10 Experts Advancing the Future of Materials Innovation
We are thrilled to announce the success of 7 ARC Discovery Project grants, awarded to our Centre researchers, which will contribute to achieving our vision of enriching the human experience through materials innovation.
This remarkable recognition reflects our ongoing commitment to exploring the fundamental behaviors of materials and harnessing this knowledge to bring transformative insights to industries around the globe. With these grants, our team is set to continue pushing the boundaries of materials science, and paving the way for solutions that will drive progress in technology, sustainability, and beyond.
Explore the range of applied and fundamental science we will pursue
Prof. Eric Waclawik and collaborators:
Using a Light-induced Field-Gradient to Promote Homogeneous Catalysis. Synthesizing fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals often relies on homogeneous transition metal-complex catalysts for their selectivity and efficiency. However, they are difficult to separate and reuse. This project offers a solution to not only overcome limitations of traditional catalysts but that can enhance metal-complex catalyst performance by leveraging the optical properties of plasmonic metal nanoparticles. Our approach will advance understanding of light-matter interactions and explore parameters of a versatile photocatalyst design to achieve high-turnover chemical synthesis with minimal catalyst waste. It will provide invaluable training opportunities for graduate students, contributing significantly to our knowledge-based economy. $626,022.00
Engineering 2D van der Waals Materials for Solar Hydrogen Production. Efficient and low cost photo-catalyst for solar hydrogen production will be vital in the transition to environmentally responsible energy industries. This project aims, through engineering polarization and the binding of photoexcited electron and hole in stacked 2D van der Waals materials, to determine novel theoretical principles on new photocatalyst design, yielding insights for translation into sustainable new photocatalytic processing in water splitting. Expected outcomes include innovative 2D photocatalysts for producing clean hydrogen fuels. The materials and knowledge achieved from this project will dramatically advance the development of renewable energy technology, providing solutions to the global energy and environmental issues. $497,847.00
Prof. Hongxia Wang; Dr Yang Yang
Novel transparent electrodes for efficient bifacial perovskite solar cells. This project aims to design transparent electrode composed of dielectric-metal-dielectric (DMD) structure with required optical and electrical properties for bifacial semitransparent perovskite solar cells (ST-PSCs). Expected new knowledge of how properties of the dielectric materials and metal layer control the transmittance, conductivity, work function as well as stability of the transparent electrodes, and subsequently their performance in ST-PSCs will be generated. The important research outcomes will facilitate the development of efficient ST-PSCs in practice such as building-integrated photovoltaics (PVs), placing Australia in the forefront this important emerging photovoltaics. $748,746.00
A/Prof. Kathleen Mullen; Dr David Marshall
Unlocking the secrets of dynamic supramolecular systems. Smart switchable materials have attracted much attention due to their potential applications in drug delivery, smart coatings, and soft robotics. However, rational design of self-assembled supramolecular systems that undergo controlled switching is inhibited by a lack of understanding as to the fundamental mechanisms controlling these dynamic processes. This project will use cutting-edge ion mobility mass spectrometry technologies to gain new insights into controlling switchable processes in supramolecular materials stimulated by light, heat, or electricity. By monitoring these processes in real-time, we will have a window through which we can develop greater understanding of switching mechanisms for future functional materials. $493,106.00
The photochemical tool to probe peptide assembly across water and gas phase. The precise assembly of peptides into defined architectures is paramount for protein functionality, with any errors in this assembly leading to severe diseases. Mass spectrometry, a leading tool for studying protein structures, operates in the gas phase. Tools that close the gap between peptide assemblies in their native state in water and in the gas phase are scarce. This project develops a conceptually unprecedented approach to study the assembly of peptides in both: water and gas phase. The CIs have recently shown that [2+2] photocycloadditions, key reactions of chemical synthesis, can be manipulated by peptide assembly. Exploiting this assembly sensitivity, photoreactions will be turned from a synthetic into a missing analytical tool. $573,465.00
Prof. Cheng Yan; Dr Michael Jones; Dr Konstantin Faershteyn
Chemo-mechanical behavior in all-solid-state lithium metal batteries. Currently available commercial lithium-ion batteries do not satisfy the increasing demands of portable electronic devices and electric vehicles, due to low energy densities, safety issues and high cost. High capacity electrode materials such as Li metal anode, Ni-rich cathode together with solid-state electrolytes have been confirmed as promising alternatives. However, poor interface stability and material failure remain as significant challenges. The project aims to solve these coupled chemo-mechanical problems through in situ characterisation and advanced modelling technologies. The expected outcomes will help develop next generation batteries and fill the key knowledge gaps in broad energy materials. $683,413.00
Prof. Cheng Yan and collaborators
Developing Sustainable Hard Carbon for High Performance Sodium-Ion Battery. Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) demonstrate a great potential to replace expensive lithium-ion batteries for energy storage as sodium is low-cost, safe and abundant as compared to lithium. However, the larger radius of sodium ions often leads to a sluggish kinetics process, and they cannot intercalate into commonly used anode materials like graphite. This project aims to investigate the atomic level sodium storage mechanism in hard carbon and develop a novel green hydrothermal carbonisation process to obtain spherical microstructures via combined experiment and atomistic modelling. This project will not only fill the knowledge gaps in developing high performance SIBs but guide the establishment of sustainable hard carbon manufacture industry. $672,413.00