Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Electrostatically Assembled Construction Of Ternary Tio2-Cu@C Hybrid With Enhanced Solar-To-Hydrogen Evolution Employing Amorphous Carbon Dots As Electronic Mediator, Jiaxin Zhu, Mengmeng Zhang, Jinyan Xiong, Yinan Yan, Weijie Li, Gang Cheng

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

The huge demand for renewable hydrogen produced by water splitting has prompted people to conduct in-depth research on the hydrogen evolution reaction for the development of earth-abundant, non-precious, and multi-functional metal catalysts. Herein, a noble-metal-free ternary composite of TiO2-Cu@C was prepared by electrostatic self-assembly loaded copper nanoparticles and amorphous carbon dots (CDs) on porous TiO2 microrods. The good conductivity of the CDs was beneficial to promoting the charge transfer and separation, generating an enhanced solar-to-hydrogen performance on TiO2-Cu@C. The optimized TiO2-Cu@C reveals a stable and notable hydrogen evolution rate of 3911 μmol g−1h−1, which is 1.6 times that of TiO2-Cu …

Ultrasonic Spray Deposition Of Tio2 Electron Transport Layers For Reproducible And High Efficiency Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells, Jingsong Sun, Alexander Pascoe, Steffen Meyer, Qijie Wu, Enrico Della Gaspera, Sonia Raga, Tian Zhang, Andrew Nattestad, Udo Bach, Yi-Bing Cheng, Jacek Jasieniak

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

The fabrication of high efficiency perovskite solar cells at larger scales will rely on the optimized deposition conditions of every layer using scalable methodologies. Most current perovskite devices that employ the archetypal TiO2 hole blocking layer utilise a simple air-brush approach. This approach is not scalable as it results in significant layer inhomogeneity across larger devices areas. To overcome this inherent limitation, in this work we use ultrasonic spray deposition as an alternative approach for the TiO2 deposition. Focusing on identical reaction chemistries as for air-brush, namely bis(isopropoxide)-bis(acetylacetonate) titanium (IV) based solutions, we find that under optimized conditions smooth TiO2 …

A High-Performance Rechargeable Mg2+/Li+ Hybrid Battery Using One-Dimensional Mesoporous Tio2(B) Nanoflakes As The Cathode, Shuojian Su, Yanna Nuli, Zhenguo Huang, Qi Miao, Jun Yang, Jiulin Wang

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Mg2+/Li+ hybrid batteries have recently been constructed combining a Mg anode, a Li+-intercalation electrode, and an electrolyte containing both Mg2+ and Li+. These batteries have been reported to outperform all the previously reported magnesium batteries in terms of specific capacity, cycling stability, and rate capability. Herein, we report the outstanding electrochemical performance of Mg2+/Li+ hybrid batteries consisting of a one-dimensional mesoporous TiO2(B) cathode, a Mg anode, and an electrolyte consisting of 0.5 mol L-1 Mg(BH4)2 + 1.5 mol L-1 LiBH4 in tetraglyme. A highly synergetic interaction between Li+ and Mg2+ ions toward the pseudo-capacitive reaction is proposed. The hybrid batteries …

Bio-Inspired, Moisture-Powered Hybrid Carbon Nanotube Yarn Muscles, Shi Hyeong Kim, Cheong Hoon Kwon, Karam Park, Tae Jin Mun, Xavier Lepro, Ray H. Baughman, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Seon Jeong Kim

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Hygromorph artificial muscles are attractive as self-powered actuators driven by moisture from the ambient environment. Previously reported hygromorph muscles have been largely limited to bending or torsional motions or as tensile actuators with low work and energy densities. Herein, we developed a hybrid yarn artificial muscle with a unique coiled and wrinkled structure, which can be actuated by either changing relative humidity or contact with water. The muscle provides a large tensile stroke (up to 78%) and a high maximum gravimetric work capacity during contraction (2.17 kJ kg−1), which is over 50 times that of the same weight human muscle …

