TiO2 nanoparticle design and photocatalysis applications. The aim is to design nanosized TiO2 photocatalsysts with superior photoactivity using various synthesis paths. Nanosized TiO2 particles will be prepared using sol-gel, aerosol and plasma processing, their physical and chemical properties will be closely studied and their photocatalytic ability will be assessed. Such tailor-made photocatalysts have significant commercial potential value, as they would be highly suitable for the photooxidat ....TiO2 nanoparticle design and photocatalysis applications. The aim is to design nanosized TiO2 photocatalsysts with superior photoactivity using various synthesis paths. Nanosized TiO2 particles will be prepared using sol-gel, aerosol and plasma processing, their physical and chemical properties will be closely studied and their photocatalytic ability will be assessed. Such tailor-made photocatalysts have significant commercial potential value, as they would be highly suitable for the photooxidation of organic compounds and the photoreduction of metal ions in wastewaters. Findings from this work will pave the way for a "green" technology such as photocatalysis to become more efficient and hence a competitive alternative to conventional water treatment methods.Read moreRead less
Supported Molecular Catalysts for Methanol Oxidation and Other Reactions. Knowledge arising from these fundamental studies has the potential to place Australia at the forefront of this important area of materials science and catalysis. We expect to make discoveries that will be useful not only in the area of catalysts for the direct methanol fuel cell, but also in systematising and developing the whole field of bio-mimetic supported electrocatalysts. Relevant findings in these exciting areas wil ....Supported Molecular Catalysts for Methanol Oxidation and Other Reactions. Knowledge arising from these fundamental studies has the potential to place Australia at the forefront of this important area of materials science and catalysis. We expect to make discoveries that will be useful not only in the area of catalysts for the direct methanol fuel cell, but also in systematising and developing the whole field of bio-mimetic supported electrocatalysts. Relevant findings in these exciting areas will be relayed to researchers and commercialised where appropriate. This multidisciplinary project will also provide an excellent environment for research training.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
From Nanostructured Catalysts to Process Innovation. The results of this research will help to advance the fundamental scientific understanding of industrially important chemical reactions and give clear leads as to how to improve them. In particular, new catalysts (i.e. agents that increase the speed and selectivity of chemical reactions) will be generated and the first steps towards process innovation will be taken, using high-throughput equipment unique in the Southern Hemisphere. These new c ....From Nanostructured Catalysts to Process Innovation. The results of this research will help to advance the fundamental scientific understanding of industrially important chemical reactions and give clear leads as to how to improve them. In particular, new catalysts (i.e. agents that increase the speed and selectivity of chemical reactions) will be generated and the first steps towards process innovation will be taken, using high-throughput equipment unique in the Southern Hemisphere. These new catalysts will be the basis for the design of new and/or improved industrial processes that will be ?greener?, safer, use fewer resources, produce less waste and are generally more efficient and effective. As a result the Australian chemicals industry will be more competitive.Read moreRead less
Molecular Recognition in Chiral Ionic Liquids as Basis for the Design and Synthesis of New Enantioselective Heterogeneous Catalysts and Membranes. Molecules that can exist as mirror images, each with different, e.g., beneficial vs. toxic properties, underpin the pharmaceutical industry and increasingly new highly selective pesticides, and flavours/fragrances.
Current commercial pathways often make mixtures of the mirror images that then need to be separated laboriously. These routes are ineffic ....Molecular Recognition in Chiral Ionic Liquids as Basis for the Design and Synthesis of New Enantioselective Heterogeneous Catalysts and Membranes. Molecules that can exist as mirror images, each with different, e.g., beneficial vs. toxic properties, underpin the pharmaceutical industry and increasingly new highly selective pesticides, and flavours/fragrances.
Current commercial pathways often make mixtures of the mirror images that then need to be separated laboriously. These routes are inefficient, creating waste and use resources poorly.
