A new solution for Australia’s growing e-waste problem launched Friday with the opening of the UNSW-designed Plastics Filament MICROfactorie in Sydney. Electronic waste recycler Renew IT has incorporated this technology at its Lane Cove facility to transform hard plastics from discarded printers and computers into valuable filament for 3D manufacturing. Developed by the UNSW Centre…
A University of New South Wales team has developed a novel polymer technology that could revolutionise how next-generation solar cells are manufactured, according to research announced on Monday. Dr Ziheng Liu and his tandem solar cell team created a method to transform insulating polymers into conductive ones, potentially solving a key manufacturing challenge for the…
An eco-friendly, high-performance organic battery is being developed by scientists at UNSW Sydney. A team of scientists at UNSW Chemistry have successfully developed an organic material that is able to store protons, and used it to create a rechargeable proton battery in the lab. By leveraging hydrogen ions – protons – instead of traditional lithium,…
UNSW researchers have developed a new recycling method that can work on a variety of plastics and uses sunlight, air and a cheap, common chemical. According to a statement from the university, the process could break down seven different types of polymers by 90 per cent in under 30 minutes (and 97 per cent after…
The final tranche of the Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) Seed pilot program has been announced, with funding totalling approximately $11 million awarded to 36 projects that are between Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 and TRL 5. AEA said in a statement on Monday that the grants focus on three of the federal government’s priority areas for…
UNSW Sydney’s Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology (SMaRT) and IT asset management company Renew IT have announced that a new factory has begun turning hard plastics from e-waste into 3D printing feedstock. A Plastics Filament MICROfactorie module, developed by UNSW Sydney researchers, has been installed at Renew IT’s warehouse in Lane Cove, on…
Defence’s technology solutions development programme, the Defence Trailblazer has launched a new $12 million grant scheme to accelerate the development of defence industry capabilities. Defence Trailblazer’s new Accelerating Sovereign Industrial Capabilities (ASIC) grant programme will fast-track the translation of defence R&D into industry capabilities. Executive Director Dr Sanjay Mazumdar said: “The Defence Industry Development Strategy…
Professor Bronwyn Fox, a materials scientist and engineer and the current Chief Scientist at CSIRO, will begin as UNSW’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise in mid-July. According to a statement from the university on Monday, the hire follows an “extensive global search” and will see Fox responsible for driving the “strategic direction in research, innovation…
University of NSW Sydney researchers have assembled “protein nanowires” created by engineered bacteria and found that these were able to conduct electricity over short distances and even create it out of thin air. According to a statement from UNSW on Monday, the team used protein filaments created by E. coli (a bacteria that can cause…
With business and direct government spending on R&D falling, and only university research rising, our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – turns to collaboration between industry and public sector researchers. By Dr Tony Peacock. If Australia is to turbocharge our R&D to reach 3% of GDP, businesses will have…
