NanoPitch STEM - Driving Innovation for Sustainability

A robust sustainable circular Economy

Australia's performance in ecological sustainability hit a surprising low in the latest Global Innovation Index 2023, raising concerns especially considering the Australian Budget of October 2022–23 committed a record funding of almost A$25 billion to clean energy and renewables projects, supporting the Government's commitment to net zero by 2050. 
 
The core issue? There's a noticeable absence of cohesion and a disjointed strategy across different sectors and industries regarding the adoption of advanced technologies for clean, renewable energy and sustainability in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

It is time for a change, and I stand to spearhead that transformation. Leveraging my extensive cross-disciplinary expertise, I propose to mend the cracks in our outdated economic and financial system that failed to strategically and smartly apply cutting-edge innovations and nano-technologies, my goal is to steer us towards a thriving, robust circular economy. 

Read more about A/Prof. Shumi Akhtar.

Rare-Earth Magnets via Additive Manufacturing: Addressing Supply Challenges

This project aims to formulate a materials design pathway for high-performance rare-earth (RE) Neodymium–Iron–Boron (Nd–Fe–B) permanent magnets (PMs) via metal additive manufacturing. These advances are the essential underpinnings of the manufacture of complex designs and enable maximisation of the magnetic properties for minimal RE alloying element content in key areas like wind turbines and electric vehicles towards achieving electrification revolution and net-zero. This project also increases Australia’s role in the downstream processing of RE-related products, supporting our transition to a more integrated supply chain for these critical PM technologies, and contributing resilience and sustainability to our manufacturing sector.

Read more about Dr Hansheng Chen.

This project aims to develop next-generation optical switches for optical neural networks, by introducing advanced materials and new device geometries that enable pattern recognitions in a lab-on-a-chip device for future computing technologies. These switches are known as Faraday rotators. Traditionally, a Faraday rotator is essential in telecommunications and spectroscopy that require low noise and high frequency stability. Key challenges in developing optical switches are materials development, cost of production, and miniaturisation of the devices. Current commercial standards employ various inorganic garnets, which are fabricated in extreme conditions of high temperatures (> 1500°C) and inert environment, thus there is a need for a facile and low-cost method of material fabrication. Recently, we have demonstrated that our perovskite crystals, popular active materials for next-generation solar cell devices, stand as excellent candidates for a next-generation optical isolator/switch. They not only deliver superior non-reciprocal optical transport capability compared to the current commercial standards but also save production costs of materials significantly by an order of magnitude. We believe that our prototype device will pave a way towards next-generation photonic neural computing, fostering future data-processing and communication technologies used in multiple industries and science.

Waste-derived 3D nanocarbon aerogels for clean energy and green construction

Producing advanced nanomaterials for clean energy storage and CO2 sequestering concrete using bio and polymer wastes. It addresses one of the challenges of circular economy with kind to earth products to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Read more about Dr Shaikh Faisal.

ALGA Facade: Autonomous Living Green Architectural Facade

Through advanced technology, efficient design and system innovation, ALGA Facades will sequester carbon from the atmosphere, purify water and air in buildings while reducing their energy consumption, and produce biomass as a new source of sustainable protein-rich food products. Microalgae are highly resilient and have extraordinary carbon capture capabilities, up to 50 times more effective than terrestrial plants. ALGA Facade technology can lead the global building sector's decarbonisation towards net-zero targets while, at the same time, responding to the current pressing crisis around food insecurity and land use in urban areas, towards a more resilient and equitable future for the generations to come.

Read more about Dr Eugenia Gasparri.

Nanoscope: Powering Energy

This project addresses a critical market demand within the energy solutions sector. In recent years, nanomaterials have emerged as fundamental components for advancing energy conversion processes. However, the intricate relationship between their structure and function, especially over extended periods, has remained a challenging puzzle to decipher. The market's insatiable appetite for enhanced efficiency and stability in renewable energy conversion processes continues to drive demand. This project addresses this challenge by focusing on mitigating the formation of nanobubbles on high-performance nanomaterials. These troublesome nanobubbles have a pronounced impact, obstructing the smooth flow of charge at active sites and resulting in substantial energy losses.

