World-class Nuclear Magnetic Resonance facility for Waurn Ponds campus

Deakin University is to have the only world-class Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) imaging facility of its type in Australia following the announcement of $1.294 million of Federal Government support for the infrastructure.

The Australian Research Council Linkage Infrastructure Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) funding was announced by Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

Deakin University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Lee Astheimer, thanked Senator Carr for the funding saying it provided excellent support for what is an exciting addition to the University’s growing research facilities at the Waurn Ponds Campus in Geelong.

“This facility will support important high impact research that will enhance not just Deakin’s, but Australia’s reputation as a centre of research excellence, particularly in research that is responsive to community needs,” Professor Astheimer said.

The NMR facility, one of just a handful around the world, will create a unique capability in Australia for in-situ imaging of processes in devices such as batteries, fuel cells and gas adsorption/separation membranes.

The NMR’s accurate chemical detection capabilities will help in developing more efficient batteries, for instance, that will potentially lead to better ways in which to power the bionic ear, an area in which Deakin University’s Professor Maria Forsyth has already provided global leadership.

“The facility will support and enhance high quality research in the areas of electromaterials and nanotechnology, light metal alloys, biotechnology and energy related devices,” Professor Astheimer said.

“This research will lead to new materials and new technologies in clean energy, carbon dioxide capture and health care – all issues we can relate to at both the local and global levels.

“As well as thanking Senator Carr, I also want to congratulate Professor Forsyth from Deakin who led this collaborative bid that also includes Monash University, the University of Wollongong and the CSIRO Divisions of Energy Technology and Materials Science and Engineering.”

In addition to this Federal Government grant, the $2.6 million facility will be funded by $1 million from Deakin University with the remainder to be provided by the collaborating institutions.

A Deakin University team led by Dr Aiden Beer also received an additional $430,000 worth of funding under the ARC LIEF scheme to help establish Australia’s only large scale, research-dedicated extrusion facility.

This will support fundamental research into the development of new light metal alloys and structures like those used in the University’s highly successful Smart Bike project.

Professor Forsyth's team: Dr Nolene Byrne*, Dr Timothy J Bastow, Dr Jennifer M Pringle, Dr Adam S Best, Dr Anthony F Hollenkamp, Dr Bradley P Ladewig, Prof Huanting Wang, Professor Peter D Hodgson*, Professor Junichi Kawamura, Professor Douglas R MacFarlane, Dr Anita J Hill, Professor Ying Chen*, Dr Kate M Nairn, Prof David L Officer, Dr Jia Z Wang and Professor Colin J Barrow*  

Dr Beer's team: Professor Matthew R Barnett*, Prof Jian-Feng Nie, Dr Nicole Stanford*, Associate Professor Sammy L Chan, Dr Mark A Easton, Associate Professor Qian Ma, Professor Cuie Wen, Associate Professor Christopher H Davies and Professor Andrejs Atrens.

(* denotes Deakin University.)

Deakin researchers were also partners in six other successful ARC LIEF Grants led by other universities. These Deakin researchers are:

• Dr Takuya Tsuzuki and Professor Ying I Chen - A comprehensive magneto-thermophysical property measurement system for the development of advanced materials, energy and biomedical technologies - Led by University of NSW.

• Professor Xungai Wang and Assocate Professor Lingxue Kong - Multi-scale fabrication facility for complex three-dimensional surface generation from nano to macro dimensions - Led by University of NSW.

• Professor Peter Hodgson - Advanced in-situ electron microscope facility for research in alloys, nanomaterials, functional materials, magnetic materials and minerals - Led by Monash University.

• Dr Chunhui Yang and Dr Bernard Rolfe - Hybrid testing facility for structures under extreme loads - Led by Swinburne University of Technology.

• Professor Qipeng Guo, Prof Xungai Wang and Dr Noelene Byrne - Green biopolymer nanocomposites facility: supercritical carbon dioxide characterisation and processing for nanomaterials and biopolymers - Led by The University of Queensland.

• Professor Matthew Barnett - Vacuum induction furnace for casting titanium alloys - Led by The University of Queensland.

To watch the launch, click here:
www.youtube.com/user/deakinresearch#p/u/0/S1ps669n254

For media inquiries about this story, contact the Government and Media Relations Unit:
www.deakin.edu.au/marketing/govt-media/index.php

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