Facilities and Capabilities

Currently we have 3 research labs (Graphene lab, Nanotechnology lab and surface engineering lab) located in the School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, City Campus, dedicated performing broad range of research activities for engineering of new nanomaterials and new product and device development. These facilities are available for our research students, collaborators and industry partners.

The core facilities and capabilities include:

Nanomaterials Synthesis and Processing

In this lab, we have established a comprehensive range of facilities for the synthesis and processing of nanomaterials across various chemistries, including metals, metal oxides, graphene, MOFs, nanocarbons, natural nanomaterials, polymers, and their hybrids and composites. Our capabilities extend to materials with diverse geometries and dimensions— 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D. We employ a broad array of preparation techniques to cater to these different types of nanomaterials.

The list of our synthesis and processing facilities includes;

Graphene Research Lab

Established in 2016, the Graphene Research Lab was created to support our group’s research activities on graphene and 2D materials. The lab led the ARC Graphene Research Hub, funded by the ARC and industry partners from 2017 to 2022, and played a crucial role in translating graphene research into new product developments supporting many graphene companies and industry partners.

Our lab features a wide array of preparation and material processing techniques and has developed several advanced methods for synthesizing graphene, 2D materials and their composites with other nanomaterials. These innovations are instrumental in the new concepts demonstrations, creation of new products and devices for collaborative industry projects, including value-add products, additives, inks, paints, filaments, sensors, supercapacitors, antennas, and more. More details

Product & Device Fabrication/Prototyping/Scaling up

Our industry partners require substantial evidence of scalability and confidence in the development of products and technologies with higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). To meet these demands, we have established robust prototyping capabilities that includes large-scale synthesis reactors (5L) with large mixers and centrifuges, paint and additive formulation units, semi-industrial 2D printers for sensor fabrication, and extrusion systems for producing filaments used in 3D printing etc.

These advanced facilities are extensively used to demonstrate the scalability of developed products and devices, thereby advancing their TRL and ensuring their readiness for industrial application.

Selected products and devices developed in collaboration with industry partners

2D Printing Facilities

Our 2d printing facilities, equipped with advanced inkjet and extrusion-based printers, serve two primary functions:

• Development of Specialized Inks: We used these facilities to formulate and optimize specialized inks that incorporate sensing and conductive materials. These inks are crucial for the fabrication of the sensing devices we design.
• Fabrication of Sensing Devices: The printing process is complemented by a range of thin-film and microfabrication technologies, including metal deposition, plasma coating, and atomic layer deposition (ALD). These complementary techniques are employed to enhance the performance of gas and VOC sensors, ensuring they exhibit high sensitivity and selectivity.

Together, these capabilities enable us to develop and produce cutting-edge sensing devices with advanced functional properties for broad sensing applications in medicine, environment, agriculture and security.

3D Printing and Bioprinting Facilities

Our 3d printing facilities play a critical role in the development and production of innovative components, enabling rapid iteration, customization, and production of high-quality parts. across various applications.

• Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) Printers were used  for thermoplastic materials to support our development of graphene enhanced filament for 3D printing  of conductive elements
• Our 3d extrusion based bioprinting facilities are dedicated to demonstrating development of new bioinks for the creation of complex biological structures using advanced printing technologies. These facilities are equipped to print with biological materials, including cells, biomaterials, and growth factors, to produce tissue-engineered constructs and other bioactive components and demonstrate their applications for wound healing, tissue engineering and regenerations and drug delivery.

Sensors Research and Development Lab

Our team is engaged in developing a diverse array of graphene-based sensors designed for detecting gases and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in various applications, including environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics (biomarkers), agricultural and food safety, and defence sector. We prepare and develop the sensing materials in our lab and fully fabricate the sensing devices using our advanced 2d printing technologies. To ensure accurate characterization of their sensing capabilities, we have also created our own gas and VOC calibration standards and testing chambers.

Materials Characterization Facilities

Characterization of properties of prepared materials (chemical, physical, mechanical, electrical, thermal) and performance of fabricated products and devices is the core of our R&D activities. To allow our students and researchers to characterized materials and devices immediately after preparation we have many available methods in our labs. Other instruments such as SEM/EDAX, HRTEM, IR, AFM, Raman, XRD etc. are available at Adelaide microscopy and the school analytical lab. We established protocols by implantation of ISO standards and developed several new methods for characterization and quality control of graphene materials providing this service to graphene industry and our industry partners.