CAMS2021
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Materials Australia has planned the Materials Australia has planned the following features for 2014, designed to following features for 2014, designed to highlight different disciplines and sectors highlight different disciplines and sectors of the Materials Community. of the Materials Community. Our aim is to publish a relevant, interesting and current Our aim is to publish a relevant, interesting and current magazine for those involved in all aspects of Materials. magazine for those involved in all aspects of Materials. These features attract attention from the right audience These features attract attention from the right audience and if your business is active in one of these areas, and if your business is active in one of these areas, then you you will will want want to to be be involved. involved. then We offer offer your your company company the the opportunity opportunityto topromote promote We your business directly to decision makers in the your business directly to decision makers in the Materials Community. Materials Community.
September 2014 NEW CONFERENCE DATES September 2014 Focus on Education and Training. Targeting: universities,
APICAM2022 & LMT2022
Focus on Education and Training. Targeting: universities, high school students and vocational training. high school students and vocational training. Content Deadline: Friday 29th August PAGE 11 Content Deadline: Friday 29th August Advertising Deadline: Friday 5th September Advertising Deadline: Friday 5th September
December2014 2014OIL December
& GAS INTEGRITY 2021 Power Generation. MaterialsSYMPOSIUM for Energy: Power Generation. Materials for Energy: Solar, Wind & Wave Energy. Solar, Wind & Wave Energy. Content Deadline: Friday 21st November Content Deadline: Friday 21st November Advertising Deadline: Friday 28th November Advertising Deadline: Friday 28th November
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Online Short Courses PAGE 54
Materials Australia Australia also also encourages encouragesmembers memberstoto Materials contribute to our magazine and we will consider contribute to our magazine and we will consider all editorial contributions. all editorial contributions.
Through The Looking Glass A Transparent Look at Glass Science
VOLUME 54 | NO 2 please For further details, further details, pleasecontact: contact: Gloss GlossCreative CreativeMedia MediaPty PtyLtd Ltd
JUNE 2021
+61 ISSNT T1037-7107 +61 22 8539 8539 7893 7893 email: email:magazine@materialsaustralia.com.au magazine@materialsaustralia.com.au www.glosscreativemedia.com.au www.glosscreativemedia.com.au
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From the President of July, and we are looking forward to a first-class meeting in December with a strong local content. Please submit your abstracts at the soonest opportunity. In the interim, we will also be holding, or taking part in, online and hybrid events. For example, in August, the University of Sydney Manufacturing Hub will be running a two-day event on additive manufacturing, which will be part faceto-face and part online. This event that will bring together many specialists in the additive manufacturing field.
Welcome to the June 2021 edition of Materials Australia magazine. Things are moving very quickly this year as we continue to discover what our ‘new normal’ actually entails. With Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout is progressing, it is clear that vaccination is the key to reopening our borders and progressing activities such as international meetings and conferences similarly to where they were two years ago. I recently had my first vaccine shot. While I was in the waiting area afterwards to be cleared to leave, the absolute optimism of people post-vaccination was clear. We are on the way towards our post-pandemic future. One focus of many initiatives in 2021 has been the concept of building resilience. Being resilient in our industries, professions and workplaces is about far more than just continuing forward with business as usual. Resilience also refers to the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; it embeds an ability to help us navigate volatility, respond to uncertainty, mitigate risk, recover from adversity, and reimagine the unexpected. What this means for Materials Australia is a significant ramp up in our activities and under the assumption that borders will open in 2022. Planning for our conferences is proceeding at pace. Abstract submissions for CAMS are due by the end WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
We are also initiating a new online conference and seminar series, Materials Forum, to be run in September and hosted by RMIT. The concept of the conference is different to the way conference events are often currently run, and we expect to foster great discussion and a deeper understanding of the presenting authors’ best work. Additionally, we will be running a three minute pitch event for postgraduate students to talk about their research. So far this year Materials Australia has maintained a steady membership base with plans for expansion across the state branches. The fantastic support from our network of volunteers and committees must be acknowledged. I would encourage you all to join the activities the state branches are holding. They are a great opportunity to network with colleagues and friends. We have almost finalised the details of the new Materials Australia logo, which I am pleased to say will be unveiled in the next (September) issue. In the last edition, I wrote about some initiatives in training and attracting talented staff to businesses. I recently saw a great initiative from the Steel Founders Society of America for their annual ‘Cast in Steel’ competition. Twentyseven teams from around the world competed to produce a functioning ‘Thor’s Hammer’. Each hammer was put through performance tests and each project included a video and technical report of the process. I was certainly pleased to see the winning team was Pittsburg State University in Kansas, which runs an exceptional program for students looking to enter the foundry industry or related fields. My employer, BACK TO CONTENTS
AWBell, is part of their internship program. Pittsburg State University also traditionally hosts the Investment Casting Institute’s course held every year for member companies. Using a combination of 3D printing in PLA, casting simulation and modelling, then investment casting, the Pittsburg team created quite an impressive result! Importantly, from across all participants, well over 100 students have now gained experience in steel founding and cast metals manufacturing. Videos and Technical Reports for each participant can be seen via the following links: https://www.sfsa.org/ castinsteel/?page=foundation https://www.sfsa.org/video/cis/2021/ PittState-1080p.webm I would really encourage anyone from Australian universities who is interested in entering a team in the next competition for 2022 that the SFSA runs to consider taking part. Finally, on a different topic, the Australian Government’s Modern Manufacturing Strategy was released last year and it is important Materials Australia helps to promote the long‑term transformational outcomes for the Australian economy. Six areas of priority were listed in the roll out, and all are important to our members. They are: • Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing • Food and Beverage • Medical Products • Recycling and Clean Energy • Defence • Space Local manufacturing is well positioned, and has the support of the both state and federal governments, to grow industries that are fundamentally based on advanced materials technologies. We all have an important role to play in creating this outcome, and we can make the most of the opportunity that is presented to us. If your company is successful in gaining grant funding for new projects under these initiatives as they are released, we want to hear your story! Best Regards Roger Lumley National President Materials Australia JUNE 2021 | 3
CONTENTS
Reports From the President
3
Contents
4
Materials Australia - Corporate Sponsors | Advertisers
6 Advancing Materials and Manufacturing
Materials Australia News WA Branch Technical Meeting - 8 March 2021
09
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CAMS2021 9 WA Branch Technical Meeting - 12 April 2021
10
New Conference Dates | APICAM 2022 | LMT 2022
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WA Branch Technical Meeting - 10 May 2021
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Oil & Gas Integrity Symposium 2021
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NSW Branch Report - 13 April 2021
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Phase Transformations and Microstructural Evolution in Additive Manufacturing
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SA Brach Report - 5 May 2021
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QLD Branch Report
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Victoria and Tasmania Branch Report
18
Materials Forum 2021
19
CMatP Profile: Dr Antonella Sola
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Our Certified Materials Professionals (CMatPs)
22
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Why You Should Become a CMatP 23
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Women In The Industry Professor Veena Sahajwalla
MANAGING EDITOR Gloss Creative Media Pty Ltd EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Prof. Ma Qian RMIT University David Hart Tanya Smith MATERIALS AUSTRALIA
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ADVERTISING & DESIGN MANAGER Gloss Creative Media Pty Ltd Rod Kelloway (02) 8539 7893 PUBLISHER Materials Australia Technical articles are reviewed on the Editor’s behalf PUBLISHED BY Institute of Materials Engineering Australasia Ltd. Trading as Materials Australia ACN: 004 249 183 ABN: 40 004 249 183
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From feature article on page 50. CAMS2021
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Materials Australia has planned the Materials Australia has planned the following features for 2014, designed to following features for 2014, designed to highlight different disciplines and sectors highlight different disciplines and sectors of the Materials Community. of the Materials Community. Our aim is to publish a relevant, interesting and current Our aim is to publish a relevant, interesting and current magazine for those involved in all aspects of Materials. magazine for those involved in all aspects of Materials. These features attract attention from the right audience These features attract attention from the right audience and if your business is active in one of these areas, and if your business is active in one of these areas, then you you will will want want to to be be involved. involved. then We offer offer your your company company the the opportunity opportunityto topromote promote We your business business directly directly to to decision decisionmakers makersininthe the your Materials Community. Community. Materials
September 2014 September 2014
NEW CONFERENCE DATES
APICAM2022 & LMT2022
Focus on Education and Training. Targeting: universities, Focus on Education and Training. Targeting: universities, high school students and vocational training. high school students and vocational training. Content Deadline: Friday 29th August PAGE 11 Content Deadline: Friday 29th August Advertising Deadline: Friday 5th September Advertising Deadline: Friday 5th September
December2014 2014OIL December
& GAS INTEGRITY SYMPOSIUM 2021
Power Generation. Materials for Energy: Power Generation. Materials for Energy: Solar, Wind & Wave Energy. Solar, Wind & Wave Energy. Content Deadline: Friday 21st November Content Deadline: Friday 21st November Advertising Deadline: Friday 28th November Advertising Deadline: Friday 28th November
PAGE 13
Online Short Courses PAGE 54
Materials Australia Australia also also encourages encouragesmembers memberstoto Materials contribute to to our our magazine magazine and andwe wewill willconsider consider contribute all editorial editorial contributions. contributions. all
Through The Looking Glass A Transparent Look at Glass Science
VOLUME 54 | NO 2 please For further details, further details, pleasecontact: contact: Gloss GlossCreative CreativeMedia MediaPty PtyLtd Ltd
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+61 ISSNT T1037-7107 +61 22 8539 8539 7893 7893 email: email:magazine@materialsaustralia.com.au magazine@materialsaustralia.com.au www.glosscreativemedia.com.au www.glosscreativemedia.com.au
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CONTENTS
Industry News American Elements Announces New Life Science Division
26
UQ Technology Powers Up Greener Alternative to Lithium Ion in Brisbane Manufacturing Deal
28
Distance Control in 3D Printing
29
Sunlight To Solve The World’s Clean Water Crisis
30
Thermo Fisher Scientific is the World Leader in Serving Science
31
How Smooth is Your Surface?
32
High Flux X-ray Diffraction for Materials Analysis
34
41
Characterising Battery Materials with Benchtop NMR 35 Simulating the Friction of Lubricants and Materials with a High-Frequency Reciprocating Rig
36
Research on Additive Manufacturing at UQ
40
Rapid 3D Printer Settings Development Using AI
41
The Australian National University
42
Breaking News
46
42
Feature Through The Looking Glass: A Transparent Look at Glass Science
50
Short Courses - Study at Home
50
Materials Australia - Short Courses 62 www.materialsaustralia.com.au/training/online-training
Materials Australia National Office PO Box 19 Parkville Victoria 3052 Australia
This magazine is the official journal of Materials Australia and is distributed to members and interested parties throughout Australia and internationally.
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Materials Australia welcomes editorial contributions from interested parties, however it does not accept responsibility for the content of those contributions, and the views contained therein are not necessarily those of Materials Australia.
NATIONAL PRESIDENT Roger Lumley
Materials Australia does not accept responsibility for any claims made by advertisers. All communication should be directed to Materials Australia.
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MATERIALS AUSTRALIA
WA Branch Technical Meeting - 8 March 2021 Overcoming Preferential Flow in Bulk Solids Handling Source: Corin Holmes, Operations Manager, Jenike & Johanson
Corin Holmes has a Masters Degree, earned in the Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology, from the University of Greenwich. Corin arrived in Australia, from Canada, in 2012 and established the Perth office of Jenike & Johanson. The company is headquartered in Boston, and has been operating for around 50 years. The company offers niche services in bulk materials storage, handling, and transport. Their approach is to determine material properties in the laboratory and apply these to design. Corin opened his presentation by reviewing the flow characteristics of bulk solids: internal friction, compressibility, sensitivity to pressure, and ability to form piles. He then showed how these interact with geometry to produce two characteristic types of solids flow: funnel flow and mass flow, which he demonstrated with hourglass-shaped models. The desirable mass flow condition, which came from a relatively steep-sided funnel, showed uniform first-in, first-out flow behaviour, with no ratholes and minimal segregation. In contrast, funnel flow produced ratholes, dead regions (low capacity), last-in, firstout flow, and segregation. In addition, fine powders tend to fluidise internally and flood (flow like water). Funnel flow can also lead to arching, where the solids become stuck in the funnel. Corin illustrated this with photographic
8 | JUNE 2021
evidence collected from various projects. His work on these projects involved the rectification of designs for chutes and feeders. The basic principles for ensuring mass flow are to have an outlet wide enough to overcome arching, and a wall angle sufficient to overcome friction, thereby allowing the solids to slide down the wall. The company’s founder, Dr Andrew Jenike, was able to relate these parameters to measurable materials properties, thus putting chute and should be hooper design on a scientific basis. Materials testing is a key part of the company’s design approach. As a generalisation, strength is dictated by fines content (-6mm) and moisture, but properties measured include particle size distribution, shape, density, temperature, relative humidity, moisture content, time at rest, compressibility, coefficient of friction and permeability (to air). Based on these measurements, and the Jenike Shear Test, a flow function curve is developed, plotting cohesive strength against the major consolidating pressure, traversing the possible flow regimes from non-flow to free flow. At the limits of the science, it is necessary to turn to physical modelling, which is useful for tuning and calibrating design models, even though solids flow is not scalable. Corin’s presentation concluded with a highly interactive sharing of ‘war stories’ – many in the audience had personal experience of what can go wrong with
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Corin Holmes
hoppers, chutes and feeders. In Corin’s opinion, many of the problems originate from the way that mining and mineral processing plant design packages are put together; it is quite common for the top and bottom of a transfer chute to fall into different design packages. However, he felt that mining houses are beginning to understand that they are the ones who end up with the operational consequences of poor designs. A 45-degree hopper might require the least amount of steel to build, but it doesn’t mean that it will work. Discussion extended into feeder design, covering feeders, dischargers and conveyors; the common design objective is a reliable uninterrupted flow. Corin explained how screw and belt feeders can induce preferential flow, and then went on to describe the complex solutions that may be needed, e.g. tapered shafts and variable pitch screws, and why a screw operating in a trough doesn’t work.
WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
Advancing Materials and Manufacturing The 7th conference of the Combined Australian Materials Societies; incorporating Materials Australia and the Australian Ceramic Society.
1-3 December 2021 | The University of Melbourne
Call For Papers Closing Date: 30 July 2021
Join Australia’s largest interdisciplinary technical meeting on the latest advances in materials science, engineering and technology. Our technical program will cover a range of themes, identified by researchers and industry, as issues of topical interest. CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS
Prof Xinhua Wu Monash University
Dr Andrew Ang Swinburne University
xinhua.wu@monash.edu
aang@swin.edu.au
Opportunities for sponsorships and exhibitions are available. CAMS2021 1-3 December 2021 The University of Melbourne VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA www.cams2021.com.au
Conference Secretariat: Tanya Smith tanya@materialsaustralia.com.au dvances in materials characterisation dvances in steel technology T +61 3 9326 7266
hemes
dvanced manufacturing Photos courtesy of George Vander Voort iomaterials ements & geopolymers omposites in roadmaking & bridge uilding erroelectrics ight metals design
Symposia Themes • Additive, advanced & future manufacturing, processes and products • Advances in materials characterisation • Advances in steel technology • Biomaterials & nanomaterials for medicine • Ceramics, glass & refractories • Corrosion & degradation of materials • Durable & wear resistant materials for demanding environments • Light metals design • Materials for energy generation, conversion & storage • Materials for nuclear waste forms & fuels • Materials simulation & modelling • Metal casting & thermomechanical processing • Nanostructured & nanoscale materials & interfaces • Innovative building materials in civil infrastructures • Photonics, sensors & optoelectronics & ferro electrics • Progress in cements & geopolymers • Surfaces, thin films & coatings • Translational research in polymers and composites • Use of waste materials & environmental remediation
www.cams2021.com.au
MATERIALS AUSTRALIA NEWS
WA Branch Technical Meeting - 12 April 2021 Beginners’ Guide to Cathodic Protection
Source: Ivo Kalcic, Lead Engineer – Cathodic Protection, Wood Asset Integrity Solutions
Ivo started his career in Croatia as a mechanical engineer working in the fabrication industry. His work on storage tanks revealed the need for a greater knowledge of corrosion protection, and Ivo accepted this as an opportunity, and challenge, to become an expert in cathodic protection, which led to his move to the Wood Group in Australia in 2012. Ivo started with an explanation of the electrochemical principles of corrosion and cathodic protection (CP). Corrosion occurs when metal is oxidised to metallic ions, with the corresponding release of electrons (an anodic reaction). The flow of electrons from the corroding anodic area constitutes an electrical current (the corrosion current). For example, for a steel surface freely corroding at a rate of 1mm loss of iron per year, the corrosion current is around 50mA/m2. For corrosion to occur it is necessary to have an anode, a cathode, joined by a Metallic path for electron flow and an Electrolyte path for the ion flow that completes the circuit (the acronym for this is ACME). Normal corrosion is driven by anodic and cathodic sites on the same metal surface, which result from, for example, differential aeration, or microstructural differences. In the case of cathodic protection, an alternative electrically connected anodic site is provided (immersed in the same electrolytic environment) to ensure that all sites on the protected surface are cathodic (consume electrons), hence the term ‘cathodic protection’ (CP). A potential difference is necessary, but not sufficient. For protection to be effective, a current flow from the protective anode must be significantly larger than the unprotected corrosion current. For steel, this means the CP current needs to be around 100 mA per square metre of surface to be protected. To avoid the need for enormous currents, the surface to be protected is normally sealed with a protective coating so that the protection is only needed where there are gaps in the coating. A perfect coating ensures that there is no electrochemical circuit. Hence, current is only drawn from the CP system when the 10 | JUNE 2021
protected surface is exposed (as when there is a coating failure). Ivo summarised the two types of CP system: sacrificial anodes and impressed current. Sacrificial anode systems, mainly used for structures immersed in sea water, connect the protected structure to a much more easily corroded metal, such as zinc, magnesium or aluminium alloy (ie, a metal with a more negative electrode potential). The lower electrode potential of the sacrificial anode makes the protected surface cathodic, and simultaneously provides the CP current by the anode’s own oxidation (hence the term sacrificial). Impressed current systems use an external voltage source to supply the potential difference required to make the protected surface cathodic. The voltage source is placed between the electrically connected protected surface and a separate electrode (usually inert) immersed in the same environment (normally soil). When an electrochemical circuit is established (as occurs when there is a break in the protective coating) the anodic reaction generates oxygen (or chlorine) gas by oxidation of the water (or soil moisture) or chloride ions in the surrounding environment, and simultaneously creates a local change in electrolyte concentration. The electrons released by the anodic reaction are collected on the anode, thus providing the CP current For CP to work, there must be a direct electrolyte path between the protected surface and the protective electrode. Ivo explained that a simple ‘rule of thumb’ for locating protective anodes is that the protective electrode should be able to ‘see’ the surface it is protecting. For example, CP is not suitable for protecting the rear surface of a structure, as the anode ‘can’t see around corners’. Design of CP systems requires knowledge of standards and expertise in understanding their limitations. Ivo referred to the main standards for CP, which lead to the usual reference to a CP potential of -850 mV (Cu/CuSO4 standard electrode). However, in practice the required potential can vary considerably, as in the Pilbara, where the iron oxide content in the soil is very high. Cathodic protection systems design BACK TO CONTENTS
needs to take into account the fact that the electrolytic path is not like a highconductivity metallic connection. The ionic current depends on a mutually dependent potential field and a diffusion-controlled ion concentration field. When a protected surface is exposed, for example by a coating failure, the ionic current starts to flow and a non-uniform field is established (this may take hours, or even days). The non-uniformity of the potential field around a cathodic site provides a means for locating gaps in protective coatings on buried pipelines, by using potential surveys. A broad-scale coating quality survey can identify local anomalies in the electric field, which indicate a local ionic current flow. Close-spaced local potential measurements, made by momentarily switching-off the protective voltage source, can then pinpoint the gap that requires remediation. Cathodic protection is an active process, with consequences that must be considered in CP system design. At the cathodically protected site the pH increases as water and oxygen in the immediate surroundings are electrochemically reduced. This can lead to carbonate precipitation and the build-up of calcareous deposits. Reduction products can lead to coating disbondment, and hydrogen gas may cause cracking of susceptible alloys. Copper used as anti-fouling becomes ineffective if it is electrically connected, as anti-fouling depends on the release of copper ions, which is not possible when the copper surface is cathodic. In general, the release of gas (hydrogen at the cathode and oxygen or chlorine at the anode) in impressed CP systems is a safety issue. Impressed current anodes must not be located inside sealed spaces. Ivo concluded his talk by dealing with some common misconceptions about CP. It is important to understand that the inside surface of a metal tank cannot be protected by an anode placed outside the tank (the external anode can’t ‘see’ the inside). With sacrificial CP, he pointed out that ‘one plus one is not always equal to two’. Each sacrificial block is only effective in providing CP current to the extent it can individually ‘see’ the protected surface; the arrangement of the blocks is an important design consideration. WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
NEWCONFERENCE DATES
Due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, we have had to postpone both the APICAM and LMT conferences.
APICAM2022 Asia-Pacific International Conference on Additive Manufacturing
6 - 8 July 2022 RMIT University, Melbourne The 3rd Asia-Pacific International Conference on Additive Manufacturing (APICAM) is the not-to-be-missed industry conference of 2022. APICAM was created to provide an opportunity for industry professionals and thinkers to come together, share knowledge and engage in the type of networking that is vital to the furthering of the additive manufacturing industry. The purpose of this conference is to provide a focused forum for the presentation of advanced research and improved understanding of various aspects of additive manufacturing. This conference will include lectures from invited internationally distinguished researchers, contributed presentations and posters. Contributions will be encouraged in the following areas of interest:
Additive Manufacturing of Metals
Additive Manufacturing of Polymers
Additive Manufacturing of Concretes
Advanced Characterisation Techniques and Feedstocks
Computational Modelling of Thermal Processes for Metallic Parts
Part Design for Additive Manufacturing
Failure Mechanisms and Analysis
Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Materials
New Frontiers in Additive Manufacturing
Process Parameter and Defect Control
Process-Microstructure-Property Relationships
Testing and Qualification in Additive Manufacturing
www.apicam2022.com.au Opportunities for sponsorships WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
The Light Metals Technology (LMT) Conference is a biennial event that focuses on recent advances in science and technologies associated with the development and manufacture of aluminium, magnesium and titanium alloys and their translation into commercial products. The conference presents an opportunity for academic researchers, students and industry to discuss cutting edge developments and to facilitate new collaborations.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS You are invited to submit abstracts on topics within the themes of Net Shape Manufacturing, Solid State Transformations and Mechanical Performance, and Translation to Applications. For example, but not limited to: > Alloy development > Solidification and casting > Thermomechanical processing and forming > Machining and subtractive processes > Mechanical behaviour of light metal alloys > Corrosion and surface modification > Advanced characterisation techniques > Joining > Applications in bio-medical, automotive, aerospace, and energy industries > Simulation and modelling > Integrated computational materials engineering
www.lmt2022.com
and exhibitions are for both APICAM2022 and 2020 LMT2022. BACK TO available CONTENTS SEPTEMBER | 11 Enquiries: Tanya Smith | Materials Australia +61 3 9326 7266 | imea@materialsaustralia.com.au
MATERIALS AUSTRALIA NEWS
WA Branch Technical Meeting - 10 May 2021 Materials Inspection and Instrumentation Expo (MIIX 2021) Source: Rick Hughes - Microanalysis Australia, Managing Director and Principal Consultant
On the 10th May, the West Australian Branch of Materials Australia conducted an expo for companies working in the materials inspection, microscopy and instrumentation sector, that was open to members and to the broader engineering, research and materials community. This half-day event was held at Curtin Innovation Central, which is a technology partnership hub at Curtin University that is supported by Cisco. The Innovation Central team was also a supporter of this event, and their members were fantastic hosts, and also helped with the promotion of the event. The event was free to enter and was supported by the sponsorship of the exhibiting companies. The WA Branch was able to attract the interest of 11 industry sponsors, which were able to display and exhibit some of their latest technology and instrumentation solutions for the materials sector. The joint Gold Sponsors for the day were Anton Paar and Scientific Partners. Anton Paar also participated in the Branch technical meeting that evening with Bettina Bokor making the
12 | JUNE 2021
technical presentation. Anton Paar is an international instrumentation specialist with headquarters and manufacturing based out of Germany. The company specialises in a wide range of instruments including CO2 monitoring, rheology, atomic force microscopes, coating thickness instruments, FTIR, microwave digesters, surface area/ pore structure analysis and pycnometry to name a few. The company has grown from its beginnings in servicing the beer brewing sector. The silver sponsors were: Peak Scientific (with Hydrogen generators on display), Microanalysis Australia (which had two of their materials consultants on the stand) and Malvern Panalytical, which had a benchtop XRF spectral analyser on display, and which also represents a wide range of other spectrometer brands. The Bronze sponsors were: AXT, NewSpec (who represent Hitachi Instruments), Metrohm, Olympus, Coherent Scientific (representing Nikon) and PCTE. AXT, NewSpec and Olympus all had new hand-held XRF equipment on display, and NewSpec was also promoting the new laser version of the hand-held analyser from Hitachi. Coherent had a new Nikon stereo-microscope on display. Metrohm had a range of instruments supporting chemical analysis in materials and other sectors, and PCTE exhibited a range of NDT technologies
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for industry and the concrete sector. We also had Andrew Gillen from Netzsch join the event on-line from Sydney, and also Katerina Lepkova from the Curtin Corrosion Centre presented on-line on the Centre’s capabilities. Both of these presentations were very well received by the audience. The purpose of this inaugural exhibition was to promote stronger contact between suppliers and professionals working within the Western Australian materials science and technology sector. Around 50 people attended on the day, from across research, industry and academia. Just under 30 people attended the BBQ and drinks and the subsequent evening presentations by the Innovation Central Executive Manager, Andrew Bell, and the Technical Sales Specialist – Characterisation at Anton Paar, Bettina Bokor. Bettina did a great job presenting on “Material Characterisation with Anton Paar: Case Studies and Applications”. Overall sponsor feedback from the event was very good and they appreciated the opportunity to have face-to-face meetings once again. The venue was excellent, the catering was also very good and the team at Innovation Central helped the organising committee (Paul Huggett, Paul Howard and Rick Hughes) deliver this successful inaugural event.
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I N T E G R I T Y
S Y M P O S I U M
2 0 2 1
HOSTED BY WOODSIDE ENERGY LTD
Digital Future of Integrity Management
OGIS is an independent industry forum run biennially by members in the industry and has been running for over 30 years. Its objective is to provide an independent forum where operating companies in the oil and gas industries (production, processing, refining, transportation) can freely and informally discuss issues both technical and other - which concern them. ABOUT For those who have not attended an OGIS event, it is a great networking opportunity with others from the industry and we typically have 60 to 70 people in total. Attendees are permanent staff from upstream, downstream, petrochemical or pipeline operating companies or contractors/consultants who are working in an integrated way within an operating company;
PERTH
2021 8 -1 0 S E P TE M BE R
THE MELBOURNE HOTEL
RSVP & QUERIES
• The event is closed to vendors and all information discussed or presented is regarded as having confidential status.
Key contact: Dwayne Doherty Dwayne.Doherty@woodside.com.au
• The information shared is technical and non-commercial.