Manganese Dioxide-Anchored Three-Dimensional Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Hybrid Aerogels As Excellent Anode Materials For Lithium Ion Batteries, Zhu Yin Sui, Caiyun Wang, Kewei Shu, Quan-Sheng Yang, Yu Ge, Gordon G. Wallace, Bao Hang Han

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

The capacity of manganese dioxide (MnO₂) deteriorates with cycling due to the irreversible changes induced by the repeated lithiation and delithiation processes. To overcome this drawback, MnO₂/nitrogen-doped graphene hybrid aerogels (MNGAs) were prepared via a facile redox process between KMnO₄ and carbon within nitrogen-doped graphene hydrogels. The three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene hydrogels were prepared and utilized as matrices for MnO₂ deposition. The MNGAs-120 obtained after a deposition time of 120 min delivered a very high discharge capacity of 909 mA h g^-1 after 200 cycles at a current density of 400 mA g^{-1 …}

Efficient, Absorption-Powered Artificial Muscles Based On Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Yarns, Marcio D. Lima, Mohammad W. Hussain, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Sina Naficy, Daniela Hagenasr, Julia S. Bykova, Derrick Tolly, Ray H. Baughman

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

A new type of absorption-powered artificial muscle provides high performance without needing a temperature change. These muscles, comprising coiled carbon nanotube fibers infiltrated with silicone rubber, can contract up to 50% to generate up to 1.2 kJ kg⁻¹. The drive mechanism for actuation is the rubber swelling during exposure to a nonpolar solvent. Theoretical energy efficiency conversion can be as high as 16%.

Development And Characterization Of Novel Hybrid Hydrogel Fibers, Azadeh Mirabedini, Javad Foroughi, Anthony C. Romeo, Gordon G. Wallace

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Biopolymeric continuous core-sheath fibres, with an inner core of chitosan and alginate as the sheath, were fabricated for the first time without using a template. Hereby, the necessary conditions to achieve chitosan-alginate core-sheath fibre via a wet-spinning process are presented. SEM micrographs show the cylinder-shaped monofilament structure of the chitosan core surrounded by the alginate sheath. The coaxial fibres exhibit a 260% increase in ultimate stress and more than 300% enhancement in the Young's modulus compared to the alginate counterpart. Release profiles from the coaxial fibre were determined using a model component. The obtained results suggest that the fibres are …

Highly Conductive Carbon Nanotube-Graphene Hybrid Yarn, Javad Foroughi, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Dennis Antiohos, Azadehsadat Mirabedini, Sanjeev Gambhir, Gordon G. Wallace, Shaban Reza Ghorbani, Germanas Peleckis, Mikhail Kozlov, Marcio Lima, Ray Baughman

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

An efficient procedure for the fabrication of highly conductive carbon nanotube/graphene hybrid yarns has been developed. To start, arrays of vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) are converted into indefinitely long MWNT sheets by drawing. Graphene flakes are then deposited onto the MWNT sheets by electrospinning to form a composite structure that is transformed into yarn filaments by twisting. The process is scalable for yarn fabrication on an industrial scale. Prepared materials are characterized by electron microscopy, electrical, mechanical, and electrochemical measurements. It is found that the electrical conductivity of the composite MWNT-graphene yarns is over 900 S/cm. This value …

A Hybrid Electrolyte Energy Storage Device With High Energy And Long Life Using Lithium Anode And Mno2 Nanoflake Cathode, Shulei Chou, Yun-Xiao Wang, Jiantie Xu, Jia-Zhao Wang, Hua-Kun Liu, S X. Dou

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

A hybrid electrolyte energy storage system combining the features of supercapacitors and lithium batteries has been constructed. It consists of MnO2 nanoflakes in 1 M Li2SO4 aqueous electrolyte as the cathode and lithium foil in ionic liquid (1 M lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiNTf2) in N-methyl-N-propyl pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([C(3)mpyr][NTf2])) electrolyte as the anode, separated by a lithium super ionic conductor glass ceramic film (LiSICON). This system shows the advantages of both a supercapacitor (long cycle life) and a lithium battery (high energy), as well as low cost and improved safety due to the combination of ionic liquid and ceramic solid state electrolyte …

