Spotlight on …
Polymers Research Capability in Queensland
Two Queensland-based universities that are participants in the CRC for Polymers are the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology. The seamless interactions between researchers from both institutions have been credited as a key enabler to the success of the team recently recognised with a CRC Association Award for Excellence in Innovation.
The University of Queensland has strong interests in polymer research stemming from a number of schools – from polymer synthesis and characterisation in the School of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Biology (SCMB), through to polymer and nanocomposite design and testing in the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), to bio-based materials, polymer and composites design, processing and product development in the School of Chemical Engineering (SOCHE) and the Centre for Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing (AMPAM). Head of the School of Chemical Engineering, Professor Peter Halley says “Polymers research at UQ continues to flourish and the long standing collaboration that we have with the CRC for Polymers has enabled us to address real industry challenges and use science and engineering to deliver solutions.”
Specific research areas in AMPAM include bio-based peptide nanowires, bio-derived nanocomposite materials, biopolymer-biocomposites, materials and biopolymers from waste, industrial applications for starch materials and polymers, bio-based carbon fibres and composites, controlled release and degradation systems for agriculture, other advanced composite materials, and all aspects of new product design from materials formulations, characterisation and rheology, scale-up of mixing and materials processing and product testing. For more information on polymer capabilities at UQ, please contact .
The School of Chemistry, Physics, Mechanical Engineering (CPME) within Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has diverse research interests within the field of polymers, specifically polymer synthesis, degradation and characterisation, and the incorporation of organic semiconducting materials and electronics into smart polymer materials. Research undertaken within the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) at QUT has focused on the biomedical application of polymers, particularly the development of 3D printing and electrospinning in vivo models for bone regeneration, FDA-approved bone engineering scaffolds and other engineered tissues used for the development of drugs. Other polymer research that has been conducted at QUT has been to develop advanced wound dressings to ‘mop up’ excess enzymes and investigate how polymers can be used as support scaffolds for artificial skin.
Specific research interests for the CRC for Polymers team at QUT include polymer blends, degradation, stability and characterisation, assessment of the durability of polymer dispersed liquid crystals, detection of free radicals and reactive oxygen species using fluorescence and the design and synthesis of additives to extend and predict polymer lifetime. For more information about the polymer research activities of QUT, please contact .
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