Future Materials

Contribute to the development of sustainable and resilient cities and community by developing responsible consumption and production, and advanced Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

Conducting pioneering research in advanced engineering materials for development of next generation industry, manufacturing, and infrastructures.

Strength

• Green construction and building materials (green cement, geopolymer concrete, green concrete using waste, e.g., glass, plastic, etc.)
• High performance fibre reinforced cementitious composites (e.g., ECC)
• New grade steel (stainless steel for structures)
• Nanocomposites and nanomaterials
• Nanoparticles and nanostructured materials
• Composites (e.g., laminates, sandwiches, particulate and short fibre reinforced)
• Composites materials for solar hydrogen
• Polymer composites (e.g., adhesive, coating, flammability and combustibility)
• Advanced thin film materials
• Ceramic processing
• Granular materials
• Particle processing
• Material and structure interface
• Numerical modelling and simulation
• Advanced material characterization
• Material separation and recovery (e.g., mineral resources, solid wastes)
• Design, analysis and testing of structures made of advanced materials

Selected projects

Nanotechnology Innovation for Durable Bonded Joints with High Performance under Operational Conditions
Chief Investigator: Prof Sarah Zhang, Prof Richard Yang

Funded by Next Generation Technologies Fund, Defence Industry & Innovation

2020-2022, $334k

A green and fire-resistant Magnesium Oxychloride Cementitious (MOC) composite

Chief Investigator: Sarah Zhang, Lihai Zhang
Funded by Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project
(DP220103043), 2022-2024, $352,000

Cleaning of tough paints on advanced composites using laser technologies
Chief Investigator: Sarah Zhang, Richard Yang, Deborah Kane, Lin Ye
Funded by Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project

(DP220101731), 2022-2024, $660k