We aim to create solutions for these problems, using supported thin films of special, new types of salts that are liquid at room temperature, and which have other unusual chemical properties that make them ideally suited to enable efficient conversions.Read moreRead less
New Catalysed Routes to the Efficient Synthesis of Biologically Active Molecules. Enhancing the economic viability and the energy efficiency of chemical transformations is of fundamental importance in the chemicals industry, and is essential in the targeted production of drugs and fine chemicals for frontier technologies. By using multiple metal centres to simultaneously promote series of reaction steps in a single pot, this project will develop an innovative approach to efficient syntheses of b ....New Catalysed Routes to the Efficient Synthesis of Biologically Active Molecules. Enhancing the economic viability and the energy efficiency of chemical transformations is of fundamental importance in the chemicals industry, and is essential in the targeted production of drugs and fine chemicals for frontier technologies. By using multiple metal centres to simultaneously promote series of reaction steps in a single pot, this project will develop an innovative approach to efficient syntheses of biologically active molecules. The new methods and new catalysts for enhancing the synthesis of highly functionalised compounds will improve significantly the environmental impact of chemical processes by reducing the amount of chemicals required, and reducing waste and energy requirements.Read moreRead less
Improvement and synthesis of advanced hydrogen storage materials for fuel cell applications. Energy systems of the future must be cleaner and much more efficient, flexible, and reliable to meet the growing global demand for energy. A hydrogen economy offers a potential solution to satisfying the global energy requirements while reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy security. The enhanced hydrogen storage materials to be investigated will have higher hydr ....Improvement and synthesis of advanced hydrogen storage materials for fuel cell applications. Energy systems of the future must be cleaner and much more efficient, flexible, and reliable to meet the growing global demand for energy. A hydrogen economy offers a potential solution to satisfying the global energy requirements while reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy security. The enhanced hydrogen storage materials to be investigated will have higher hydrogen storage capacity, which can have applications in a variety of areas, including the storage and transport of hydrogen, fuel cells and electric automobiles.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668449
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$158,000.00
Summary
Advanced Surface and Porosity Characterization Facility. Material properties and processing play a significant role in many Australian industries. The benefits of research with this infrastructure to the greater community lies in the technological development of superior materials and processes to support the continued development of these industries. In addition to technological advances, this will have economic benefits due to improved business market share and profitability in these industrie ....Advanced Surface and Porosity Characterization Facility. Material properties and processing play a significant role in many Australian industries. The benefits of research with this infrastructure to the greater community lies in the technological development of superior materials and processes to support the continued development of these industries. In addition to technological advances, this will have economic benefits due to improved business market share and profitability in these industries, as well as educational development through completion of high quality research higher degree students.Read moreRead less
Composite Mesoporous Solids of TiO2 Nano-Crystals and Silicate as Photo-catalysts for Degradation of Organic Contaminants in Water. TiO2 photo-catalysis is a promising advanced technique for breaking down organic contaminants and bacteria in water and air. This project will develop a novel class of photo-catalysts, the composite meosporous compounds of anatase and layered clay, by combining templated synthesis and pillaring techniques. They will exhibit a high photo-catalytic efficiency with sup ....Composite Mesoporous Solids of TiO2 Nano-Crystals and Silicate as Photo-catalysts for Degradation of Organic Contaminants in Water. TiO2 photo-catalysis is a promising advanced technique for breaking down organic contaminants and bacteria in water and air. This project will develop a novel class of photo-catalysts, the composite meosporous compounds of anatase and layered clay, by combining templated synthesis and pillaring techniques. They will exhibit a high photo-catalytic efficiency with superior properties for practical operations because of the framework of large porosity arising from the arrangement of discrete anatase nano-particles within the silicate layers. The project involves mostly fundamental research into material synthesis, colloid and surface chemistry and photo-catalysis, and aims to develop advanced techniques for water treatment.Read moreRead less
Nanostructures of Titanium Dioxide and Titanates by Wet-chemistry. One-dimensional (1D) nanoparticulates of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and titanate synthesized by wet-chemistry approaches are new advanced materials of unusual properties. This project will investigate the formation and phase transition mechanism of these 1D particulates by various techniques. With such knowledge, we can effectively control the morphology on a scale of nanometers, and tailor the energy gap of these materials. This wi ....Nanostructures of Titanium Dioxide and Titanates by Wet-chemistry. One-dimensional (1D) nanoparticulates of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and titanate synthesized by wet-chemistry approaches are new advanced materials of unusual properties. This project will investigate the formation and phase transition mechanism of these 1D particulates by various techniques. With such knowledge, we can effectively control the morphology on a scale of nanometers, and tailor the energy gap of these materials. This will significantly influence the photosemiconductive photocatalytic and lithium ions insertion behaviours of the particles so that advanced materials for solar energy conversion, photocatalysts for decomposing organic pollutants in environment, eletrode materials of lithium batteries can be developed.Read moreRead less