If you intend to join us:
• Information is presented with an emphasis on discussion and sharing experience and knowledge with the aim of catalysing discussion.
• Please send an expression of interest and number of attendees to Dwayne Doherty
• No proceedings are published; however presenters, may choose to distribute copies of their presentation to help others.
• If you are able to share a presentation, please provide possible topics
• The subject matter is wide, ranging from hardware issues such as new/novel technology, RBI and risk management, failure case studies, corrosion management, coatings; through to soft issues such as organisational effectiveness, resource optimising, developing engineers, regulation and legislation.
• Registration will be via the Material Australia web portal www.materialsaustralia.com.au/ BookingRetrieve.aspx?ID=121305&oiland-gas
• The asset base discussed is wide and covers onshore and off-shore issues and has previously covered, piping, pipelines, vessels, tanks, FPSOs, etc..
REGISTER NOW www.materialsaustralia.com.au/BookingRetrieve.aspx?ID=121305&oil-and-gas
MATERIALS AUSTRALIA NEWS
NSW Branch Report - IP is not Immaterial - 13 April 2021 Source: Dr Andrew Gregory, Senior Associate Patent Attorney, FB Rice, agregory@fbrice.com.au
Intellectual property (IP) rights are intangible assets that protect original creations of the mind and proprietary knowledge. Being assets, IP rights may be sold and licenced. Since IP is a territorial right, the process for both obtaining and enforcing a granted IP right is dictated by the laws of the state granting the right. Consequently, the pathways and threshold for obtaining an enforceable IP right vary from one jurisdiction to another.
Trade Secrets
Patents
Unlike some IP forms, trade secrets are not disclosed to the public; the associated knowledge is retained ‘in house’. They can be very useful when used and managed properly (think Coca-Cola and the KFC recipes); however, it can be difficult to ensure they remain a secret! Trade secrets are arguably viable if the associated knowledge is hard to reverse engineer, providing a competitive advantage. However, if the information can be reverse engineered, a patent may be a better option.
Patents protect new and inventive developments, and the technical features of an invention. They can encompass new compounds or materials, methods of production and novel applications of new or known matter. A patent applicant must provide full disclosure of their invention, and carefully define their invention in a set of claims. Sufficient information needs to be provided in a patent specification that:
Trade Marks
Obtaining IP Rights
Trade marks are brands that serve to distinguish products and services from those of competitors. They can take a variety of forms, including: words, logos, shapes, colours, taglines and slogans or aspects of packaging. Trade marks act as a badge or origin, and a symbol of the consistent quality of your product or service. They also act as shorthand communication of a marketing message.
b) supports the invention so that the scope of protection being sought (the ‘monopoly’) is plausible and commensurate with the actual technical contribution.
Creations that need to be protected by trade marks, patents or designs involve a formal application, which is examined at an appropriate IP office. During the examination stage, the scope of the application (such as the claims of a patent application), is assessed to determine if the claimed matter is, amongst other factors, new and distinctive. If an allowable scope is established, IP rights are awarded that prevent others from utilising the protected invention or design, and allow legal action such as for infringement to be instigated.
Utilising IP IP can be used strategically to achieve desired objectives, such as: • Business assets: translate confidential technology, know-how and trade secrets into potentially valuable assets. • Defensive publications and freedom to operate: prevent others from protecting creations in your area of business or expertise. • Collaboration tools: demonstrate your expertise in a specific area. • Negotiation and exchange: build up portfolios that provide leverage for negotiation. • Monetisation: licensing and sales. • Product development: capture ongoing innovations. • Deterrents: build up an arsenal of IP as a deterrent for others to enter a market.
Forms of IP IP comes in many forms, each protecting different aspects of new innovations. 14 | JUNE 2021
Copyright Drawings, art, music, literature, computer programs, and typographical arrangements may be protected by copyright. Protection exists automatically for these creations; no registration is required once the creation is ‘fixed’ in a tangible form. Copyright for a published work can last for the life of the author plus 70 years, or 70 years from the year of publication. Copyright does not provide protection against the independent creation of a similar work. However, infringement action may be warranted if you can prove that a substantial part of a work was copied.
a) allows a third party to put an invention into practice without the need for further invention, and
Multiple IP Rights Each IP right does not exist in a vacuum and multiple IP rights may relate to a single innovative product to protect, amongst other aspects, its technical features (patent), aesthetics (design) and possibly branding (trade mark and/or copyright).
Summary Due to the global variation in laws relating to the various forms of IP, obtaining IP assets can be complicated. In order to minimise costs and streamline processes to obtain protection, it is strongly recommended that you talk to an IP expert to navigate you through your various options.
Designs Design registrations protect the aesthetics of an article, including arguably distinctive features such as configuration, pattern and ornamentation. For a viable design registration, the design needs to impart ‘a different overall impression’ to any prior design known to the public before a design application was filed. Any alleged infringing product of a granted design right must be identical or ‘substantially similar in overall impression’ to the registered design. BACK TO CONTENTS
Future NSW Branch Events Metallurgy for the Non-Metallurgist Course (online) – 11-13 August 2021 Click Here for more Information CMatP Mini-Conference (online) – 8 Sep 2021, 5pm Student Competition Event (online or at UNSW) – 15 Nov 2021, 2pm
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Phase Transformations and Microstructural Evolution in Additive Manufacturing In partnership with the University of Sydney, Materials Australia will host a symposium on Phase Transformations and Microstructural Evolution in Additive Manufacturing. The symposium will feature invited lectures by leading researchers from Australia, Europe, the United States, Asia and the Pacific. A live streaming event will be held on 9 and 10 August. The first day will be open to the public with free registration, whilst the second day will be free to Materials Australia members. The symposium will mark the launch of the Sydney Manufacturing Hub—the University of Sydney’s newest research facility. The Sydney Manufacturing Hub will deliver cutting edge expertise and facilities in Additive Manufacturing (AM) and advanced materials processing, in support of research in materials science and engineering. Situated in an outstanding new bespoke facility in the Engineering precinct of the Darlington campus of the University, the Sydney Manufacturing Hub will enable researchers to make and process advanced metals, ceramics and polymeric materials. AM is a profound scientific and technological disruption that is transforming the nature of manufacturing. Via AM, a gateway to previously unexplored phenomena in materials science has opened and this must be understood to realise the potential of the technology in terms of cost, design flexibility and design complexity. It is these research frontiers that the symposium will address. The Australian Manufacturing Growth Centre estimates that the value of Australia’s manufacturing sector will reach $131 billion by 2026, with advanced manufacturing sub-industries potentially adding $30 billion in value. The potential development of a high technology niche AM capacity in Australia comes at a time when the Federal and state governments are driving new initiatives to support manufacturing. The Sydney Manufacturing Hub concept is a facility that delivers an end-to-end AM
capability, from design, powder mixing and
VIRTUA EVENT L
Above: SMH Laboratory, GE M2 Dual Laser, Metal 3D printer. Right: SMH Polymer Printing Laboratory.
handling, printing, heat treatment, and mechanical and other characterisations for a wide range of materials. Via the Sydney Manufacturing Hub, the University has established a strategic research partnership with global prime GE Additive and this has seen four stateof-the-art powder bed fusion 3D metal printers installed including Australia’s first Spectra H and A2X, and series 5 M2 fitted with dual laser and advanced sensing technology. The facility has also facilitated a partnership with AM company 3rd Axis, whereby the Sydney Manufacturing Hub hosts a state-ofthe-art ceramic 3D printer, providing access and training to users. The ‘Cerafab7500’ is the first lithography-based ceramic manufacturing technology in Australia, enabling enormous freedom in design, and high precision to < 20 um across alumina, SiAlON, and a range of ceramicapetites (yttria stabilised zirconia, tricalcium phosphate and hydroxyapatite). The Hub is an exciting extension of the University’s core research facilities program, which provides world-class capabilities in data science and computers (Sydney Informatics Hub), characterisation (Sydney Microscopy and Microanalysis, Sydney Analytical, Sydney Mass Spectrometry, Sydney Cytometry and Sydney Imaging)
and, more recently, materials processing for semiconductors (Research and Prototype Foundry) and metals, ceramics and polymers (Sydney Manufacturing Hub). We hope you can join Sydney Manufacturing Hub and Materials Australia for this symposium. For more information on the Sydney Manufacturing Hub or any of the research facilities mentioned here visit: www.sydney.edu.au/research/facilities/ sydney-manufacturing-hub.html For more information on the Phase Transformations and Microstructural Evolution in Additive Manufacturing Symposium click here
DAY 1 - REGISTRATION DAY 2 - REGISTRATION
Phase Transformations and Microstructural Evolution in Additive Manufacturing
MATERIALS AUSTRALIA NEWS
SA Branch Report - 5 May 2021 Surface Engineering Workshop Source: Colin Hall
The old saying rings true: You don’t appreciate something until it is gone. The attendees of the recent in-person workshop at the University of South Australia (UniSA) certainly appreciated the opportunity to catch up in person. UniSA hosted a joint workshop for Materials Australia, Australian Corrosion Association and Weld Australia on surface engineering. The event was proudly supported by SEAM – the Industrial Transformation Training Centre on Surface Engineering for Advanced Materials, the Future industries Institute, LaserBond and Microscopy Australia. A diverse range of industry, academia and students made up the ~40 in person participants, with a further ~25 joining via zoom. The early birds were taken on a tour of the Future Industry Institute. They had the opportunity to see the brand new Kratos XPS (Axis Supra), which is in the last steps of commissioning, and which is eagerly awaited by Microscopy Australia. The SA node of ANFF was also visited, which specialises in microfabrication supporting industry and researchers in a diverse
16 | JUNE 2021
range of fields covering medical to mineral processing. Attendees also visited the tribology facilities, which had an extensive range of wear tests on show— both standard and industry developed tests. Next on the tour was the coatings labs and the industry 4.0 test lab, which brings together software, hardware and virtual experience to showcase the capabilities of Industry 4.0. Physically, the facility can rapid prototype in both plastic and metal, and reverse engineer via laser scanning systems. The workshop consisted of three talks. LaserBond’s Dr Thomas Schlaefer gave a great introduction to thermal spray and lasercladding, covering the history of LaserBond and their large range of activities in the repair, remanufacture and supply of OEM parts. LaserBond also offers turnkey laser cladding systems, and just recently acquired United Surface Technologies (UST) in Melbourne to add to their Sydney and Adelaide facilities. AML3D was represented by Dr Paul Colegrove. Newly ASX listed, AML3D is going through a period of rapid growth. Their wire arc additive manufacturing process can efficiently produce large scale parts offering
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potentially shorter lead times, low material usage and overall efficiencies not achievable with conventional subtractive manufacture methods. Paul described, “if it comes in a weld wire we can probably print with it”. AML3D has a long list of qualified materials and is always open to trying new ones. They offer both fabrication and the turnkey ARCEMY system. Industry Associate Professor Colin Hall, finished off the workshop with a talk on the importance of the surface finish of additively manufactured parts. While an often overlooked or underappreciated part of AM, it is critical in achieving the final shape and required surface finish of a part. The practitioner has a wide range of surface finishing techniques on offer, including grinding, polishing, EDM, diamond point turning, vibration polishing and so on. It is a matter of selecting the right process for the right finish. A case study on freeform optical elements for space-based applications took the audience through such a selection process. A highlight of the evening was the networking. Drinks and nibbles allowed attendees to chat—just like we used to preCOVID.
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MATERIALS AUSTRALIA NEWS
QLD Branch Report Our Councillors
Source: Dr Andrew Kostryzhev
David Haynes Branch Chair & Secretary David has over 25 years of experience working in manufacturing across the steel production, building materials and automotive sectors in a number of roles encompassing: research and development, product and process engineering, technical services, quality management and procurement. Having previously worked for BHP Research, BlueScope Steel, Capral Aluminium and James Hardie in roles in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, David joined Orrcon Steel in October 2005. Starting in the role of Business Development Engineer, David has progressed to his current position of National Manager – Quality and Procurement; taking up this role in 2015. David is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Australian Corrosion Association and represents Australian Industry Group on a number of standards committees. Holding a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) degrees from Monash University and postgraduate qualifications of ME Deakin University and MBA from QUT. David has been working with Materials Australia and the Queensland committee for a number of years, and now and along with all of the Queensland committee is keen to promote learning and engagement opportunities for all materials professionals in Queensland.
Michael Chan CMatP
Vice Chair & Engineers Australia Liaison Michael is currently a Principal Engineer, Traction Distribution Materials at Queensland Rail. He has been working for Queensland Rail for over 25 years and has a broad range of experience in above rail and below rail including overhead traction distribution, signalling, rollingstock, operations, design, construction, commissioning, maintenance, manufacturing, project management, contract management and research and development. He has been specialising
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in investigating equipment failure, type testing and type approval for introducing new equipment into the rail network to improve safety, reliability and on time running. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) degree from Liverpool John Moores University (UK). He has been a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) with Engineers Australia since 1993, on the National Engineering Register (NER), a registrant on Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation Engineering (APEC) and he is a Practising Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) in the areas of Electrical and Mechanical. Last but not least, he has been a CMatP since 2009 and was Branch Chair for five years with Materials Australia.
Richard Clegg - CMatP Treasurer
Richard Clegg is Principal Consultant and Director of Explicom, a materials consultancy company in Brisbane specialising in engineering failure analysis. Richard is also a Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor at QUT in Brisbane, working as part of the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute on materials performance issues in solar thermal power generation. Since 2009, Richard has also been the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Engineering Failure Analysis, the leading international journal in this field. From 2013 until he founded the company Explicom in 2016, Richard was Principal Consultant in the Failure Analysis Unit of Bureau Veritas. Richard was an academic from 1995 until 2013, first as a lecturer at QUT and then as a professor at CQUniversity in Gladstone, where he ran the Process Engineering and Light Metals Centre. He has a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Queensland and a PhD from the University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of Engineers Australia and a Certified Materials Professional.
