FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE
We believe that fundamental science and discovery is critical to the innovation and technology transfer chain.
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We leverage our multidisciplinary experience in chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, electrical engineering - to make and communicate fundamental advances in these fields.
01
2D Heterostructures
There are over 3000 individual 2D layered compounds. When you stack them together you get over 6 million heterostructures with different properties.
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Funded by an ARC Discovery Project, we are using machine learning & experimental fabrication techniques to find out how these materials perform for piezoelectric and catalytic devices
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Key Researchers
Dr Peter Sherrell
Dr Alexander Corletto
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Key Outputs
"A bright future for engineering piezoelectric 2D crystals" - Chem. Soc. Rev.
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"Active Learning in Bayesian Neural Networks for Bandgap Predictions of Novel Van der Waals Heterostructures" - Adv. Intell. Syst.
02
Piezocatalysis
We need new ways to convert materials into fuel. Couping piezoelectric polymers into catalytic particles can make this much more efficient.
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Funded by the Elizabeth & Vernon Puzey Foundation, this project looks at how was can achieve this coupling to address:
- Salt Water Splitting
- Mine Process Water Remediation
- Ammonium Reduction
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Key Researchers
Dr Peter Sherrell
03
Contact Electrification
Contacting and separating two polymer surfaces creates charge. However, how and why remains hotly debated in literature.
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We take a systematic approach to understanding what factors affect the magnitude and direction of the charge, and how we can use this to our advantage.
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Driven by an excellent collaboration with Dr Andris Sutka at Riga Technical Universtiy, we are solving these problems rapidly.
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Key Researchers
Dr Peter Sherrell
Ms Jingyi Li
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Key Outputs
"Probing Contact Electrification: A Cohesively Sticky Problem" - ACS App. Mat. Inter.
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"Poly (dimethylsiloxane) for Triboelectricity: From Mechanisms to Practical Strategies" - Chem. Mater.
04
Catalyst Pencils
Depositing catalysts is tricky. It requires specific surfaces, substrates, temperatures, and materials.
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2D crystals are lubricants, thanks to their interlayer van der Waal bonds. We're looking at assemling these 2D crystals into pencil like structures and writing catalysts on arbitary surfaces.
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Funded by the CASS Foundation Medicine/Science Grant, this project will produce cheap, effective, and scaleable deposition methods for water splitting.
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Key Researchers
Dr Peter Sherrell
