Published on the 1st November 2016 by ANSTO Staff
Seven ANSTO researchers are collaborating on projects that have been funded by the Australian Research Council in grants announced today by the Federal Minister for Education and Training.
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The projects span the entire research portfolio at ANSTO and involves access to landmark scientific infrastructure.
Improving battery performance
Dr Max Avdeev from the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering is part of a collaboration which will investigate scaffolding layered structures to improve insertion electrodes. This project, led by Dr Neeraj Sharma from the University of New South Wales, aims to change how positive electrodes are designed and improve battery performance.
The positive electrode is arguably the largest bottleneck in battery performance. Modifying layered electrodes to produce better batteries has ramifications ranging from longer-lasting portable power for everyday devices and vehicles to energy storage solutions for intermittent power generation sources, such as renewables.
The project will develop scaffolded layered crystal structures to improve the ease, speed and amount of ion insertion/extraction. These structures will be incorporated into lithium and sodium ion batteries, resulting in better battery lifetime, energy density and charge/discharge speed. The research is expected to improve batteries for the future and decrease reliance on fossil fuels for energy.
The Australian Research Council provided Discovery Project funding of $313,500.
Using nuclear techniques to improve advanced manufacturing techniques
Dr Vladimir Luzin from the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering is part of a collaboration that will use neutron strain tomography to improve solid mechanics research and advanced manufacturing techniques.
The investigators, led by Associate Professor Chris Wensrich at the University of Newcastle, have developed a tensor reconstruction algorithm, similar to an enhanced CT or MRI scan, which can determine the finely grained three-dimensional triaxial stress distribution inside solid objects by measuring neutron transmission.
Using energy-resolved neutron detector technology, this project intends to realise and extend this technique to transform several areas of applied mechanics research.
The Australian Research Council provided Discovery Project funding of $381,000.
Enhancing single-molecule magnets
Dr Richard Mole from the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering is a member of a group designing, synthesising and investigating single-molecule magnets that can function at higher temperatures for use in quantum computing and molecular spintronics. Lead investigator is Associate Professor Colette Boskovic from The University of Melbourne.
Materials science increasingly benefit from molecular approaches and lanthanoid-based single-molecule magnets could achieve otherwise inaccessible technological developments such as the development of molecular materials for quantum computing and molecular spintronics.
The collaboration anticipates advances in fundamental chemistry and benefits to Australia.
The Australian Research Council provided Discovery Project funding of $381,000.
Reconstructing the evolution of early hominids
Environmental Principal Research Scientist Dr David Fink is a member of a large group investigating the evolving landscapes of our early South African ancestors. This project aims to reconstruct the early evolution of our genus, from 2.6 to 1.8 million years ago.
This was a time of faunal and environmental change, the extinction of apelike human ancestors (Australopithecus), the speciation of a specialised human genus, Paranthropus, and the origin of our own genus, Homo.
The project, led by Associate Prof Andrew Herries of La Trobe University will study South African cave sites, the surrounding karst, and the oldest known Homo ergaster fossil to model changing dietary patterns and landscape use by hominids. The research is expected to reconstruct the early evolution of our genus and to address how species reacted to changing environmental conditions and increasing aridity.
The Australian Research Council provided Discovery Project funding of $328,000.
Understanding dynamic coastal ecosystems using ancient plankton records
Leader of Environment Research Prof Henk Heijnis is part of a collaborative project to improve the management of coastal plankton systems by ancient DNA technology. The project, led by Professor Gustaaf Hallegraeff of the University of Tasmania, aims to assemble comprehensive long term Australian plankton records spanning 50 to 1000 years, by applying ancient DNA technology to dated sediment depth cores.
Long-term data for Australian coastal and estuarine waters are sparse, so cannot be used for management of fisheries, tourism or urban development. Long-term records are essential to understand how disruptive algal and jellyfish blooms, introduced species and increased human use of coastal resources affect dynamic plankton ecosystems.
Findings are expected to explore cyclical patterns, define range expansions and understand and manage how dynamic coastal ecosystems respond to multi-stressor anthropogenic change. The research is expected to improve understanding of how dynamic marine environments retain their biodiversity values and critical ecological functions.
The Australian Research Council provided Discovery Project funding of $439,000.
Analysing climate boundary conditions that affect the Southern Westerly Winds in order to improve climate modelling
Prof Heijnis is also collaborating on a study to understand the effect of climate boundary changes on the Southern Westerly Winds.
This project, led by Dr Michael Shawn-Fletcher of the University of Melbourne, aims to produce high quality data on how the Southern Westerly Winds (SWW) respond to largescale changes in climate boundary conditions over multiple glacial-interglacial cycles.
Because the SWW are key drivers of Southern Hemisphere climate, Southern Ocean circulation and global carbon dioxide concentrations, it is important to understand how they respond to changes in boundary conditions.
Uncertainty about how they do so limits attempts at accurate predictive climate modelling. This project will test conceptual models of SWW dynamics and provide essential boundary conditions for predictive climate models.
The project intends to simultaneously build and support a research capacity and global network, and advance Australia’s knowledge and contribution in the area of global climate dynamics.
The Australian Research Council provided Discovery Indigenous Project funding of $355,000.
Radiation detector technology to better understand ion interactions for cancer treatment.
Dr Dale Prokopovich is participating in a collaboration to further understand how ions interact with matter and their radiobiological effectiveness (RBE).
The project, led by Prof Anatoly Rozenfeld from the Centre for Medical Radiation Physics at the University of Wollongong, will introduce an Australian detector technology platform to research ion interaction physics and their RBE. It will develop radiation detectors for ion measurement with a wide energy range, including a practical RBE quality assurance dosimeter with submillimetre spatial resolution.
The proposed Australian radiation detection technology is expected to improve understanding of the scientific mechanisms underpinning the radiobiological effectiveness of heavy ion radiation.
The research is associated with a project to build a Heavy Ion Therapy Research and Treatment Centre in Australia, which is supported by ANSTO.
The Australian Research Council provided Discovery Project funding of $357,000.
Fellowship for researcher who investigates high voltage electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries
Dr Wei Kong Pang, a joint position postdoc working with ANSTO’s Dr Vanessa Peterson at the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering and Prof Zaiping Guo from the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials at the University of Wollongong, has received a Future Fellowship for a project to establish a complete battery research system and develop high-voltage electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries through mechanistic understanding obtained in operando studies.
Lithium-ion batteries are the most promising choice for portable electronic devices, including electric vehicles, due to their high power and energy performance compared with other battery technologies.
The success of this project is expected to advance fundamental understanding of lithium-ion batteries, and provide techniques to develop a promising high-energy and high-power battery system.
The Australian Research Council provided Future Fellowship Project funding of $652,000.