Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100789
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$397,613.00
Summary
Photo-thermal ammonia decomposition . This project aims to develop of novel catalysts targeted to utilise light and heat for the photo-thermal decomposition of ammonia to produce hydrogen and generate new understanding on the role of light in thermal catalytic reactions. The emergence of the hydrogen economy has resulted in the urgent need for safe and efficient hydrogen transport and storage vectors. Ammonia, a hydrogen carrier, is being increasingly considered as a potential key to facilitate ....Photo-thermal ammonia decomposition . This project aims to develop of novel catalysts targeted to utilise light and heat for the photo-thermal decomposition of ammonia to produce hydrogen and generate new understanding on the role of light in thermal catalytic reactions. The emergence of the hydrogen economy has resulted in the urgent need for safe and efficient hydrogen transport and storage vectors. Ammonia, a hydrogen carrier, is being increasingly considered as a potential key to facilitate the hydrogen economy due to its relative ease of storage. The development of catalysts tailored toward capturing light for ammonia decomposition will enable a new potential pathway for the hydrogen economy, with ammonia as a hydrogen vector. Read moreRead less
An Integrated Synthetic and NMR Spectroscopic Study of Photochemical Organometallic Bond Activation. Modifications of alkanes and related processes under study will occupy the heart of next generation catalysed chemical processes that may ultimately be used globally on a vast scale. A detailed knowledge of mechanism is the precursor to rational design and improvement of catalysed processes, making them more efficient and greener. This will allow better usage of Australia's natural gas and preci ....An Integrated Synthetic and NMR Spectroscopic Study of Photochemical Organometallic Bond Activation. Modifications of alkanes and related processes under study will occupy the heart of next generation catalysed chemical processes that may ultimately be used globally on a vast scale. A detailed knowledge of mechanism is the precursor to rational design and improvement of catalysed processes, making them more efficient and greener. This will allow better usage of Australia's natural gas and precious metal resources and benefit local chemical companies. Specialized new NMR technology that will greatly aid a wide range of local researchers will be developed to facilitate these studies. The researchers of the future will also be trained.Read moreRead less
Photodissociation Dynamics of Radicals and Molecules. Photodissociation dynamics involves studying fundamental chemical processes that underpin all chemical reactivity. We address three of the important unanswered questions in this field: i) how do the lessons learned from small molecules transfer to larger molecules? ii) can one control chemical reactivity by selecting specific states of the reactant?; and iii) are the dynamics of radicals fundamentally different to stable molecules? We wi ....Photodissociation Dynamics of Radicals and Molecules. Photodissociation dynamics involves studying fundamental chemical processes that underpin all chemical reactivity. We address three of the important unanswered questions in this field: i) how do the lessons learned from small molecules transfer to larger molecules? ii) can one control chemical reactivity by selecting specific states of the reactant?; and iii) are the dynamics of radicals fundamentally different to stable molecules? We will combine expertise in large molecule spectroscopy and photodissociation dynamics with technology in radical production to provide insight into these fundamental questions. Photodissociation dynamics is firmly embedded in photon science and technology.Read moreRead less
Mitochondrial Iron Overload And Friedreich's Ataxia: The Role Of Frataxin In Iron And Haem Metabolism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$606,000.00
Summary
Friedreich's ataxia (FA) is due to the lack of a protein known as frataxin. A variety of studies using Baker's yeast and conditional frataxin knockout (KO) mice have shown that deletion of frataxin leads to the accumulation of toxic iron in their mitochondrion. More recently, a variety of studies have shown that FA patients have iron-loading within their mitochondrion. Iron in the highly redox active environment of the mitochondrion could contribute to the generation of cytotoxic radicals that c ....Friedreich's ataxia (FA) is due to the lack of a protein known as frataxin. A variety of studies using Baker's yeast and conditional frataxin knockout (KO) mice have shown that deletion of frataxin leads to the accumulation of toxic iron in their mitochondrion. More recently, a variety of studies have shown that FA patients have iron-loading within their mitochondrion. Iron in the highly redox active environment of the mitochondrion could contribute to the generation of cytotoxic radicals that cause severe damage. Further, cells deficient in frataxin are sensitive to oxidant stress and Fe chelators rescue oxidant-mediated death of cells from FA patients. Indeed, free radical scavengers have shown to be of use in the treatment of this disease. Studies in DR's lab during this NHMRC grant have shown that frataxin is down-regulated by erythroid differentiation or the haem precursor, protoporphyrin IX (BLOOD 2002;99:3813-22). These data indicate a role for frataxin in Fe metabolism and the pathogenesis of FA. In this study we will continue to examine the role of frataxin in the way cells handle Fe using experimental models developed under the current NHMRC grant. These include transfected cell lines with low frataxin expression generated using an expression vector containing anti-sense frataxin cDNA. Further we obtained the frataxin conditional KO mouse and generated a breeding colony. These animals display many of the pathological features of FA and are the best current model of the disease. Indeed, they will be critical for assessing the role of frataxin in Fe metabolism and as a model to test the ability of Fe-binding drugs to prevent the pathology observed. We designed lipid-soluble chelators that can enter the mitochondrion to bind Fe (Biochim Biophys Acta 2001;1536:133-140) and these ligands will be tested to prevent disease progression in the KO mice. This exciting research is crucial for understanding the pathogenesis of FA and in creating new therapies.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
Why is ColorbondR steel greener on the other side of the fence? Designing additives to retard weathering of surface coatings. COLORBONDR steel, the flagship pre-painted steel product of BlueScope Steel Limited, has become an iconic part of both suburban and outback landscapes whether installed as roofing, walling or water conservation accessories (tanks, down-pipes etc). This proposal aims to provide a detailed understanding of molecular level changes in COLORBONDR steel surface coatings brought ....Why is ColorbondR steel greener on the other side of the fence? Designing additives to retard weathering of surface coatings. COLORBONDR steel, the flagship pre-painted steel product of BlueScope Steel Limited, has become an iconic part of both suburban and outback landscapes whether installed as roofing, walling or water conservation accessories (tanks, down-pipes etc). This proposal aims to provide a detailed understanding of molecular level changes in COLORBONDR steel surface coatings brought about by levels of heat and radiation encountered in-service. These insights will lead to further improvements in both lifetime and aesthetic durability of COLORBONDR steel, ensuring continuing economic success of BlueScope in the domestic building market with consequent benefits to manufacturing communities throughout the supply-chain nationwide.Read moreRead less
Graphene - the new frontier electromaterial for rechargeable lithium batteries and supercapacitors. Global warming and climate change have triggered an intensive demand for clean energy sources to replace fossil fuels. Graphene, as an emerging novel material, can serve as a medium for highly efficient energy storage and conversion in electrochemical devices. This project will lead to the development of novel renewable energy storage and conversion technology for transportation and distributed en ....Graphene - the new frontier electromaterial for rechargeable lithium batteries and supercapacitors. Global warming and climate change have triggered an intensive demand for clean energy sources to replace fossil fuels. Graphene, as an emerging novel material, can serve as a medium for highly efficient energy storage and conversion in electrochemical devices. This project will lead to the development of novel renewable energy storage and conversion technology for transportation and distributed energy supplies. The outcomes of this research will increase our national energy security, facilitate achievement of the Federal government's target of 20% renewable energy in 2020, and bring significant economic and environmental benefits for Australia.Read moreRead less