Grants awarded for electron microscopy & versatile laser processing
Exciton Science Associate Investigators Anita Ho-Baillie, Nicholas Ekins-Daukes and Joanne Etheridge were among the successful applicants to be awarded Australian Research Council Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) grants in December 2021.
Joanne, Director of the Monash Centre for Electron Microscopy and a Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Monash University, is part of a team to receive AU$2,020,000 in funding for an in-situ and multiscale scanning electron microscopy suite.
This project aims to establish a purpose-build in-situ scanning electron microscope for imaging during testing macroscopic samples, together with a second microscope for correlative high magnification analysis.
This unique facility is expected to create new knowledge and understanding of the evolution of materials and devices during processing and performance. Expected outcomes are the development and better utilisation of materials for a range of applications.
This should benefit research in many disciplines such as physics, chemistry, geology, materials, mechanical, civil and chemical engineering, and provide societal impact for the environmental, transport and energy sector.
Anita and Nicholas, along with their collaborators, were awarded AU$480,000 to develop a versatile laser processing system for multi-disciplinary research.
Anita is a Professor and the John Hooke Chair of Nanoscience at the University of Sydney, while Nicholas is an Associate Professor in the School of Photovoltaic & Renewable Energy Engineering at UNSW Sydney.
Their project aims to meet the growing needs for laser-assisted material processing and device fabrications, supporting multi-disciplinary research at multiple institutions.
The unique multi-wavelength pulsed and continuous wave laser system they intend to establish will provide additional capacity and capability expanding material systems, especially organic and hybrid materials for laser-assisted surface cleaning, ablation, doping, and crystallization for optoelectronic, photonic, biomedical and carbon fibre reinforced plastics research.
The system will support existing and future fundamental and applied research and industry projects benefitting Australia via research training, and by boosting capacity for advanced manufacturing.