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Dr Andrew Kostryzhev - CMatP Communications Officer
Dr. Andrew Kostryzhev is an engineer and scientist with 20 years’ experience in chemistry-processingmicrostructure-properties analysis of metal alloys. He graduated with a Diploma of Engineer (MSc) in 1998 and Candidate of Science Degree (PhD) in 2002 in “Processes and machines of metal forming” from the National Metallurgical Academy of Ukraine. In 1996-1998 and 2000-2003 he held prestigious Scholarship of the Parliament of Ukraine for undergraduate students and Grant of the Government of Ukraine for young scientists. During 2001-2005 he served as a Lecturer in Engineering Mechanics at the same University. For achievements in research and teaching, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine awarded Andrew the title of Docent (Senior Lecturer) in 2005. In the same year he joined the School of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham (UK), where he obtained a PhD degree in “Materials Science” in 2009 and then worked as a Research Fellow at, Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education. In 2011 he relocated to Australia to undertake vast research and teaching program carried out at the University of Wollongong in collaboration with Bluescope Steel and Bisalloy. In 2019 he left academia for consultancy business. Up until now, Andrew has completed 15 large and 10+ small University-Industry collaborative R&D projects, produced one patent, near 80 journal and conference articles approximately in the Russian and English languages, and five large industrial reports with 50 co-authors from seven international companies and 12 universities. Andrew jointed Materials Australia as a CMatP in 2016 and recently became a committee member of the Queensland Branch.
JUNE 2021 | 17
MATERIALS AUSTRALIA
Victoria and Tasmania Branch Report Source: Ivan Cole - Victoria & Tasmania Branch President
After a long summer break, the Victorian and Tasmanian Branch now has a full program of events planned that extends all the way until Christmas. The first event includes a presentation from world expert Professor Martin Pumera, Director of the Centre for Advanced Functional Nanorobots at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague. Professor Pumera is set to discuss the topic Nanorobots: Machines with the Size of Viruses and Cells. Robots have changed the way we manufacture. Now, nano-robots have the potential to revolutionise, not only our health but the environment around us. June is shaping up to be a busy month.
In early June, we have planned a get together with some of the other Materials Australia Branches so that attendees can share their experiences, both within Materials Australia, and in our professions more generally. Recent events have highlighted the need for clear leadership on Gender Equity. As such, we are set to host a forum on enhancing gender equity in late June. Our ECR group will also host a forum on collaboration in a post-pandemic world in mid-June. Last, but by no means least, our prestigious Gifkins Lecture will be given in late June (and we will slip the Materials Australia AGM in just prior). In late August, we are hoping to try something new with a collaborative
forum on manufacturing with local manufacturers. Then September brings the wonderful technologist picnic, which we are hoping will enable us to meet face-toface in Ballarat. Our old favourite—the Borland Forum—is back in late October, when leading higher degree students battle it out to be the 2021 Borland Champion. In November we will hold an early careers night, and then join our fellow Associations for a Christmas function in mid-November. It will be a busy, productive and enjoyable year.
All members are encouraged to take a look at the Materials Australia website (https://www.materialsaustralia.com.au/) and register for our upcoming events.
Australian Journal of Mechanical Engineering Looking to Publish your Research? We aim to make publishing with Taylor & Francis a rewarding experience for all our authors. Please visit our Author Services website for more information and guidance, and do contact us if there is anything we can help with!
Submission Instructions
Submissions To ensure that all manuscripts are correctly identified for consideration for this Special Issue, it is important that authors select ‘Special Issue: Advances in Additive Manufacturing’ when uploading the manuscript. Themes Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the journal’s instructions for authors Advances in materials link below. All submitted manuscripts will be subject to Journal’s single- characterisa anonymous review process. Advances in steel technology
CAMS 2014
Advanced manufacturing Biomaterials Cements & geopolymers Full paper submission deadline: July 1, 2021 Composites in roadmaking & bridge building Publication of the special issue: December 2021 Ferroelectrics The 3rd biennial conference of the Combined Australian (accepted will appear online ahead of publication) Materials Societies, incorporating Materials andarticles Austceram Light metals design energy generation, Informal queries regarding this special issue can Materials be directedfor to Professor Ma conversion storage Qian, ma.qian@rmit.edu.au. For more general queries about&the Australian Materials simulation Journal of Mechanical Engineering, please write to the Journal editors. & modelling Join Australia’s largest interdisciplinary technical Metal casting & thermomechanical meeting on the latest advances in materials processing INSTRUCTIONS FOR science, engineering and technology. Microstructure & properties of SUBMIT AN ARTICLE VISIT JOURNAL ARTICLES AUTHORS composites Nanostructured & nanoscale mater Our technical program will cover a range of themes identified by Nuclear waste forms & fuels researchers and industry as issues of topical interest. 18 | JUNE 2021 BACK TO CONTENTS WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU Particulate packing & flow Please submit abstracts online by Wednesday 15 June 2014. Raw materials processing Key Dates Call opens: March 2021
call for abstracts
M AT E R I A L S THE INAUGURAL SEMINAR SERIES HOSTED BY MATERIALS AUSTRALIA | 27-28 SEPTEMBER 2021
Chair Roger Lumley AWBell Pty. Ltd & National President; Materials Australia Organising Committee Jianfeng Nie Monash Uni Alexey Glushenkov ANU Sophie Primig UNSW Ing Kong LTU Andrew Breen USyd Nikki Stanford UniSA Ivan Cole RMIT
Topics for Abstracts Topics are not limited to but may include the following. > Advanced Materials Design and Processing > Metals > Polymers > Ceramics > Characterization and testing > Additive Manufacturing > Energy, Environment and Recycling > Biomaterials
Cost Students: $50 (includes membership to Materials Australia) Members: $20 (all grades) Non-Members: $250 (includes membership to Materials Australia) Materials Forum will be hosted by RMIT.
Materials Forum is a new initiative that involve presentation of the best of Australian published materials research in an easily accessible, online seminar format. The main purpose of the event is for authors and speakers to present seminars on their work that has already been published in peer reviewed international journals. Publications may be from an international team of authors but should include at least one Australian author. Presentations suitable for inclusion may be on any published work from the past ten years and are expected to be no more than 20 minutes long with ten minutes allowed for questions and discussion. Papers chosen for Keynote presentation will be 45 minutes with 15 minutes question time.
Abstract Submission
ResearchStudents Students Research
Abstracts for inclusion should should have have the the same name as the original published paper and have the same content content so so that that the organizing committee committee can can assess assess the the best audience for the work. work. A A template template is attached on the following can be downloaded on thispage. page.The The original reference must be be included included with reference must the for itfor to be The withabstract the abstract it toincluded. be included. author mustmust makemake theirtheir published paper The author published accessible to the to audience from the paper accessible the audience from abstract by linking to an resource the abstract by linking toonline an online such as the journal, academic resource such as thethe journal, the institution repository,repository, personal personal academic institution webpages, or third third party party providers providers such webpages, or such as ResearchGate. as ResearchGate. PleasePlease submitsubmit abstracts abstracts for presentations to for papers for presentations to click here info@materialsaustralia.com.au and Research Student Technology for papers and Research Pitches by Friday, July 30,Student 2021. Final Technology Pitches by Friday, July 30,by Presentations and Pitches will be due 2021. Final Presentations and Pitches Monday, September 13, 2021. will be due by Monday, September 13, 2021.
ForResearch ResearchStudents Students who who may may not For yethave havepublished publishedininpeer peerreviewed reviewed yet journals,the theorganizing organizingcommittee committee have have journals, decidedto tohold holdaatechnology technologypitch pitch decided eventthat thatwill willrun runon onboth bothdays, days, where where event students have 3 minutes to pitch their students have 3 minutes to pitch their research project to the audience. The research project to the audience. The studentsubmits submitsaashort shortabstract abstract for for the the student pitch of around 300 words. The form pitch of around 300 words. The form of the presentation accompanying the of the presentation accompanying the abstract will be one slide presented in a abstract will be one slide presented in a quad chart (the quad chart template is quad chart (the quad chart template is also attached to this call for abstracts). also attached to this call for abstracts). • Total entry should not be more than a • Total entry should not be more than a single A4 sheet. single A4 sheet. • Do not use text smaller than 11 point. •There Do not smaller 11 best point. willuse betext a cash prizethan for the
Keynote Presentations Keynote Presentations will be selected Keynote Presentations
as the best abstract submissions Keynote Presentations will be selected as meeting the overall theme of the the best abstract submissions meeting seminar series, demonstrating high the overall theme of the seminar series, impact. They must be comprehensible demonstrating high impact. They must to be a wide audience to of amaterials scientists comprehensible wide audience of and engineers. Afterand theengineers. due date After materials scientists has been met, invitations forinvitations Keynote for the due date has been met, Presentations will be made within 7 days Keynote Presentations will be made of abstract submission. within 7 days of abstract submission.
student pitch.for the best There willtechnology be a cash prize student technology pitch.
Registrations Registrations Registration will be automatic for the
Registration be automatic authors withwill papers approvedfor by the the authors who submit abstracts of Committee for presentation, and they papers, they will be expected to will be and expected to present their paper at a time allocated the present their paper to at athem timeduring allocated Forthe other attendees who are toconference. them during conference. notother presenting, you who can register For attendees are notvia our website click here. presenting, registration will be conducted through an online portal for attendees or for organizational representatives.
MATERIALS AUSTRALIA
CMatP Profile: Dr Antonella Sola Where do you work? Describe your job. After working for many years at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy, I am now the Science Leader in Active Materials at Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, in Clayton, Victoria. My role is to capture new knowledge and capability in areas that have been identified as strategically important for both CSIRO and Australia. My target is to merge the disruptive technological possibilities of additive manufacturing with the advanced functionality of composite materials, which means to merge freedom in geometry with freedom in properties.
Dr Antonella Sola is originally from Italy, where she graduated in Materials Engineering in 2001. She went on to obtain a doctoral degree in Materials Engineering in 2006, from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Her PhD thesis on the Fabrication, characterisation and computational simulation of innovative functionally graded materials was recognised by the AIMAT (the Italian Association of Materials Engineering) as the best Italian doctoral thesis in 2008. Antonella worked for several years at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, first as a post-doctoral fellow, then as a researcher in Materials Science and Technology and, ultimately, as an assistant professor in Manufacturing Technology. In January 2020, Antonella moved to Melbourne to start her new career as the Science Leader in Active Materials at Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO. She is currently leading research in additive manufacturing of composite materials, and launching the new Fused Filament Fabrication Facility, Australia’s first dedicated centre for the development of bespoke feedstock filaments for 3D printing by fused filament fabrication. 20 | JUNE 2021
To this aim, with my colleagues at CSIRO, we are creating the new Fused Filament Fabrication Facility, a cutting-edge technology platform for the development of customised composite filaments for fused filament fabrication (FFF), also known as fused deposition modelling (FDM). In one word, I LOVE my job. First of all, we are not just targeting a single project that is expected to finish as its deadline expires: we are bringing to life a resource that will be an integral part of CSIRO capabilities for the future. With this new platform, we are extending our knowledge in 3D printing and in advanced materials, but this is not just science for the sake of science. Fused deposition modelling is very popular, but the range of commercial filaments that is currently available in the market is still very limited. I often talk to scientists, researchers and engineers in both academia and industry, who have brilliant projects – they have an FFF printer to produce their parts – but they do not have the right material to reach the desired performance. This is exactly where we want to make our impact: we want to help these developers to make their ideas come true. We have a cross-disciplinary approach to science and technology. Our team is composed of dynamic young researchers and senior staff with different backgrounds and expertise. Every day, we engage with BACK TO CONTENTS
scholars and technologists working in different fields, from robotics to biomedical science to security. I think that learning from each other, and keeping an open mind is really important to deliver great translational science and technology through our new platform. At the same time, I think this multidisciplinary vision of science is important for our personal and professional growth, because we should never stop learning.
What inspired you to choose a career in materials science and engineering? As a student, I loved Latin and mathematics, because they are both inspired by order and logic. I liked to be challenged by translating a text from Latin, or solving a trigonometric problem. However, my career in materials science and engineering was actually inspired by a fortunate stroke of serendipity. One day, I was maybe eight or ten years old at the time, I was walking down the street when I came across a beautiful aggregate of quartz crystals that someone had abandoned on the footpath. I was fascinated by the beauty of those crystals and started to wonder where their colour, transparency and reflections came from. I think that becoming a materials engineer was the natural way to combine that curiosity towards crystals and, generally speaking, towards materials and their properties, with my natural mindset.
What have been your greatest professional achievements? Obtaining my current position as the Science Leader in Active Materials at CSIRO is my greatest professional achievement so far. CSIRO Science Leaders play a key role in assisting the organisation to generate economic, environmental and social benefits for Australia, and I am really honoured to be delivering on this through my role. No need to say that I am fully aware that being a Science Leader in CSIRO is a privilege, but also a daunting task. With great power comes great responsibility! WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
MATERIALS AUSTRALIA
Surprisingly, I cannot remember any outstanding single piece of advice from my former supervisors, colleagues and mentors. I think they have taught me a lot, but I must confess that the sentence I most often repeat to myself comes from a completely different (and less official) ‘source’. Actually, it was the writing on someone’s t-shirt that I saw last year when walking on the Southbank along the Yarra River, here in Melbourne. It read something like: “The best we can do to get ready for tomorrow is to do our best today”. I know this sounds a bit trivial, and I know we cannot live one day at a time, especially if we are in a leadership role. However, it is essential we have the big picture, and set clear goals in the short term as well as in the long term. The pandemic has shown that our lives can be
very unpredictable and, since we cannot be sure of what will happen tomorrow, it is important we do our best every single day.