Mechanical Properties Of Interpenetrating Polymer Network Hydrogels Based On Hybrid Ionically And Covalently Crosslinked Networks, Sina Naficy, Shota Kawakami, Sasha Sadeghovaad, Minato Wakisaka, Geoffrey M. Spinks

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Hydrogels are polymer networks swollen in water. Because of their soft and wet nature, and their ability to show large volume changes, hydrogels can be useful in many biomedical and actuator applications. In these applications, it is crucial to tune the mechanical and physical properties of a hydrogel in a controllable manner. Here, interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) made of a covalently crosslinked network and an ionically crosslinked network were produced to investigate the effective parameters that control the physical and mechanical properties of an IPN hydrogel. Covalently crosslinked polyacrylamide (PAAm) or poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) networks were produced in the presence …

Highly Uniform Tio2/Sno2/Carbon Hybrid Nanofibers With Greatly Enhanced Lithium Storage Performance, Zunxian Yang, Qing Meng, Zaiping Guo, Xuebin Yu, Tailiang Guo, Rong Zeng

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Highly uniform, relatively large area TiO2/SnO 2/carbon hybrid nanofibers were synthesized by a simple method based on thermal pyrolysis and oxidation of an as-spun titanium-tin/polyacrylonitrile nanoweb composite in an argon atmosphere. This novel composite features the uniform dispersion and encapsulation of highly uniform nanoscale TiO 2/SnO2 crystals in a porous carbon matrix. The high porosity of the nanofiber composite material, together with the conductive carbon matrix, enhanced the electrochemical performance of the TiO 2/SnO2/carbon nanofiber electrode. The TiO 2/SnO2/carbon nanofiber electrode displays a reversible capacity of 442.8 mA h g-1 for up to 100 cycles, and exhibits excellent rate capability. …

A Simple Route To Carbon Micro- And Nanorod Hybrid Structures By Physical Vapour Deposition, Jin Chu, Xiaoyan Peng, Ali Aldalbahi, Marc In Het Panhuis, Rafael Velazquez, Peter X. Feng

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Tilted well-aligned carbon micro- and nano-hybrid rods were synthesized on Si at different substrate temperatures and incident angles of carbon source beam using the hot filament physical vapour deposition technique. The morphologic surfaces, chemical compositions and bond structures of the oblique carbon rod-like structures were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron diffraction and Raman scattering spectroscopy. The field emission behaviour of the fabricated samples was also measured.

Temporal Stability Of A Hybrid Swarm Between The Migratory Marine And Estuarine Fishes Acanthopagrus Australis And A. Butcheri, David G. Roberts, Charles A. Gray, Ronald J. West, David J. Ayre

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

We predict estuaries to be hotspots of hybridisation between migratory marine and estuary-restricted species, although hybridisation rates may vary in space and time, reflecting the dynamic nature of estuaries and potentially widespread but erratic dispersal of marine taxa. Within estuaries, genotype frequencies may reflect past hybridisation events, with genetically intermediate and backcrossed individuals contributing to persistent hybrid swarms. In southeastern Australia, hybridisation has occurred between estuarine black bream Acanthopagrus butcheri and marine yellowfin bream A. australis, but it is unclear whether this reflects a contemporary process. We recently found that, within lakes and lagoons at the southern range limit of …

Berberine-Inf55 (5-Nitro-2-Phenylindole) Hybrid Antimicrobials: Effects Of Varying The Relative Orientation Of The Berberine And Inf55 Components, Danuta Tomkiewicz, Gabriele Casadei, Jonah Larkins-Ford, Terence I. Moy, James A. Garner, John B. Bremner, Frederik M. Ausubel, Kim Lewis, Michael J. Kelso

