Polymers are poised to become the materials of choice for a host of applications because of their lightness, strength, ease of forming and biocompatibility. The major challenge lies in optimising their surfaces for each application. For biodevices in particular, the surfaces must support a range of complex and specific interactions. This project will create new polymer surface modifications through innovations in plasma science and technology. The outcomes will be new surfaces for diagnostic arrays in medicine, biosensors and durable polymer surfaces for low earth orbit.
Transparent conducting materials are required for growing application areas such as flat panel displays, solar cells and architectural heat management. Indium Tin Oxide, presently the dominant transparent conductive oxide, has limitations arising from the rarity of indium and the fact that it is too brittle to be used on flexible substrates. We will employ a combination of theoretical modeling, novel synthesis and advanced characterization methods to develop new transparent conducting alloy oxides.
Our ability to control processes in extreme environments is restricted by the availability of suitable materials. The performance of ceramics is limited by their low heat shock and damage tolerance, while metals suffer from low corrosion and oxidation resistance. We will employ a combination of theoretical modeling, novel thin film synthesis and advanced characterization methods to explore a promising new class of materials, the MAX phases, which are expected combine the best properties of metals and ceramics by virtue of a unique nanolaminate crystal structure.
Vacuum glazing achieves thermal insulating properties similar to double or triple glazing in a panel only six millimetres thick by employing a sub-millimetre vacuum space. This project focuses on the role of the miniature support pillars, intrinsic stresses in the glass sheets and the edge seal materials to determine thermal insulation and mechanical strength. We will develop strategies for controlling stress distribution in this complex structure. By studying fracture initiation and energy transfer into vibrational modes we will create high strength vacuum glazing able to resist impact and deformations due to winds and thermal gradients.
Current advances in many biomedical technologies rely on the availability of synthetic surfaces which induce favourable responses in biological systems. This project aims to develop new plasma surface modification processes to produce optimised surfaces for the attachment of proteins to direct cellular responses by understanding the fundamental mechanisms that drive surface - protein interactions. We bring together high level expertise in plasma processing physics, surface science and the biosciences to allow complete characterisation of the plasma parameters, all relevant surface properties and biological responses. Expected outcomes include new surface modification processes and designer surfaces for applications including joint replacements and neurosystem interfacing components.
Thin films and surfaces are pivotal to the performance of modern devices in fields such as microelectronics, biomedicine and nanotechnology. As devices become smaller, the influence of surfaces and interfaces dominate and the need to understand their structure and properties becomes paramount to understanding and optimizing device performance. The comprehensive characterisation facility we propose will provide the means for Australian materials researchers to characterize thin films and surfaces in terms of crystallographic structure, composition including trace elements, and properties, such as stress, magnetization and electrical conductivity, spatially resolved across the surface.
Last updated August, 2008
