Research focus
Researchers in the Centre are working on solutions to many environmental, energy and health issues, developing membranes, biopesticides and veterinarian vaccines for the agricultural sector, and many exciting clean energy projects using, for example, photocatalysis and supercapacitor technology.
The Centre has built its research foundation on five core programs, two at the more fundamental level (synthesis techniques and computational nanoscience), and three applied. As the Centre has progressed, the success of this structure is apparent in the number of publications, whose novel outcomes are a result of collaboration between the fundamental and applied researchers, and also the number of patents resulting from this research.
To summarise, the research programs focus specifically on the novel synthesis, characterisation and applications of functional nanomaterials such as nanoparticles, nanotubes, thin films, and nanoporous and nanocomposite materials.
Core target industries include:
Clean energy production and utilisation: gas to liquid conversion, hydrogen production and storage, fuel cells, and high energy density batteries
Environmental technologies: photocatalytic reduction of pollutants in water and air, economic removal and recovery of organic vapours, greenhouse gas reduction and utilisation
Health care: biomaterials for orthopaedic and cardiovascular applications and tissue repair
Fundamental synthesis techniques led by Prof Ian Chen
Computational nanomaterials science led by Prof Sean Smith
Clean energy production and utilisation led by Prof Ian Gentle
Environmental Technologiesled by Prof Justin Gooding
Health Care led by Prof Matt Trau