Who or what has influenced you most professionally? Undoubtedly, the most influential person in my life is my mother. She is not a scientist nor an engineer, but she is very strong, intelligent and determined. She has faced many difficulties in her life, and this has made her wise and compassionate. She has taught me the value of working hard and the importance of being persistent in achieving my goals – inspiration I bring to every day. She lives in Italy and unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 disruptions, I have not been able to see her in-person since I moved to Australia in January 2020. In spite of the fact that I live about 16,500km away, when I have to make a tough decision, I am used to asking myself what my mother would do if she was in my shoes – and
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usually this strategy helps me follow the right path.
What are the top three things on your “bucket list”? This is a very difficult question, because there are so many things going on right now! However, my main target is to continue to develop and grow our Fused Filament Fabrication Facility. Then, as a part of the Science Leader role, my purpose is to support our young researchers and help them become the science leaders of the future. Last, but not the least, I would like to learn to cook a first-class ‘crostata’. This is a typical Italian cake made with a crispy shell of shortcrust filled with jam or marmalade. Apparently very simple, it is very challenging to cook. My mother can bake a mouth-watering crostata and I hope I will be able to do the same, sooner or later!
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What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
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JUNE 2021 | 21
MATERIALS AUSTRALIA
Our Certified Materials Professionals (CMatPs) The following members of Materials Australia have been certified by the Certification Panel of Materials Australia as Certified Materials Professionals. They can now use the post nominal ‘CMatP‘ after their name. These individuals have demonstrated the required level of qualification and experience to obtain this status. They are also required to regularly maintain their professional standing through ongoing education and commitment to the materials community. We now have over one hundred Certified Materials Professionals, who are being called upon to lead activities within Materials Australia. These activities include heading special interest group networks, representation on Standards Australia Committees, and representing Materials Australia at international conferences and society meetings. To become a CMatP visit our website:
www.materialsaustralia.com.au A/Prof Alexey Glushenkov Dr Syed Islam Prof Yun Liu Dr Takuya Tsuzuki Prof Klaus-Dieter Liss Mr Debdutta Mallik Mr Dashty Akrawi Ms Maree Anast Ms Megan Blamires Dr Todd Byrnes Dr Phillip Carter Dr Anna Ceguerra Mr Ken Chau Dr Zhenxiang Cheng Mr Peter Crick Prof Madeleine Du Toit Dr Azdiar MCGazder Prof Michael Ferry Mr Michele Gimona Dr Bernd Gludovatz Mr Buluc Guner Dr Alan Hellier Prof Mark Hoffman Mr Simon Krismer Prof Jamie Kruzic Prof Huijun Li Prof Valerie Linton Mr Rodney Mackay-Sim Dr Matthew Mansell Dr Warren McKenzie 22 | JUNE 2021
ACT ACT ACT ACT CHINA MALAYSIA NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW NSW
Dr David Mitchell NSW Mr Sam Moricca NSW Dr Anna Paradowska NSW Prof Elena Pereloma NSW A/Prof Sophie Primig NSW Dr Gwenaelle Proust NSW Prof. Jamie Quinton NSW Dr Mark Reid NSW Prof Simon Ringer NSW Dr Richard Roest NSW Mr Sameer Sameen NSW Dr Luming Shen NSW Mr Sasanka Sinha NSW Mr Frank Soto NSW Mr Carl Strautins NSW Mr Alan Todhunter NSW Ms Judy Turnbull NSW Mr Jeremy Unsworth NSW Dr Philip Walls NSW Dr Rachel White NSW Dr Alan Whittle NSW Dr Richard Wuhrer NSW Mr Payam Ghafoori NT Mr Michael Chan QLD Prof Richard Clegg QLD Mr Andrew Dark QLD Dr Ian Dover QLD Mr Oscar Duyvestyn QLD Mr John Edgley QLD Dr Jayantha Epaarachchi QLD Dr Jeff Gates QLD Miss Mozhgan Kermajani QLD Dr Andrii Kostryzhev QLD Mr Jeezreel Malacad QLD Mr Arya Mirsepasi QLD Dr Jason Nairn QLD Mr Bhavin Panchal QLD Mr Bob Samuels QLD Mr David Schonfeld QLD Ms Ingrid Brundin SA Mr Neville Cornish SA A/Prof Colin Hall SA Mr Mikael Johansson SA Mr Rahim Kurji SA Mr Greg Moore SA Mr Andrew Sales SA Dr Thomas Schläfer SA Dr Christiane Schulz SA Prof Nikki Stanford SA Prof Youhong Tang SA Ms Deborah Ward SA Mr Ashley Bell SCOTLAND Mr Kok Toong Leong SINGAPORE Mr Devadoss Suresh Kumar UAE Dr Ivan Cole VIC Dr John Cookson VIC Dr Evan Copland VIC Miss Ana Celine Del Rosario VIC Dr Yvonne Durandet VIC Dr Mark Easton VIC Dr Rajiv Edavan VIC BACK TO CONTENTS
Dr Peter Ford Mrs Liz Goodall Mr Bruce Ham Ms Edith Hamilton Mr Nikolas Hildebrand Mr Hugo Howse Mr Long Huynh Mr. Daniel Lim Dr Amita Iyer Mr Robert Le Hunt Dr Thomas Ludwig Dr Roger Lumley Mr Michael Mansfield Dr Gary Martin Dr Siao Ming (Andrew) Ang Dr Eustathios Petinakis Mr Paul Plater Dr Dong Qiu Mr John Rea Dr M Akbar Rhamdhani Mr Steve Rockey Dr Christine Scala Mr Khan Sharp Dr Vadim Shterner Dr Antonella Sola Mr Mark Stephens Dr Graham Sussex Dr Jenna Tong Mr Pranay Wadyalkar Mr John Watson Dr Wei Xu Dr Ramdayal Yadav Dr Sam Yang Mr Graeme Brown Mr Graham Carlisle Mr John Carroll Mr Sridharan Chandran Mr Conrad Classen Mr Chris Cobain Ms Jessica Down Mr Jeff Dunning Mr Stuart Folkard Prof Vladimir Golovanevskiy Mr Chris Grant Dr Cathy Hewett Mr Paul Howard Dr Paul Huggett Mr Ehsan Karaji Mr Biju Kurian Pottayil Mr Mathieu Lancien Dr Yanan Li Mr Michael Lison-Pick Mr Ben Miller Mr Sadiq Nawaz Dr Evelyn Ng Mr Deny Nugraha Mr Stephen Oswald Mrs Mary Louise Petrick Mr Johann Petrick Mr Stephen Rennie Mr James Travers
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MATERIALS AUSTRALIA
CMatP
Why You Should Become a Certified Materials Professional Source: Materials Australia
Accreditation as a Certified Materials Professional (CMatP) gives you recognition, not only amongst your peers, but within the materials engineering industry at large. You will be recognised as a materials scientist who maintains professional integrity, keeps up to date with developments in technology, and strives for continued personal development. The CMatP, like a Certified Practicing Accountant or CPA, is promoted globally as the recognised standard for professionals working in the field of materials science. There are now well over one hundred CMatPs who lead activities within Materials Australia. These activities include heading special interest group networks, representation on Standards Australia Committees, and representing Materials Australia at international conferences and society meetings.
Benefits of Becoming a CMatP • A Certificate of Membership, often presented by the State Chapter, together with a unique Materials Australia badge. • Access to exclusive CMatP resources and website content.
• The opportunity to attend CMatP only networking meetings. • Promotion through Materials Australia magazine, website, social media and other public channels. • A Certified Materials Professional can use the post nominal CMatP. • Materials Australia will actively promote the CMatP status to the community and employers and internationally, through our partner organisations. • A CMatP may be requested to represent Materials Australia throughout Australia and overseas, with Government, media and other important activities. • A CMatP may be offered an opportunity as a mentor for student members. • Networking directly with other CMatPs who have recognised levels of qualifications and experience. • The opportunity to assume leadership roles in Special Interest Networks, to assist in the facilitation of new knowledge amongst peers and members.
What is a Certified Materials Professional? A Certified Materials Professional is a person to whom Materials Australia has issued a certificate declaring they have attained all required professional standards. They are
recognised as demonstrating excellence, and possessing special knowledge in the practice of materials science and engineering, through their profession or workplace. A CMatP is prepared to share their knowledge and skills in the interest of others, and promotes excellence and innovation in all their professional endeavours.
The Criteria The criteria for recognition as a CMatP are structured around the applicant demonstrating substantial and sustained practice in a field of materials science and engineering. The criteria are measured by qualifications, years of employment and relevant experience, as evidenced by the applicant’s CV or submitted documentation. Certification will be retained as long as there is evidence of continuing professional development and adherence to the Code of Ethics and Professional behaviour.
Further Information For further information on becoming a CMatP, contact Materials Australia today: on +61 3 9326 7266 or imea@materialsaustralia.com.au, or visit our website: www.materialsaustralia.com.au.
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JUNE 2021 | 23
WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY
Professor Veena Sahajwalla Source: UNSW SMaRT Centre and the devastating effects of pollution of our waterways and atmosphere. A growing understanding about materials sustainability is juxtaposed against a consumption mentality for convenience and cheaper materials and products. We need to rethink our attitudes to the resources we use and rely on for our societies to function, and we need to rethink our approaches to waste. The fact is that waste is, and should be treated as, a renewable resource. We need to add ‘reform’ as a fourth R to the three Rs of reducing, re-using and recycling unwanted products and materials which we erroneously call waste. New technologies are emerging to demonstrate we can reform waste into new materials and products in ways that traditional recycling does not.
Community, government and international concerns around our waste and recycling challenges are converging. There is a growing willingness across sections of our societies to embrace the many and considerable issues we face in the management of our materials sustainability.
This is not so say that traditional recycling methods and processes are unwanted – far from it because they play a vital role in managing our waste. But what we need are new ways of recycling mixed and complex waste items such as electronic waste (e-waste) so we can extract and reform the valuable materials they contain, like rare earths and metals.
It is widely acknowledged the industrial revolution was globally significant in bringing about many enduring benefits to humanity, notwithstanding the enormous social and environmental costs.
New government policies include rare earths as a national priority but we could introduce, as part of that priority, the a requirement to more sustainability, harness the material resources contained in e-waste.
More recently, the information revolution which brought about the internet resulted in an explosion of digital tools and new technologies and businesses.
And this reforming of many waste types will be a crucial step in the journey to create circular economies where we keep materials in use for as long as possible.
I now see we are on the cusp of a new epoch: the materials revolution. The materials revolution values the sustainability of all the materials we use from our planet which are essentially finite in supply. Our fast fashion and consumption have outpaced society’s ability and capacity to effectively deal with the consequences of a throw-away mentality. Some of these consequences include overflowing landfills, waste stockpile fires 24 | JUNE 2021
Another key step is that we need to start designing our products and systems differently so that products and materials no longer wanted can more easily circulate back into manufacturing. And that is why I see a strong alignment of recycling and manufacturing taking place in the near future. There are sobering reasons to get on with the job. The Government’s newly released National Waste Report 2020 shows our national BACK TO CONTENTS
waste increased to 74 million tonnes a year. Of that, about 60% is estimated to be recycled, but Australia’s new waste export bans coming into effect from this year, are expected to reduce the rate of recycling. This is below the national resource recovery target of 80% by 2030, which was set in the 2019 National Waste Policy Action Plan. Not being able to send overseas a lot of our waste adds another urgent reason to embark on the materials revolution with new technologies. Infrastructure Australia’s (IA) recently released Priority List Report found that constraints on the collection and processing of recyclable waste, including product design and lack of sufficient demand, have led to recyclable waste ending up in landfill. The report highlights the urgent need for new waste and recycling infrastructure, and has listed at the highest priority the need for the nation to retool itself with waste and recycling infrastructure. It says current constraints include lack of space for transfer facilities, the (lack of) ability of material recovery facilities to process and sort co-mingled, highly contaminated waste (particularly for communities in remote and regional Australia), and under-developed domestic reuse markets as a result of previous over-reliance on the export of waste to international markets. IA finds Australia must recycle an additional 650,000 tonnes of waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres onshore by 2024, thus putting further pressure on waste recovery and processing infrastructure. In addition, limited landfill capacity and sorting facilities are increasing logistics costs as waste is being transferred greater distances for processing and disposal. That is why I see a huge opportunity to not only address these challenges but at the same time to use our innovative smarts to create new technologies that lead to new supply chains and jobs. IA Chief Executive Romilly Madew rightly says, “We are at a crossroads between addressing existing infrastructure gaps and prioritising investments that will secure our future prosperity.” WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY
That is why we need a materials revolution, where there is a much closer alliance between scientists and engineers doing the research and development, and governments, industries and the communities that can benefit from new discoveries and technologies, to improve sustainability. Recycling in new ways with new technologies can be a foundation for the manufacturing of high quality materials and products made from our waste resources. This new level of self-reliance can enhance sovereign capability in times of pandemic disruption, and lead to improved economic prosperity through the creation of new, and localised, supply chains. Recycling and reforming waste materials for completely new uses – for example isolating hydrogen from waste materials like tyres and plastics to make Green Steel – should be at the centre of how we transform our sovereign manufacturing sector. New research at my UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre has resulted in another technology breakthrough, this time to create Green Aluminium by being able to cleanly separate it from plastics and other materials in mixed materials food packaging wastes. These techniques can be not only more cost effective but help to reduce the detrimental environmental and social impacts by introducing more sustainable inputs into this vital manufacturing process. The UNSW SMaRT Centre is helping to create the much-needed alignment of recycling and manufacturing by introducing new technologies to business partners, community groups and just about any stakeholder interested. Our newly developed MICROfactorieTM technologies are increasingly being used outside of our laboratories to reform waste into new, value added materials and products. For instance, our Green Ceramics MICROfactorieTM module can transform problematic waste materials, such as glass, textiles and plastics not suitable for conventional recycling, into new engineered products like floor and wall tiles, tables and other hard surfaces for the built environment. WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
Another module can reform e-waste plastics into filament as a feedstock resource for manufacturers and other users who do 3D printing. Companies like Mirvac are embracing the challenges of being more sustainable and in March featured many of our Green Ceramics in a new display apartment at its Pavillions development at Sydney Olympic Park. Mirvac CEO and Managing Director, Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, says the “take make waste approach is no longer acceptable” and she and her team were working hard to find a better, more sustainable way to provide Australians with homes and office buildings that are kinder to the planet. NSW Environment and Energy Minister, , the Hon Matthew Kean MP, commended the initiative and said the partnership “could be the blueprint for how we do sustainable development in the future”. Our journey to commercialise Green Ceramics would not be happening without valuable support from the NSW Government via its Office of Chief Scientist and Engineer’s Physical Science Fund. My vision is for decentralised and modernised recycling and manufacturing in Australia. Increased funding from governments in this regard is extremely welcome, and while there is more to do we are making great progress. BACK TO CONTENTS
The second round of the Federal Government’s National Environmental Science Program has stepped squarely into this space, committing to a seven year funding of a new Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub, which I will lead along with a consortium of research institutions, and industry and community partners. Enabling onshore and more sophisticated waste processing, recycling and reforming of ‘waste as a renewable resource’ as part of manufacturing, must be central to the new materials revolution and Australia’s ongoing prosperity. JUNE 2021 | 25
INDUSTRY NEWS
American Elements Announces New Life Science Division Source: American Elements
American Elements has announced the expansion of its Life Sciences & Organic Chemistry Product Group. This announcement was made in the wake of, and partly in response to, the global COVID-19 pandemic. The new Life Sciences division augments American Elements’ existing catalogue of advanced materials, such as inorganic salts, high purity metals, organometallics, and nanomaterials, allowing the company to offer more than 35,000 products to support researchers and manufacturers across all fields of study and industrial production. The broad product portfolio of biochemicals and reagents includes a range of organic materials including amines and amino acids, enzymes, heterocyclic compounds, esters, carboxylic acids, and pharmaceutical intermediates. American Elements’ catalogue of more than 35,000 products makes it the world’s largest manufacturer devoted exclusively to advanced materials in both industrial bulk and laboratory and research quantities.
