The Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science aims to manipulate the way light energy is absorbed, transported and transformed in advanced molecular materials. The Centre programmes span high-throughput computational screening, single molecule photochemistry and ultrafast spectroscopy and embrace innovative outreach and commercial translation activities. The Centre plans to capture the knowledge generated as new intellectual property, materials processing know-how, high-impact publications and through the creation of new employment opportunities. The expected outcomes and benefits include new Australian technologies in solar energy conversion, energy-efficient lighting and displays, security labelling and optical sensor platforms for defence.

The aim of this platform is to establish a comprehensive analytic tool-box for the characterisation of solutionprocessable materials for thin-film solar cells based on materials such as perovskites. These materials have excellent light harvesting properties with absorption edges beyond 800 nm. A particular focus will be made on time-resolved transient absorption and microwave conductivity phenomena and on lock-in thermographic imaging
capabilities. This will accelerate the ongoing materials and technological development in this strongly emerging research field.

This project will establish a world class, globally-linked and industry-focussed research hub to underpin the uptake of metal alloy based additive manufacturing (including 3D printing) in Australia. Its research will cover the issues that need to be resolved for success, including the effects of non-equilibrium solidification, process optimisation to achieve quality, consistency and repeatability, and new user-friendly design tools to realise the benefit of free-form manufacturing. Real components will be studied to give immediate impact. The hub will also train highly skilled people that will be needed for this growing industry.

Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) is a novel materials processing technique with a unique combination of a high amperage and a high pressure in sintering. It is used for densification of powdered metal alloys, intermetallics, ceramics and composites in a very rapid manner (within a few minutes) and at significantly reduced temperature, thus it is especially useful for manufacturing nanostructured materials. The lack of this facility has severely restricted the research capability and creativity of Australian researchers. This proposal seeks to establish the first SPS facility in the country to meet the increasing demands by research organisations and companies nationwide for the development of advanced materials.

In this project we will use two novel techniques recently invented by the Chief Investigators to develop dyesensitised solar cells that contain multiple sensitisers with complementary light spectral absorption. This will call on the production of pre-sintered, mesoporous titanium dioxide spheres, as developed at the University of Melbourne, and the ability to fabricate electrodes without the need for high temperature sintering, a technique recently patented by Monash University. Such solar cell devices containing multiple sensitisers (either dyes or quantum-dots) are expected to absorb a much broader portion of the solar spectrum and thus result in a considerable improvement in energy conversion efficiency.

The buy-to-fly ratio for aerospace applications can be as high as 40:1. Near net-shape manufacturing such as laser additive manufacturing, net-shape HIPping or metal injection significantly reduce this ratio and revolutionise the aerospace manufacturing industry as well as be advantageous in fabricating complex components for biomedical and other high-value added products. The key challenge for those applications is to guarantee sufficient mechanical properties and process repeatability. The requested HIP is used to develop the net-shape HIPping process for alloy structures prior to its scale-up and to close porosity and remove thermal residual stress in laser additive manufactured components to ensure its superb mechanical properties.

The aim of this proposal is to establish an X-ray analytical facility for characterisation of natural and novel materials using three complementary techniques: environmental powder X-ray diffraction, small angle X-ray scattering, and X-ray texture analysis. This facility will enable structural characterisation of engineered and geological materials on length scales from 0.1 nm to 1 mm and under controlled conditions of temperature and atmospheric composition. This analytical facility will be used to support innovation in (1) design of novel materials for industrial, environmental and biomedical applications and (2) development of green technologies and processes for energy production and mining.

The development of the next generation of electronic, optical, and biomedical devices requires methods that can quickly manipulate and charaterise matter at the mamoscale. The aim of this proposal is to establish new tools that will allow researchers to build novel device structures and analyse them at nanoscale spacial resolutions. The new facilities are required to meet the demands of a growing number of innovative projects being undertaken within a large multidisciplinary consortium of research groups. The facilities will be housed in state-of-the-art laborotories and managed as open access resources for researchers which will enable advances in the areas of energy harvesting, environmental monitoring, and electronics.