The scope of this challenge is underscored by the staggering market potential. Projections indicate that the market size for renewable energy conversion technologies will experience remarkable growth, reaching an estimated US$26 trillion by 2030. This surge in demand is primarily propelled by society's increasing recognition of the urgency to transition towards efficient and sustainable energy conversion.

To achieve this, direct nanoscale observations are employed, striving to establish a comprehensive understanding of nanobubble dynamics. This knowledge forms the bedrock upon which catalysts with transformative capabilities are engineered. Not only will these catalysts significantly enhance energy conversion efficiency, but they will also contribute to the broader landscape of sustainable energy solutions. The ultimate aim of this project is to play a pivotal role in driving the renewable energy transition, bringing us closer to a more sustainable and efficient energy future.

Read more about Dr Kaye Minkyung Kang.

EMU Systems

Playing sport or working in hot weather causes humans to overheat and become dehydrated which impacts performance and can lead to heat stroke and death. This heat is projected to cost the global economy more than US $2.3 trillion by the year 2030. The problem is that organisations don’t have a way to access and interpret high fidelity heat stress data in a way that enables them to optimise work performance, reduce productivity losses and prevent heat-related health problems. At EMU Systems we have developed patented, standalone devices that accurately monitor all the key aspects of the local environment that determine health and productivity. These devices link to software that displays an easy-to-understand heat stress risk score for productivity and health based on the profile of the workforce (activity levels, clothing, and health status). This software then also explains specifically what compatible interventions can be used to ensure workers remain productive, and safe, despite the hot conditions.  

Read more about Dr Grant Lynch.

Protein derived bioplastics

Many natural protein materials possess extraordinary mechanical properties. For example, spider fibres made by silk proteins are considered as one of the strongest materials. Interestingly, these silk fibres contain structures (beta sheets) similar to pathological aggregates in human cells. By modulating protein phase transitions, biomaterials with tuneable properties will be developed. Microplastic, which can be found in thousands of personal care products, has caused severe contamination all over the world especially in the oceans, including in Australia. Thus, there is an urge to look for a replacement for single-use plastic generated from synthetic polymers. My previous work, including publications in Nature Nanotechnology 2017 and Nature Communication 2021 have demonstrated the feasibility to develop new materials using proteins and amyloid fibrils as building blocks. I further discovered that a range of proteins and peptides can undergo phase transitions forming materials with tuneable properties. In this project, biomaterials are obtained through cost-effective spontaneous bulk liquid-liquid phase separation of protein and functional peptides. Following this, microgels with high thermodynamic stability are developed by controlling liquid-to-solid transition. Furthermore, the resulted materials can be tailored into macro scale hydrogels/fibres/films for different applications. This will enable the development of biomaterials based on protein self-assembly and phase behaviour with applications in plastic replacement.

Read more about Dr Yi Shen.

Rare-earth free based permanent magnets for sustainable clean energy

The transition to sustainable clean energy technologies is hindered by the reliance on use of critical rare-earth elements (REEs) in permanent magnets. These critical REEs pose significant challenges in addressing climate change and clean energy due to their limited availability, geopolitical concerns, and environmental impact associated with mining. With increasing demand from the clean energy technologies, replacing or reducing REEs in permanent is crucial. Additionally, the performance of Nd-based magnets (~474 J/m3) are approaching its theoretical limit (~512 J/m3), necessitating the development of next-generation low-cost permanent magnets from non-critical elements.   
 

Our project addresses these challenges by fabricating REEs free permanent magnets, offering an innovative solution to the scarcity and environmental unfriendliness of REEs in clean energy technologies. By leveraging alternative non-critical elements which are even geographically available and novel manufacturing technology, we aim to fabricate low-cost high-performance permanent magnets with superior magnetic properties to conventional REEs.  1% improvement in conversion efficiency of permanent magnets would not only save energy amounting to 202 TWh/y, equivalent to several billion dollars, but it would contribute with a significant reduction of CO2 emissions (100 million t/y). 
 

The successful implementation of rare-earth-free permanent magnets holds transformative potential across industries, facilitating the adoption of more sustainable and eco-friendly solutions for clean energy generation and storage. This will not only address immediate challenges in resource scarcity and environmental impact, but also pave the way for a more sustainable future.