|
Research news
Eureka award for Centre Program Leader
Centre Program Leader Professor Justin Gooding, from the School of Chemistry at the University of NSW, has won a coveted Eureka Prize for Scientific Research, the prize awarded for outstanding curiosity-driven investigation.
The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes are the most prestigious awards in Australian science. The winners were announced in August at a star-studded gala dinner in Sydney.
Professor Gooding won the award for his pioneering use of advanced surface chemistry to allow the fabrication of new and better types of biosensors. The research has enabled rapid development of in-field detection kits, enabling accurate tests with real time results using non-specialist staff.
Frank Howarth, the Director of the Australian Museum praised Professor Gooding’s work, adding “the benefits of Professor Gooding’s sensors are not restricted to blood testing. They also include sensors that minimise side-effects from drugs and assist with pesticide detection in drinking water”. His work is also expected to play a crucial role in the development of cell biochips.
Nanoparticle based delivery for biopesticides
Key life-threatening diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and central nervous system diseases, present major challenges for the development of future medicines.
New drugs need to be developed, which can be delivered to their site of action in a safe and timely fashion.
Nanomaterial technology can serve as a non-invasive and biocompatible platform for the delivery of a broad range of therapeutics, and has many applications in the veterinarian and other primary industries.
The creation of smart, stimuli-sensitive systems that respond to subtle changes in the local cellular environment are likely to yield long-term solutions to many of the current delivery problems.
One such example is the effective controlled delivery and release methods in pesticides.
With a fundamental understanding of biological barriers, novel nanomaterials with effective bio-loading/release techniques can be developed for the delivery of biopesticides.
In a linkage project between The University of Queensland (UQ) and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI) , researchers are investigating the application of this technology as a biopesticide against termites.
In Australia the timber industry is worth an estimated $10 billion per annum. Termites, or white ants pose the greatest problem to the industry, causing up to two billion dollars in damages in the housing industry alone.
In developing a pesticide to target the whole termite colony, an approach lacking in current pesticide formulations, the nano-pesticide will increase the efficiency and reduce the amount of pesticide reside in the environment.
These sugar-coated novel nanoparticles, with the encapsulated poison, are gathered as food by the termites and carried back to the colony. Once ingested, the poison directly targets the termite gut.
The sugar coating also protects the particle’s active ingredients from environmental and photo-degradation.
The research team for this projects includes Dr Shizhang Qiao, Dr Yonggang Jin, Mr Amirali Popat and Prof Max Lu from The University of Queensland and Drs Brenton Peters; Michael Kennedy and Chris Fitzgerald from the DPI.
  
SEM images of Silica sphere coated with ethyl cellolose (1-2), 3. PLGA (polylactide-co-glycide) coated onto silica nanoparticles
Astute Nanotechnology Update
Lightanate
Lightanate Pty Ltd, managed by Astute Nanotechnology, the Centre’s commercialisation arm, has received a Climate Ready Grant from AusIndustry to the value of $370 thousand.
The Climate Ready program provides grants from the federal government’s AusIndustry to support research and development, proof-of-concept and early-stage commercialisation activities to develop solutions to climate change challenges.
The Lightanate project, Materials for water purification and solar coatings, is developing titanium based materials for use in solar cell and water treatment applications.
China links
While in China with the Centre’s NIRAP project, Astute Nanotechnology Manager Dr Fouad Haghseresht met with multinational companies The DOW Chemical Company, GE Materials and Honeywell to discuss potential research links and collaborations.
Industry dinner
Astute Nanotechnology will also be hosting a table at The University of Queensland’s Research Week Industry Dinner later in September.
For further information of the activities of Astute Nanotechnology, contact
Dr Fouad Haghseresht at
f.haghseresht@uniquest.com.au
Communication highlights
Centre work displayed at the Ekka
This year, several Centre PhD students and staff showcased the Centre’s work at the Ekka, Brisbane’s annual show.