Research and Development Programs The company’s materials science research and development programs have been a key resource for corporate, government and academic new product development for over two decades. American Elements’ ability to costeffectively scale lab top successes to industrial scale production has been instrumental in ushering in many of the fundamental technological breakthroughs since 1990, including LED lighting, smartphones, and electric cars. 26 | JUNE 2021
Sustainable Technologies and Practices American Elements is committed to advancing sustainable technologies and business practices that minimise their impact on the environment to protect the future of our planet. Addressing the challenges presented by the economic growth of the developing world, an increasingly limited supply of natural resources, and climate change are critical issues faced by not only the company, but also by the company’s customers and general communities. By promoting greater eco-efficiency, resource recovery, and the commercialisation of emerging green technology, American Elements strives to serve as a leader in responsible environmental stewardship and sustainable development.
Advanced Materials on a Commercial Scale Fundamental expertise in the properties, applications, and cost-effective manufacturing of advanced and engineered materials, including ultra-high purity refining (99.999%) and nanoscale materials, allows American Elements to meet the needs of thousands of global manufacturers (including over 30% of the Fortune 50 and all US national laboratories and military branches) in a wide range of industry fields, inlcuding: • • • • • • • •
Energy Electronics Aerospace Defence Automotive Optics Green technology Pharmaceuticals
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American Elements’ production facilities are fully staffed and equipped to bulk manufacture metals, compounds and crystalline structures in virtually every purity and physical morphology that nature and current technology commercially allow, including: • All elements other than the elemental gases at ambient temperature and pressure • Ultra-high purity forms of most metals and compounds • Unique alloys and metal parts in countless configurations • Complex single phase doped structures using either co-precipitation or calcination/re-crystallisation processes • Macro, meso and nanoscale powders with highly specific particle distributions, shapes and surface areas • Custom grown single and polycrystalline crystal materials of the III-V and II-VI compounds with special orientations, purities and dopants.
Further Information For more information on American Elements products and services, contact lifesciences@americanelements.com www.americanelements.com
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H
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1.00794
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3
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2 1
4
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6.941
12
2 8 8 1
20
22.98976928
24.305
Sodium
19
K
osmium
Mg Magnesium
Ca
37
MOFs ZnS
Rb
40.078
2 8 18 8 1
38
85.4678
Cs
Sr
56
Ba
(223)
39
88
Ra
Francium
(226)
Y
2 8 18 18 8 2
57
La
2 8 18 9 2
40
Zr
Ac (227)
Radium
2 8 18 10 2
41
91.224
2 8 18 18 9 2
72
Hf
138.90547
89
2 8 18 32 10 2
73
104
Rf (267)
2 8 18 19 9 2
140.116
Th 232.03806
59
Pr
2 8 18 32 32 10 2
105
Db (268)
2 8 18 21 8 2
140.90765
Thorium
91
Pa 231.03588
2 8 18 32 20 9 2
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Co
2 8 15 2
28
2 8 16 2
Mo
74
W
2 8 18 13 1
43
Ni
Tc
75
183.84
106
Sg (271)
2 8 18 13 2
44
(98.0)
2 8 18 32 12 2
Re
29
Ru
76
186.207
107
Bh (272)
Seaborgium
2 8 18 15 1
45
101.07
2 8 18 32 13 2
Os
Rh
Cu
2 8 18 1
30
77
Ir
190.23
108
Hs (270)
Bohrium
2 8 18 16 1
46
102.9055
2 8 18 32 14 2
Mt (276)
Hassium
2 8 18 23 8 2
62
(145)
93
Np (237)
Neptunium
63
150.36
Promethium 2 8 18 32 21 9 2
2 8 18 24 8 2
2 8 18 32 15 2
151.964
Samarium
2 8 18 32 22 9 2
94
Eu
64
78
2 8 18 32 24 8 2
95
Gd
Pt
2 8 18 32 32 15 2
110
Ds (281)
2 8 18 25 9 2
65
Tb
96
79
2 8 18 32 32 17 1
2 8 18 27 8 2
80
111
Rg (280)
49
In
Roentgenium
(244)
(243)
(247)
Americium
Curium
(247)
Berkelium
32
N
Hg
2 8 18 32 18 2
81
Tl
112
O
Cn (285)
Nh (284)
Copernicium
2 8 18 4
33
Ge
2 8 18 18 3
50
Sn Pb
51
2 8 18 18 4
Sb
83
2 8 18 32 18 4
Bi
Fl (289)
Nihonium
Mc (288)
Flerovium
Dy
2 8 18 28 8 2
67
98
Ho
2 8 18 29 8 2
68
164.93032
Er 167.259
Holmium 2 8 18 32 28 8 2
99
(251)
Californium
(252)
69
Tm
2 8 18 32 18 5
100
(257)
Fermium
70
2 8 18 31 8 2
101
Md (258)
Yb
Po
116
2 8 18 32 32 8 2
103
Lu
102
No (259)
Mendelevium
2 8 18 32 18 6
85
pharmacoanalysis
Lr (262)
Br I
At
2 8 18 32 32 18 6
117
2 8 18 32 32 18 7
118
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fluorescent microparticles
Xenon
(222)
(294)
Lawrencium
process synthesis
Og (294)
NMR
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2 8 18 32 32 18 8
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chalcogenides excipients CVD precursors deposition slugs YBCO
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shift reagents
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2 8 18 32 18 8
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Nd:YAG 2 8 18 8
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state-of-the-art Research Center. Printable GHS-compliant Safety Data Sheets. Thousands of
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54
Kr
Astatine
Lutetium
Nobelium
2 8 18 18 7
39.948
Argon
Iodine
174.9668
Ytterbium 2 8 18 32 31 8 2
Lv (293)
71
36
126.90447
Livermorium
2 8 18 32 8 2
Now Invent. laser crystals
Te
53
(209)
2 8 18 32 32 18 5
2 8 18 7
Ar
79.904
Polonium
173.054
Thulium
2 8 18 32 30 8 2
84
Cl
Neon
18
Bromine 2 8 18 18 6
ITO
20.1797
2 8 7
35.453
Se
52
Ne
2 8
nano ribbons
Chlorine
127.6
Moscovium
168.93421
Erbium 2 8 18 32 29 8 2
Einsteinium
2 8 18 30 8 2
35
Tellurium
silver nanoparticles
66
2 8 18 6
78.96
208.9804
115
17
32.065
Bismuth 2 8 18 32 32 18 4
2 8 6
Selenium 2 8 18 18 5
10
Fluorine
Sulfur
121.76
207.2
114
34
2 7
18.9984032
S
Antimony
Lead 2 8 18 32 32 18 3
2 8 18 5
74.9216
Tin
82
16
Arsenic
118.71
2 8 18 32 18 3
2 8 5
30.973762
As
F
15.9994
Phosphorus
72.64
9
Oxygen
P
Germanium
204.3833
113
15
28.0855
Thallium 2 8 18 32 32 18 2
2 8 4
2 6
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14.0067
Silicon
114.818
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2 5
Nitrogen
Si
Indium
200.59
Dysprosium 2 8 18 32 27 8 2
2 8 18 18 2
Mercury 2 8 18 32 32 18 1
2 8 18 3
69.723
112.411
162.5
Terbium
97
Au
Ga
Cadmium 2 8 18 32 18 1
14
Gallium
Cd
Gold
158.92535
2 8 18 32 25 9 2
48
196.966569
Darmstadtium
Gadolinium 2 8 18 32 25 8 2
2 8 18 32 17 1
31
Zinc
Silver
195.084
157.25
Europium
Ag
2 8 18 18 1
2 8 3
26.9815386
2 8 18 2
65.38
107.8682
Platinum
Meitnerium
2 8 18 25 8 2
47
106.42
192.217
109
2 8 18 18
Palladium
macromolecules 61
C
12.0107
Carbon
Aluminum
Zn
Copper
Pd
Iridium 2 8 18 32 32 14 2
63.546
Nickel
Rhodium
Osmium 2 8 18 32 32 13 2
58.6934
Cobalt
Ruthenium
Rhenium 2 8 18 32 32 12 2
58.933195
Iron
Technetium
Tungsten 2 8 18 32 32 11 2
55.845
rhodium sponge
indicator dyes
MOCVD
U
27
2
Helium
7
2 4
TM
sputtering targets tungsten carbide
42
Nd Pm Sm
Uranium
Fe
2 8 14 2
rare earth metals
mesoporous silica MBE
2 8 18 32 11 2
2 8 18 22 8 2
238.02891
Protactinium
26
54.938045
95.96
144.242
92
Mn
2 8 13 2
Manganese
Molybdenum
Neodymium
transparent ceramics EuFOD
2 8 18 12 1
Dubnium
60
25
51.9961
180.9488
Praseodymium 2 8 18 32 18 10 2
Cr
2 8 13 1
Chromium
Tantalum
Rutherfordium
Cerium 90
quantum dots
Ce
Ta
24
ultralight aerospace alloys
92.90638
178.48
2 8 18 32 18 9 2
2 8 11 2
Niobium
epitaxial crystal growth drug discovery
Nb
Hafnium
Actinium
58
V
50.9415
Vanadium
Zirconium
Lanthanum 2 8 18 32 18 8 2
23
47.867
Yttrium
Barium 2 8 18 32 18 8 1
Ti
2 8 10 2
Titanium
88.90585
137.327
Cesium
Fr
2 8 18 8 2
87.62
132.9054
87
22
Scandium
Strontium 2 8 18 18 8 1
Sc
2 8 9 2
44.955912
Calcium
Rubidium 55
21
isotopes
39.0983
Potassium
3D graphene foam
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Al
He
metal carbenes
6
Boron
13
2 8 2
2 8 8 2
B
nanogels
2
4.002602
2 3
10.811
Beryllium 2 8 1
gold nanoparticles
bioactive compounds
9.012182
Lithium
Na
Be
5
2 2
buckyballs
III-IV semiconductors
screening chemicals
alternative energy 1
janus particles
glassy carbon
INDUSTRY NEWS
diamond micropowder
Now Invent!