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Hybrid antimicrobials containing an antibacterial linked to a multidrug resistance (MDR) pump inhibitor make up a promising new class of agents for countering efflux-mediated bacterial drug resistance. This study explores the effects of varying the relative orientation of the antibacterial and efflux pump inhibitor components in three isomeric hybrids (SS14, SS14-M, and SS14-P) which link the antibacterial alkaloid and known substrate for the NorA MDR pump berberine to different positions on INF55 (5-nitro-2-phenylindole), an inhibitor of NorA. The MICs for all three hybrids against wild-type, NorA-knockout, and NorA-overexpressing Staphylococcus aureus cells were found to be similar (9.4 to 40.2 mu …

Advanced Microwave-Assisted Production Of Hybrid Electrodes For Energy Applications, Peter Sherrell, Jun Chen, Joselito M. Razal, Ivan P. Nevirkovets, Carol Crean, Andrew I. Minett, Gordon G. Wallace

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

Carbon nanotubes are one of the most prominent materials in research for creating electrodes for portable electronics. When coupled with metallic nanoparticles the performance of carbon nanotube electrodes can be dramatically improved. Microwave reduction is an extremely rapid method for producing carbon nanotube-metallic nanoparticle composites, however this technique has so far been limitied to carbon nanotube soot. An understanding of the microwave process and the interactions of metallic nanoparticles with carbon nanotubes has allowed us to extend this promising functionalisation route to pre-formed CNT elelctrode architectures. Nanoparticle reduction onto pre-formed architectures reduces metallic nanoparticle waste as particles are not formed …

Optimisation Of Component Sizes For A Hybrid Remote Area Power Supply System, Saad M. Sayeef, Nishad Mendis, Kashem Muttaqi

Faculty of Informatics - Papers (Archive)

In this paper, an optimisation model for determination of the optimal sizes of various system components, including wind, diesel and energy storage, has been developed to obtain a reliable and cost-effective wind-diesel hybrid remote area power supply (RAPS) system. A linear programming based cost minimisation algorithm has been formulated for determination of optimal sizes of various components in a RAPS system with consideration of continually varying wind and system load. The system constraints, including power balance for both under-generation and over-generation scenarios, have been considered in the optimisation formulation. Optimisation model to minimize the total cost of the system based …

Effects Of Novel Hybrid And Traditional Rootstocks On Vigour And Yield Components Of Shiraz Grapevines, T H. Jones, B R. Cullis, P R. Clingeleffer, E H. Ruhl

Faculty of Informatics - Papers (Archive)

Background and Aims: The influence of grapevine rootstocks on vine vigour and crop yield is recognized as an integral part of viticultural management. However, the genetic potential of Vitis species rootstock hybrids for vigour and yield control is not fully exploited in Australian viticulture. The effect of 55 novel inter- and intra-species hybrids and five traditional hybrid rootstock cultivars on winter pruning weight, berry size and fruit yield of grafted Shiraz vines is presented. The genetic predictions that resulted from this analysis were used to illustrate how rootstocks that best perform for a combination of traits may be selected.

Methods …

A Hybrid Approach To Estuary Modelling, O. Gould, J. Hinwood, Errol J. Mclean

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

A hybrid model incorporating process and system modelling characteristics has been developed and applied to the evolution of a theoretical estuary with a small lake basin, partially enclosed by a barrier with an entrance open to the sea. The one-dimensional model is capable of modelling changes in sedimentation both spatially and temporally and hence, tracks changes in crosssection dimensions along the estuary. The model structure is a series of linked modules to solve the hydrodynamics, the sediment transport equation and a distribution of the sediment to bed and bank. An evolution simulation was conducted for a generic coastal lagoon over …

Hybrid Predictive/Vq Lossless Image Coding, P O. Ogunbona, Jianli Wang, Golshah Naghdy

Faculty of Informatics - Papers (Archive)

A multiplicative autoregressive model is used in a lossless predictive image coding scheme. The use of vector quantisation (VQ) for compression of the model coefficients leads to an improved compression ratio. Both image adaptive and universal codebooks are considered. A comparative analysis of the new coder is presented through simulation results.