Dr Akshat Tanksale, a postdoctoral research fellow participated in the Talking Scientist’s program. The program featured short talks by Queensland scientists, repeated several times per day to promote the value of scientific research to the wider community. Dr Tanksale discussed the development of alternative fuels and energy carriers to replace the fossil fuels in the future.
The PhD students assisted on a booth in the science pavilion organised by the Enabling Technologies section of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. The booth focussed on ‘Powering the Future’ with an emphasis on nanotechnology. The centre students demonstrated how nanotechnology can greatly improve hydrogen fuel cell technology and were able to explain and discuss nanotechnology to a wide range of Ekka visitors.
Schools for Science Week
National Science Week, held each year in August provides opportunities to draw attention to Australian science successes, to encourage interest in science pursuits and to get younger people fascinated by scientific exploration.
Centre students Mr Aniruddh Mukherji visited MacGregor State High School in Brisbane and spoke to Year 12 chemistry students about nanotechnology, clean energy applications and the hydrogen fuel cell.
Mr Anthony Musumeci visited Albany Hills State School and spoke to 54 Year 7 students on science and nanotechnology as part of the ARCNN/ATSE Science Ambassador program.
Three-minute Thesis
During September The University of Queensland held a three-minute thesis competition, whereby research students are given three minutes to give an engaging response to an intelligent, but non-specialist audience to the questions, “how is your thesis going?” and “what are you researching?”.
Three Centre students Ms Frances Stahr (bovine vaccine), Mr Amirali Popat (termite bio-pesticide) and Mr Andy Mukherji (photocatalysts for solar energy) presented engaging accounts of their work in the first round. Andy will compete later in the month in the semi-final round.
General
Newsletter Nanomatters is also available as an email edition or online at the Centre’s website www.arccfn.org.au. To register for our email editions, please email Paulette Baumgartl at p.baumgartl@uq.edu.au
Website The Centre’s website (arccfn.org.au) contains information on the Centre’s aims, governance, research activities, publications, news items and interesting links. All current and past newsletters and annual reports are also available to download from the site.
Annual Conference Registration is now open for the Centre’s annual conference ‘Advances in Functional Nanomaterials’ in Coffs Harbour on the 9-11 November. Details are available on the Centre’s website.
Registration is now open for the Centre’s sixth annual conference ‘Advances in Functional Nanomaterials’ in Coffs Harbour in New South Wales on the 9-11 November. The annual conference series, Advances in Functional Nanomaterials, enables centre participants from all nodes to meet and discuss their research. Representatives from industry are also invited to attend and participate in the conference.
The scope of the conference covers fundamental and applied research that applies to advances in functional nanomaterials and nanotechnology, and will include sessions on fundamental synthesis techniques, computational nanomaterials science, clean energy production and utilisation, environmental technologies and health care.
More information on the conference can be found at
http://www.arccfn.org.au/conf2009/
Staff Movements
Centre Director Prof Max Lu has been appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) at The University of Queensland. Prof Lu will maintain his position as director of the ARCCFN.
Mr Steve Coombs, the Centre’s Chief Operating Officer has left the Centre to become the Manager of the School of Chemical Engineering at The University of Queensland. Steve was with the Centre since its inception and contributed greatly to the Centre’s success
Ms Celestien Warnaar assumed the role of Centre Manager.
Contacts
|
Centre Head Office
Ms Celestien Warnaar
ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials
Level 5 West, AIBN
Cnr College and Cooper Roads
The University of Queensland
Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
t: (+61) 7 3346 3883
f: (+61) 7 3346 3973
e: c.warnaar@uq.edu.au
www.arccfn.org.au |
NSW/ACT Node
Professor Rose Amal
ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials
School of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry
The University of New South Wales
Sydney, NSW, 2052
t: (+61) 2 9385 4361
f: (+61) 2 9385 5996
e: r.amal@unsw.edu.au
|
|
|