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INDUSTRY NEWS
UQ Technology Powers Up Greener Alternative to Lithium Ion in Brisbane Manufacturing Deal Source: Sally Wood
Faster-charging and more sustainable batteries with a life up to three times greater than lithium ion were recently developed at the University of Queensland (UQ). The Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) is a Brisbane-based company. the company will begin manufacturing battery prototypes for watches, phones, laptops, electric vehicles and grid storage under a research agreement with scientists from UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN). Researchers devised technology to turn graphene into more efficient electrodes for powering batteries. The technology has been patented and licensed by the UQ commercialisation company, UniQuest. AIBN Director Professor Alan Rowan said the university was delighted to partner with GMG to translate scientific ideas into commercial solutions through the development of more efficient and greener batteries. “After several years of dedicated research into improving the aluminium ion battery, we are excited to be at the phase of developing commercial prototypes for more sustainable, faster-charging batteries,” Professor Rowan said. “Testing showed rechargeable graphene aluminium ion batteries had a battery life of up to three times that of current leading lithium-ion batteries, and higher power density meant they charged up to 70 times faster.” “The batteries are rechargeable for a larger number of cycles without deteriorating performance and are easier to recycle, reducing potential for harmful metals to leak into the environment,” Professor Rowan explained. UniQuest specialises in industry-university collaborations, global technology transfer, and provides international access to UQ’s leading expertise, facilities, and intellectual property. Across its 30-year lifespan, UQ’s 7,000 researchers have helped UniQuest to collaborate with commercial companies on a global scale. Industry offerings from 28 | JUNE 2021
Credit: University of Queensland (UQ).
the program, and other UQ research projects are made available through the online eShop. UniQuest Chief Executive Officer Dr Dean Moss also explained the benefits of this research, like how the aluminium ion battery with graphene electrodes could transform the existing rechargeable battery market, which is currently dominated by lithium-ion. “Lithium-ion batteries demand the extraction of rare earth materials using large amounts of water and are processed with chemicals that can potentially harm the environment.” “This project has real potential to provide the market with a more environmentally friendly and efficient alternative,” he said. GMG Head Scientist, Dr Ashok Nanjundan, said the project could also deliver farreaching benefits for energy storage. “This project is a great example of academia and business working together,” he said. “The current recyclability of batteries is highly problematic due to their chemical properties and the stockpiling of dead batteries presents a large and looming environmental and public safety concern.” The batteries are also considered a safer alternative because they do not use BACK TO CONTENTS
lithium, which has been known to cause fires in some mobile phone devices. Lithium is also known to cause explosions in e-cigarettes and hoverboards, which resulted in severe burns to the users of such products. Craig Nicol is the Chief Executive Officer of GMG, with the company recently being listed on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada. He said the use of local raw materials to manufacture battery cells at a competitive cost to replace imported lithium-ion cells is a “massive opportunity”. He explained that the partnership is a win for GMG and Australia, and will help reduce supply chain risks and create local jobs. “We’re excited about developing the commercial prototypes followed by initial production here in Australia – at a location yet to be determined,” he said. UQ’s research team was awarded $390,000, over three years, in 2020, to develop the graphene aluminium ion technology from the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Project in 2020. The breakthrough research forms part of the university’s suite of ongoing projects, which cover engineering, the environment, medicine, e-commerce and infrastructure. WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
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Distance Control in 3D Printing Source: Bestech
Micro laser sintering technology is an additive production technology based on digital 3D design data, whereby a component is constructed layer-by-layer from metal powders using a laser beam. This procedure is also known as industrial 3D printing. Initially, a powder layer is applied and then pulled off in order to generate the desired thickness, all through the use of a squeegee. The powder is melted to form the coating layer and then the platform is lowered. These processes are repeated until the components are completed. This advanced printing technology requires a system that can exactly position the squeegee to the base surface. The capacitive displacement sensor, from Micro Epsilon is used for controlling the distance. Up to four sensors are used in this particular application. The planarity of the descending construction platform must be inspected, before the process starts, through the use of three CS02 sensors integrated into an add-on module. Capacitive sensors are ideal for this measurement task due to their robustness and flexibility to interchange between sensors. Capacitive measurement principle
is suitable for measurement on all electrically conductive materials, as it has superior accuracy and stability and high bandwidth for dynamic measurement tasks. It is also suitable to be used in clean and vacuum environments.
The sensors and the controller can be easily exchanged without requiring additional calibration. When the measurement is conducted in a clean environment, it can offer unmatched precision in sub-nanometer resolution.
High Precision Profile Scanner Compact, Integrated System with high profile resolution • • • •
Sensitive optical components Up to 2048 points / profile Innovative exposure control Red and Blue laser
Smart controller for integrated profile measurement (gap, step, radius, etc)
www.bestech.com.au Email: enquiry@bestech.com.au
Call: (03) 9540 5100
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Sunlight To Solve The World’s Clean Water Crisis Source: Sally Wood
Researchers at the University of South Australia (UniSA) have developed a cost-effective technique that could deliver safe drinking water to millions of vulnerable people, through the use of cheap, sustainable materials and sunlight. Less than 3% of the world’s water is fresh. But the pressures of climate change, pollution, and shifting population patterns, are leading this already scarce resource to become scarcer. Currently, 1.42 billion people – including 450 million children – live in areas of high, or extremely high, water vulnerability, and that figure is expected to grow in coming decades. Researchers at UniSA’s Future Industries Institute have developed a new process that could eliminate water stress for millions of people, including those living in many of the planet’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. A team led by Associate Professor Haolan Xu has refined a technique to derive freshwater from seawater, brackish water, or contaminated water, through highly efficient solar evaporation. The technique can deliver enough daily fresh drinking water for a family of four from just one square metre of source water. “In recent years, there has been a lot of attention on using solar evaporation to create fresh drinking water, but previous techniques have been too inefficient to be practically useful,” Associate Professor Xu said. “We have overcome those inefficiencies, and our technology can now deliver enough fresh water to support many practical needs at a fraction of the cost of existing technologies like reverse osmosis.” At the heart of the system is a highly efficient photothermal structure that sits on the surface of a water source and converts sunlight to heat, focusing energy precisely on the surface to rapidly evaporate the uppermost portion of the liquid.
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While other researchers have explored similar technology, previous efforts have been hampered by energy loss, with heat passing into the source water and dissipating into the air above. “Previously many of the experimental photothermal evaporators were basically two dimensional; they were just a flat surface, and they could lose ten to 20% of solar energy to the bulk water and the surrounding environment,” Associate Professor Xu said. “We have developed a technique that not only prevents any loss of solar energy, but actually draws additional energy from the bulk water and surrounding environment, meaning the system operates at 100% efficiency for the solar input and draws up to another 170% energy from the water and environment,” he explained. In contrast to the two-dimensional structures used by other researchers, Associate Professor Xu and his team developed a three-dimensional, fin-shaped, heatsink-like evaporator. Their design shifts surplus heat away from the evaporator’s top surfaces and distributes heat to the fin surface for water evaporation. Hence, it cools the top evaporation surface and realises zero energy loss during solar evaporation. This technique allows all surfaces of the evaporator to remain at a lower temperature than the surrounding water and air. This allows additional energy flows from the higher-energy external environment into the lower-energy evaporator. “We are the first researchers in the world to extract energy from the bulk water during solar evaporation and use it for evaporation, and this has helped our process become efficient enough to deliver between ten and 20 litres of fresh water per square metre per day,” Associate Professor Xu said. In addition to its efficiency, the practicality of the system is enhanced because it is built entirely from everyday materials that are low cost, sustainable and easily obtainable. “One of the main aims with our research was to deliver for practical applications, so the materials we used were just sourced from the hardware store or supermarket,” Associate Professor Xu said.
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Thermo Fisher Scientific is the World Leader in Serving Science Source: Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific is the world leader in serving science. Their mission is to enable their customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. Through the Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services, and Patheon brands, they help their customers accelerate innovation and enhance productivity. Quickly and accurately obtain properties from imaging data Innovative materials play essential roles in safety, clean energy, transportation, human health, and industrial productivity. To fuel continued innovation, researchers want to deepen their understanding of the physical and chemical properties of materials (morphological, structural, magnetic, thermal, and mechanical) from any scale. Whether discovering new materials, solving analytical problems, improving processes, or assuring product quality, their software solutions enable customers to learn more from their imaging data. Analysis and visualization of imaging data allows a better understanding of a materials structure, properties, and performances. No matter what scale and data modality is used, neither an organizations profile from big industries, core imaging facilities, national or local service laboratories or academia, Thermo Scientific Avizo Software provides optimized workflows for advanced materials characterization and quality control from a single environment. Avizo Software is a universal, reliable, fully automatable, and customizable digital analytical labs. Materials scientists and engineers can innovate faster, produce more reliable and better performing materials and processes, while reducing cost and time to discoveries. Learn more
Avizo Software for composites Avizo Software allows a customer to obtain structural, physical, chemical, mechanical properties quickly and accurately. With dedicated tools to obtain fiber properties, the porosity and the pore network information or digital volume correlation details, Avizo Software solutions is the digital analytic laboratory needed to analyse 2D and 3D imaging data, whatever the data acquisition system in use. Learn more
Avizo Software for batteries and energy materials At the macro level, Avizo Software can be used to assess the quality of the manufacturing process, looking into packaging, checking solder points, and detecting possible leakage or porosity and delamination. It can also examine the ageing process, looking into foil, cathode and anode morphological changes or core leakage. At the microscopic level, Avizo Software allows for the estimation of the tortuosity and permeability of the porosity structure of electrode and separator; thus, effective transport parameters can be further used in the electrochemical performance simulation. Quantification of triple phase boundary (TPB), phase distribution and connectivity, further allow for characterization of the cell’s performance. Learn more
Simplify your research imaging workflows Thermo Scientific Athena Software is a premium imaging data management platform that allows core imaging facilities, dedicated to materials science research, to simplify their scientific
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imaging workflows. With Athena Software, it is possible to manage, view, and share images, data, metadata, and experimental workflow results from a single platform. Athena Software provides a comprehensive solution for managing very large imaging data, simplifying the complexity of multi-instrument workflows and providing accessibility to the results at every step in the workflow. Learn more
Ensure traceability Athena Software captures and traces data and metadata from samples to scientific publication, ensuring reliability and reproducibility, and supporting FAIR data principles compliancy. It centralizes information, making it findable, accessible, and reusable from anywhere.
Improve collaboration From the preparation of samples all the way through to publication, Athena Software facilitates interaction between users, making it possible to instantly and remotely view or share images, data, metadata, and expertise through an easyto-use web interface.
Simplify imaging data management The amount of research data generated is swelling to a point where conventional data management systems struggle to keep pace. Athena Software allows large data to be visualized without duplication and to be archived once the project is completed.
Secure and manage data access Athena Software provides a secure environment to administer multi-user rights and manage data access. Users can confidently share and access projects, experiments, workflows, data, and metadata anywhere in the world, 24/7. JUNE 2021 | 31
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How Smooth is Your Surface? Source: ATA Scientific
All surfaces, no matter how smooth they may appear, have a degree of roughness which can influence their wetting behaviour and therefore adhesion. Determining the most suitable roughness parameters and separating the impact of chemical and mechanical treatment on wettability can help reveal the mechanisms at play which can be useful in product development processes and in quality control. Applications • Biocompatibility of medical implants: Separating the impact of chemical and mechanical treatment on water contact value can be very useful in implant development and biocompatibility studies with the surrounding host tissue. • Paper and board coatings: Optimised wetting and adhesion of paper surfaces play a crucial role in ensuring quality and runnability in various operations such as printing and packaging. • Construction and building materials: Coating and surface finishing of construction and building materials are important for enhanced appearance and durability of the materials.
Technology - How does it work? Wettability, as determined through contact angle measurements, can indicate whether the surface is hydrophobic or hydrophilic. When the contact angle of the liquid is low, the surface is said to be more wettable when compared to a higher contact angle. For ideal materials, the surface is assumed to be chemically homogenous and topographically smooth. This is clearly, not true in the case of real surfaces. When surface roughness is added, the surface becomes even more hydrophobic (refer to Figure 1), as the liquid penetrates into the roughness grooves. Until now, contact angle and surface roughness have only been measured individually, by using an optical tensiometer and a separate roughness measurement instrument.
Theta Flow is the new Attension optical tensiometer that integrates a high level of automation to simplify measurements and increase accuracy. Together, these features make it the most user-independent contact angle meter. The new Attension Theta Flow Optical Tensiometer with 3D Topography Module (refer to Figure 2), makes it possible to combine 3D surface roughness measurements in conjunction with
Figure 2: Attension Theta Flow Optical Tensiometer with 3D Topography Module
contact angle measurements on exactly the same sample location. The fully automatic measurement takes only a few seconds while OneAttension software automatically calculates roughness corrected contact angle and surface free energy. This unique tool offers the ability to automatically evaluate the impact of surface chemistry and roughness of various coating formulations and surface modifications. With its high-end camera, image enhancement technology and built-in sensors, the Theta Flow tensiometer builds on the popular Theta Flex – - recent recipient of the 2020 Red Dot award for 2020 for its neat design and ease of use. Theta Flow’s autofocus function together with the DropletPlus image enhancer algorithm significantly improves the chances of accurate baseline placement, particularly for challenging samples. Theta Flow is ideal for measuring Static contact angle, Dynamic contact angle, Surface free energy, Surface- and interfacial tension, Roughnesscorrected contact angle and 3D surface roughness and Interfacial dilatational rheology. To celebrate the new release, we are offering a 10% discount on all Theta Flow systems for a limited time until the end of September 2021! Contact us and find out more about this one-time launch offer. ATA Scientific Pty Ltd +61 2 9541 3500 enquiries@atascientific.com.au www.atascientific.com.au
Figure 1: A. Contact angle on an ideal surface; B. Apparent or measured contact angle on a real surface.
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Reference: Lauren, S. PhD. “The Attension Theta Flex Optical Tensiometer with 3D Topography Module”, Biolin Scientific. WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
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High Flux X-ray Diffraction for Materials Analysis Source: Dr. Cameron Chai
Rotating anode X-ray generators are responsible for producing the highest X-ray fluxes for X-ray diffractometers (XRD) outside of a synchroton. Rigaku first introduced Rotating anode technology in the 1970’s and have continued to refine the technology. The SmartLab is the most powerful lab-based XRD on the market, but also the most reliable ensuring optimum beamtime and the longest lifetime. It is not uncommon for these generators to function for 20 or 30 years. These systems provide the number of photons required to analyse and characterise the most challenging materials.
Rotating Anodes Sources for Powder and Thin Film XRD Rotating anodes provide significantly more power than conventional sealed tube X-ray generators. By way of comparison, refer to the diagram below. High flux rotating anode XRDs allow you to see the finest details in the fastest timeframes, maximising your throughput rates. Furthermore, the high flux offers you the best chance of detecting trace phases which could be the difference between success and failure.
