Nanotechnology research led by Professor Dusan Losic, in the School of Chemical Engineering, recently received an $800,00 investment from Valence Industries, the owner and operator of the country’s only graphite mine, for research, development and commercialisation of all new graphene research, including a graphene research centre at the University.
This follows a $200,000 investment by Archer Exploration in a separate research agreement to focus on new graphene and graphite products. The graphene research driven by Valence will permit development of new applications ranging from heavy industrial uses through to new technology and medicinal uses, while the Archer supported research is likely to focus on agricultural and environmental products. For example, researchers are using nanotechnology and the fossils of single-celled algae (or ‘diatoms’) to develop a novel, chemical-free and resistance-free way of protecting stored grain from insects. They are using a natural, non-toxic silica material based on material formed by the fossilisation of diatoms. The material disrupts the insect’s protective cuticle, causing the insect to dehydrate.