To Present a Paper At the 1st China International Conference on High Performance Ceramics, and a Member of the International Advisory Committee , to Present An Invited Review Lecture At the Conference Workshop of Advanced Ceramics and Associated Research Visit to Singhua University, China.

Solar energy is the most attractive renewable and environmentally sustainable energy source. Dye sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) are one type of device that can harvest this energy, offering advantages of low materials cost and ease of fabrication when compared to silicon-based solar cells. This project aims to develop efficient, flexible DSSCs by using polymer substrates in place of glass. Microwave processing will be employed to fabricate the semiconductor layers on polymer substrates. Novel surface modification approaches will be examined to facilitate microwave processing and improve cell efficient.

The equipment sought through this proposal will support a fast growing team of internationally recognized scientists, in their quest to develop advanced nanomaterials for the next generation of photovoltaic devices. The combined fabrication and characterization facility is unique to Australia and will help to provide critical infrastructure that is currently only available through overseas collaborations. It will enables researchers to (1) efficiently integrate novel electromaterials into state-of-the-art photovoltaic devices and compare their performance to current benchmark materials and (2) study electron transfer and transport dynamics in order to reveal the material properties that govern the electronic behaviour of these materials.

The Australian Centre for Electromaterials Science brings together eminent scientists to develop the nano-science and nano-technology related to the movement o electric charge within and between materials. Such processes are fundamentally important to a diverse array of phenomena important in many biological and industrial processes. The exciting new developments in nanoscale materials offer the potential for groundbreaking improvements charge generation and transfer. However, there is a general lack of understanding of these processes at the nano domain. The new Centre will study these processes, develop improved electromaterials and apply these materials in biomedicine, industrial processes, energy harvesting and energy storage.

Among the many contenders competing to replace fossil fuels, solar energy is a most promising alternative source that offers the advantages of being both environmentally friendly and renewable. This aim of the proposed project is to fabricate a novel semiconductor mesoporous electrode to enhance the performance of dye sensitised solar cells, giving superior conversion of sunlight to electricity. A template/sol-gel approach will be takien i) ti develop optimum electrode materials using doped titanium dioxide, ii) to control the porosity of the mesoporous film, and iii) to assemble a multilayer structured electrode.

Solar energy is the most attractive renwable energy source. Dye sensitised solar cells (DSSCs) are one type of device that can harvest this energy, offering advantages of low materials cost and ease of fabrication when compared to alternative devices. This project aims to develop efficient, flexiblee DSSCs by using polymer substrates in place of glass. Novel surface modification approaches and microwave processing will be employed to fabricate the nanporous semiconductor electrodes on polymer substrates and to improve cell efficiency. Improved dyes and new electrolyte systems, such as plastic crystals, will be incorporated into the cell to improve efficiency, durability and stability.

The Universities of Melbourne and Monash, CSIRO and Securency as the Victorian Organic Solar Cell consortium (VICOSC), is now developing low cost organic solar cells as well as printing methods for the mass
production of large area organic solar cells. As a printing method, gravure printing has been studied in collaboration with Securency International. Spray deposition of active materials has also been studied as an
alternative printing technique in Bio21 and has successfully been used to deliver larger area organic solar cells. The advanced ultrasonic spray deposition system will provide a more systematic study of deposition techniques for the roll-to-roll production as well as potential fabrication of laboratory prototype devices.

Solar energy is a promising alternative energy source that offers the advantages of being both environmentally friendly and renewable. The aim of this project is to fabricate flexible dye-sensitised solar cells, addressing two key technical challenges for their fabrication at temperatures below the instability temperature of polymer substrates. Firstly, the deposition of the porous electrode onto polymer substrates by using advanced functional materials, and secondly, sintering of the nanoporous working electrodes by innovative chemical sintering techniques. Such flexible solar cells could be manufactured by continous roll-to-roll technology, could easliy conform to uneven surfaces, and could have low cost and light weight advantages.