatives by combining carefully engineered synthetic polymers to cellulose. We will explore the fundamental science underpinning the manufacture of these bioplastics, and apply the concept to the design of two new materials, with (super)hydrophobic and antibacterial properties. These materials have the potential to replace synthetic plastics, which comprise one of the major outputs of the chemical industry worldwide. Plastic is present everywhere in human life, but its manufacture and disposal have a strong negative impact on the environment; the new materials manufactured in this project are viable alternatives to plastics, and are sustainable from a production and disposal point of view.Read moreRead less
Reactivity and Spectroscopy of Gas Phase Metal Oxide Cluster Ions: Structure-Reactivity Correlations and Fundamental Insights into Heterogeneous Catalysis. This project will make use of world class ARC funded instrumentation to carry out breakthrough science. The research will contribute fundamental insights into chemical bond activation relevant to industrial catalytic processes important to national manufacturing industries. These insights will improve the efficiency and selectivity of catal ....Reactivity and Spectroscopy of Gas Phase Metal Oxide Cluster Ions: Structure-Reactivity Correlations and Fundamental Insights into Heterogeneous Catalysis. This project will make use of world class ARC funded instrumentation to carry out breakthrough science. The research will contribute fundamental insights into chemical bond activation relevant to industrial catalytic processes important to national manufacturing industries. These insights will improve the efficiency and selectivity of catalytic processes and lead to increased profitability and/or a reduction in unwanted side products and pollution. The project will train young scientists in important experimental and theoretical chemical techniques, and will enhance and contribute to Australia's international research profile.Read moreRead less
Dynamics of Photon-Induced Processes in Engineered Polymer Systems. This project will investigate photo-induced energy and electron transport in innovative polymer systems of well defined structure. New functionalised, aromatic and conjugated polymers will be synthesised and studied by ultrafast laser spectroscopic techniques. Information on the dynamics of light energy dissipation processes in these polymers on time-scales down to the femtosecond regime and at a single molecule level will be ....Dynamics of Photon-Induced Processes in Engineered Polymer Systems. This project will investigate photo-induced energy and electron transport in innovative polymer systems of well defined structure. New functionalised, aromatic and conjugated polymers will be synthesised and studied by ultrafast laser spectroscopic techniques. Information on the dynamics of light energy dissipation processes in these polymers on time-scales down to the femtosecond regime and at a single molecule level will be obtained. The results will provide the basic information required to develop novel photon-active materials and devices.Read moreRead less
The development of unique cyclic polymers. The project will yield cyclic polymers with a large range of commercial and industrial applications (e.g. drug delivery, contamination clean-up, nano-wires, sensors) that will result in positive economic and social benefits for Australia. The research will lead to increased employment opportunities within the manufacturing industry and R&D, and also underpin and extend Australia's leading position in the development of innovative polymeric and advanced ....The development of unique cyclic polymers. The project will yield cyclic polymers with a large range of commercial and industrial applications (e.g. drug delivery, contamination clean-up, nano-wires, sensors) that will result in positive economic and social benefits for Australia. The research will lead to increased employment opportunities within the manufacturing industry and R&D, and also underpin and extend Australia's leading position in the development of innovative polymeric and advanced materials. The resulting materials will provide new and improved technological innovations for commercial products, delivering benefits direct to the public. Furthermore, there is potential development of spin-off companies - leading to further investment in Australian science and industry.Read moreRead less
Macromolecular Self-Assembly of Amyloid Fibrils. The misfolding of proteins is a key issue in public health. Common diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease are associated with protein misfolding, and have a major impact on society. The use of proteins as therapeutic drugs is now common ( e.g. as vaccines, for immune disorders) but they can be rendered ineffective or harmful by protein misfolding. Through this project, we will enhance the fundamental understandin ....Macromolecular Self-Assembly of Amyloid Fibrils. The misfolding of proteins is a key issue in public health. Common diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease are associated with protein misfolding, and have a major impact on society. The use of proteins as therapeutic drugs is now common ( e.g. as vaccines, for immune disorders) but they can be rendered ineffective or harmful by protein misfolding. Through this project, we will enhance the fundamental understanding of the processes of protein assembly in solution, at solid surfaces, and under shear.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100109
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$530,000.00
Summary
Small molecule X-ray molecular structure elucidation facility. X-ray diffraction plays a key role in identification and molecular characterisation. X-ray techniques are the single most widely used analytical resource in structure determination and provide invaluable information for scientists working in the fields of synthesis, nanotechnology, polymer chemistry, and protein chemistry, amongst many others. The facility brings together a multidisciplinary team of scientists and provides state-of-t ....Small molecule X-ray molecular structure elucidation facility. X-ray diffraction plays a key role in identification and molecular characterisation. X-ray techniques are the single most widely used analytical resource in structure determination and provide invaluable information for scientists working in the fields of synthesis, nanotechnology, polymer chemistry, and protein chemistry, amongst many others. The facility brings together a multidisciplinary team of scientists and provides state-of-the-art research and training facilities for these techniques.Read moreRead less
Novel Lanthanide Complexes and Polymeric Luminescent Chelates for Biomedical Imaging and Bioassay. The development of advanced materials and frontier technologies such as the luminescent chelates proposed here is essential for Australia's evolution as a competitive nation in fields such as biomedical imaging and clinical diagnostics. For example, the total expenditure on fluorescent reagents in 2004 exceeded US$1.5 billion, with an estimated 25% annual growth. With proven applications in diagnos ....Novel Lanthanide Complexes and Polymeric Luminescent Chelates for Biomedical Imaging and Bioassay. The development of advanced materials and frontier technologies such as the luminescent chelates proposed here is essential for Australia's evolution as a competitive nation in fields such as biomedical imaging and clinical diagnostics. For example, the total expenditure on fluorescent reagents in 2004 exceeded US$1.5 billion, with an estimated 25% annual growth. With proven applications in diagnostic immunoassay and high throughput screening, the use of luminescent lanthanide complexes allows significant improvements over traditional fluorophores, facilitating miniaturisation and ultimately leading to reduced costs for the consumer.Read moreRead less
Structures and Properties of beta-R3M (M = Si, Ge, Sn)- and beta-Chalcogenyl-substituted Carbenium Ions. The benefits of this work are many-fold. The scientific knowledge gained will be invaluable to all scientists working in organic chemistry; mechanistic chemists who will learn from the science, and synthetic organic chemists who can utilise the results when planning strategies for the synthesis of complex drugs. Another major benefit of this research is in the training of young scientists. Th ....Structures and Properties of beta-R3M (M = Si, Ge, Sn)- and beta-Chalcogenyl-substituted Carbenium Ions. The benefits of this work are many-fold. The scientific knowledge gained will be invaluable to all scientists working in organic chemistry; mechanistic chemists who will learn from the science, and synthetic organic chemists who can utilise the results when planning strategies for the synthesis of complex drugs. Another major benefit of this research is in the training of young scientists. The students who work on this proposal gain invaluable experience in many areas of chemistry, ranging from synthetic chemistry to structural chemistry and theoretical chemistry. They will also gain experience in important physical techniques from NMR spectroscopy to X-ray crystallography.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100081
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,000.00
Summary
Combined scanning tunnelling microscope system for materials characterisation and manipulation at nano scale. The proposed facility is unique in Australia and will substantially enhance national research capabilities in nano-materials, nanotechnology and biotechnology. The proposed infrastructure project will bring more than 20 leading Australian research groups from 10 institutions together to create an outstanding platform to underpin close collaborations among members in a broad field. The pr ....Combined scanning tunnelling microscope system for materials characterisation and manipulation at nano scale. The proposed facility is unique in Australia and will substantially enhance national research capabilities in nano-materials, nanotechnology and biotechnology. The proposed infrastructure project will bring more than 20 leading Australian research groups from 10 institutions together to create an outstanding platform to underpin close collaborations among members in a broad field. The proposed facility will provide significant benefits to Australian researchers in drug design and delivery, nano-material design and characterisation at nano scale for advanced materials, and promotion of renewable energy. This represents a great opportunity to make discoveries and breakthroughs in frontier science and technology in Australia.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560679
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$932,870.00
Summary
Materials and Surface Characterisation Facility. Australian scientists are well positioned to be at the forefront of nanotechnology, biotechnology and advanced materials development. The proposed Facility, housing state-of-the-art equipment, will enable cutting-edge research in these areas by internationally renowned researchers at the University of Melbourne, Monash University, RMIT University, and CSIRO. Such research will facilitate the development of advanced materials for diverse applicatio ....Materials and Surface Characterisation Facility. Australian scientists are well positioned to be at the forefront of nanotechnology, biotechnology and advanced materials development. The proposed Facility, housing state-of-the-art equipment, will enable cutting-edge research in these areas by internationally renowned researchers at the University of Melbourne, Monash University, RMIT University, and CSIRO. Such research will facilitate the development of advanced materials for diverse applications including drug delivery, quantum computing, photonics and tissue engineering. The multi-user Facility will enable closer collaboration with researchers in academia and industry, and will be integral in training the next generation of Australian scientists in the nano- and biosciences.Read moreRead less