With a lifetime of 20 years plus, a highflux XRD offers the most futureproof solution, catering for the largest range of potential sample types and measurement modes. A recent re-design of the PhotonMax rotating anode source has increased its lifespan by more than three times compared to the previous design.
sample. The simpler, more direct process in HPC detectors allows for each incoming X-ray photon to be counted immediately in true ‘shutterless’ mode. In turn, data loss is minimised, electronic noise is avoided, and signal-to-noise statistics are dramatically improved.
Power Density Having a high-power X-ray generator is a mandatory starting point. But optics, used to gather and focus X-ray photons onto the crystal and monochromatize the beam (K β is essentially filtered out), are as important. Rigaku also has a long history of success with graded, multilayered optics and switchable Cross Beam Optics (CBO) specifically designed for each type of diffractometer and each wavelength ensuring a maximum number of photons is being focussed onto the region of interest.
The other key component of an XRD is the detector. The ideal detectors for use with high-flux X-ray sources are HPC (Hybrid Photon Counting) detectors like the HyPix-3000. These detectors provide highresolution, high count rates, no noise, and the ability to operate in 2D mode under ambient conditions.
Another important aspect that contributes to their high performance is the fact that each pixel of a HPC detector has its own individual reading channel. This prevents any possible charge sharing between adjacent pixels, creating a top-hat, single pixel Point-Spread-Function. This results in greatly improved resolution of Debye-Sherrer rings, further improving signal-to-noise statistics and allowing for the detector to be placed very close to the sample for shorter data collection experiments.
HPC detectors are next generation semiconductor detectors that directly measure every photon generated by your
Benefits of High-Flux for Diffraction Studies
Detectors
> Faster, accurate, high quality data collection – In conjunction with highspeed, high accuracy goniometers and HPC detectors, the higher flux X-ray source allows you to collect data faster > Higher throughput – Faster scans leads to higher sample throughput rates > More easily detect trace phases – With higher count rates, trace phases become easier to discern > Maximise synchrotron time – By using your high-flux XRD, you can better screen samples that need to be analysed at the synchrotron > Proven Reliable technology > The most futureproof solution – Catering for potential experiments and materials in the future 34 | JUNE 2021
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Characterising Battery Materials with Benchtop NMR Source: Dr. Cameron Chai and Peter Airey, AXT PTY LTD
Benchtop NMR is an ideal technique for research into battery materials and quality control of battery raw materials. With the ability to quantify key material concentrations in minutes, we can rapidly gain an understanding of factors affecting performance and properties of electrolytes. This information can be highly beneficial in accelerating development programs and ensuring optimal quality of final products in manufacturing. The X-Pulse broadband benchtop NMR is a powerful instrument with a wide range of applications pertaining to battery technology. These benchtop systems supersede the massive systems that used to require highly skilled operators and can perform the same high-field NMR experiments at a fraction of the cost. The X-Pulse can resolve complex proton spectra at 60MHz field strength thanks to its better than 0.35 Hz spectral resolution at the half-height of a peak. It is unique in that it is the only benchtop NMR instrument with built-in broadband multinuclear capability,
allowing users to collect spectra from the wide range of nuclei present in electrolytes, including carbon, hydrogen, sodium, boron, phosphorus, fluorine, and lithium at temperatures from 20 to 60°C.
Using NMR for Battery Electrolyte Analysis Batteries typically have a cathode and anode separated by an electrolyte. The electrolyte is dissolved in an organic solvent such as dimethyl carbonate and ethylene carbonate and may incorporate additives to enhance performance. NMR helps the understanding of battery performance by:
> Monitoring electrolyte breakdown reactions to better understand their processes which directly affects lifespan
NMR in Quality Control of Battery Materials By way of example, a client was supplied with 2 solvents, apparently with the same chemistry and performance, however, testing revealed otherwise, except the reasons for this were unknown.
> Measuring the transference numbers of those electrolytes and ionic conductivity by determining the diffusion coefficients of the various species in the electrolytes
Hydrogen NMR did not reveal any discernable differences that would affect performance. Fluorine spectra, aimed at understanding the electrolyte anion coming from hexafluorophosphate lithium salt was collected and one sample displayed a doublet on the coupled spectrum. A different doublet attributed to decomposition was also observed at a different frequency. The likely cause was breakdown of the salt by hydrolysis.
> Verifying raw materials purity to benchmark electrolytes
With this knowledge the client was able to take remedial action.
> Quantifying the salt and additive concentration in electrolytes to better understand energy density and to develop higher power density formulations
INDUSTRY NEWS
Simulating the Friction of Lubricants and Materials with a High-Frequency Reciprocating Rig Source: Coherent Scientific
Performing Reciprocating Tribotests Scanning Testing of surfaces and lubricants on reciprocating systems, such as engines and linear To simulate the behaviour of a reciprocating system, one must compressors, requires the use of laboratory-scale select the elements that play important roles on the tribological tribometers prior to final component testing. This system. Such elements include: application note discusses a tribometry setup that • Material and geometry of the tested samples enables time-effective screening of lubricants and • Contact pressure between surfaces that is controlled by the materials at the benchtop scale using a UMT TriboLab™ load, geometry, and material of the contact surfaces Reciprocating Tests (Bruker, San Jose, CA). With this setup, the samples • Reciprocating frequency and stroke length that will direct the can be tested under simulated conditions to rank the motion and velocity profiles, and performance of lubricants and surfaces, while monitoring UMT TriboLab HFRR • Controlled temperature that will activate tribo-chemical events small changes in friction with a piezoelectric-based force on the tested surfaces sensor. The article covers the technique and analyses its effectiveness in simulating standard protocols, such Key resulting parameters that could be measured during the tests as the ASTM D6245-17, and shows how. Also, of great Engine include: Tribosystem importance, the system offers unprecedented flexibility • Friction changes along the stroke, since the friction is not for a wide range of conditions and parameters, such steady in reciprocating systems as speed, stroke length, and temperature variation. • Temperature changes, and Finally, also presented, is the critical importance of • Wear measured after the test the calculation method employed to analyse the data obtained by high-frequency reciprocating tests.
Application Note #1016 Simulating the Friction of Lubricants and Materials with a For the purposes of this study, a TriboLab system, equipped with High-Frequency Reciprocating Rig the new High Frequency Reciprocating Rig (HFRR). One main
Evaluating the Behaviour of Lubricants and Materials on Reciprocating Systems
advantage of the use of a small-scale tribometer is that the lubricant and surfaces can be easily characterized after the test with other metrology tools, such as profilometers and chemical Continuous development of lubricants and surfaces for analysers/spectrometers. Figure 1 shows the TriboLab setup reciprocating engines and compressors is needed to meet The precise understanding of component wear and friction Testing of surfaces and lubricants on reciprocating systems, for high-frequency reciprocating tests. The setup is equipped changing environmental regulations, improve automobile fuel in mechanical systems is vital to quantify energy losses such as engines and linear compressors, requires the use with a fast reciprocating stage, a piezo-based sensor, a normaleconomy, and extend component durability. and to predict the durability of such surfaces. Thus, the of laboratory-scale tribometers prior to final component force sensor, and a 400°C heater. The sensor assembly has been measurement of lubricant performance continues to be a testing. This application discusses setup The precise understanding of component wear note and friction in a tribometry designed with the capability of pivoting to allow the user to factor in accurate fuel economy estimation. To do mechanical systems is vital to quantify energy losses and to that enables time-effective screening of lubricants and replacecritical quickly lower samples and apply lubricant. this successfully, one must account for various challenges predict the durability ofmaterials such surfaces. the measurement at the Thus, benchtop scale using a UMT TriboLab™ in Figure precisely mimicking the specific and factors As an example, 2 shows a typical result ofconditions 5W-30 engine of lubricant performance continues be aCA). critical in (Bruker, San to Jose, Withfactor this setup, the samples that might play a major role on the tribological performance oil tested using a reciprocating ball-on-flat (steel-on-steel) accurate fuel economy estimation. Tounder do this successfully, one to rank the can be tested simulated conditions of those systems. Fortunately, these measurements are configuration and the ASTM D6425-17 conditions with the HFRR must account for various challenges in precisely mimicking the performance of lubricants and surfaces, while monitoring possible with laboratory-scale tribometers. specific conditions and factors that might play a major role on small changes in friction with a piezoelectric-based force the tribological performance ofThe those systems. Fortunately, theseand analyzes sensor. material covers the technique Tribological evaluation of reciprocating systems can be measurements are possible with laboratory-scale tribometers. its effectiveness in simulating standard protocols, such as reciprocating the ASTM D6245-17, how. Also, of great Tribological evaluation of systemsand canshows be effectively importance the system offersimplementing unprecedented flexibility for performed at the laboratory scale only by correctly a widethat range of conditions and parameters, such as speed, a motion and velocity profile exactly simulates the actual stroke length, and variation. Finally, we also motion of the real-world tribosystems. Totemperature properly simulate present thethat critical importance the calculation method materials or lubricants in systems reciprocate, it isofcritical to to analyze the databy obtained replicate the sinusoidal employed motion, typically produced a slider-by high-frequency reciprocating tests. crank mechanism in which the lubrication regime could be varying along the stroke, and to monitor the small changes in Evaluatingprecise the Behavior of Lubricants friction. This requires high-speed, force transducers and and Materials displacement sensors. on Reciprocating Systems
effectively performed at the laboratory scale only by correctly implementing a motion and velocity profile that exactly simulates the actual motion of the real-world tribosystems. To properly simulate materials or lubricants in systems that reciprocate, it is critical to replicate the sinusoidal motion, typically produced by a slider-crank mechanism in which the lubrication regime could be varying along the stroke, and to monitor the small changes in friction. This requires high-speed, precise force transducers and displacement sensors. A variety of standards are in use by the automotive and
Continuous of lubricants and surfaces A variety of standards are in use bydevelopment the automotive and lubricants industry. Of particular interest here is the for reciprocating is needed lubricants industry. Of particular interestengine here isand thecompressors ASTM ASTM D6425-17 (Standard Test Method for Measuring meet changing environmental D6425-17 (Standard TesttoMethod for Measuring Friction regulations, and Wear improve Friction and Wear Properties of Extreme Pressure (EP) automobile economy,Oils andUsing extend durability. Lubricating Oils Using SRV Test Machine)1. This specific Properties of Extreme Pressure (EP)fuel Lubricating SRVcomponent Test Figure 1. UMT TriboLab with HFRR setup. Left: Setup includes the reciprocating Machine)1. This specific protocol ranks lubricants using severe drive, HFRR sensor, 400°C heater, and load sensor. Right: Pivoting allows easy setup of the samples. conditions of temperature, speed, and contact pressure.
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setup. Here friction changes were observed and plotted as a function of the time. Data was collected and recorded in high resolution to monitor small variations of friction along the stroke. That variation of friction along the stroke is typically due to a combination of changes on the surface, transition on lubricating regime, and vibration generated from the mechanical motion. From the high-resolution data, it is easy to visualize changes in direction. This allows precise selection of the peak-to-peak friction (as suggested by the ASTM standard) or calculation of the friction in any way the user desires.
Bruker’s UMT Tribolab software allows the user complete flexibility in how to analyse the data obtained from a fast reciprocating test. To calculate the COF the user can choose between different methods; a simple method using a certain percentage of the top values of friction in each stroke (Figure 4, left), or an advanced method that selects a percentage of points in the middle of the stroke (Figure 4, right). This capability allows the user to customize the data collection and analysis, providing friction values that can enhance understanding of small differences between lubricants.
Figure 2. Friction and wear results of engine oil tested using ball-on-flat testing with the TriboLab HFRR setup under ASTM D6425-17 conditions (350 N, 50 Hz, 1 mm, 120°C, 2 h). Left: Calculated COF using 10% of the top points on each stroke, and inset showing the high-resolution data of the friction force at ~3600 s. Table shows the COF at 15, 30, 90, and 120 min, and the minimum and maximum COFs, as well as the wear diameter on the ball. Right: Wear scar after the test.
Analysing the Results Collecting good quality data, through the use of a very precise system is an essential part of the experiment, but how the data is analysed is equally critical. Figure 3 shows the coefficient of friction (COF) as a function of the position, since the velocity is sinusoidal rather than linear, this representation is more realistic of behaviour along the stroke than data gathered only as a function of time. The HFRR system allowed precise recording of position due to the use of an LVDT (linear variable displacement transformer) incorporated in the fast reciprocating stage. The graph clearly shows how the friction maximizes in each extreme of the stroke and how the force decreased and dampened along the stroke until the next extreme in change of direction.
Figure 4. Simple and advanced methods to make calculations using the change between positive and negative friction in each stroke.
Figure 3. Friction force as a function of the displacement for data collected between 3600 and 3601 s.
Figure 5. Results of engine oil tested under ASTM D6425 conditions. Calculations could change the reported value of the COF.
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To better understand the implications of the calculation method, Figure 5 presents the differences between the overall COF calculation when using different methods for the same engine oil. When calculating the COF by different methods, it is possible to see how the value dramatically changes, from overall values of ~0.14 when using the simple method with 1% of the points, down to ~0.11 when employing 30% of the top points, and lower (~0.10), when using the advanced method with 50% of the points in the middle of the stroke. The advanced method tends to be more consistent, with 50% and 80% of the points overlapping.
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Clarity EBSD Analysis System
It is clear that the simple method is less consistent than the advanced method, but it is available because it is necessary to calculate the peak-to-peak (small percentage of the top points) friction that is required by the ASTM standard.
high as 60 Hz. At high speeds, the piezoelectric-based force sensor does not drain the current, and the sensor is able to precisely record quasi-static or very slow-motion systems. The normal force that can be applied is likewise flexible due to TriboLab’s selection of 11 distinct sensors covering ranges between a few millinewtons to kilonewtons. The variable stroke is capable from 10s of microns to 25 mm. Figure 7 presents the quality of the data capture by the piezoelectric-based sensor for tests conducted at Delivers single-electron sensitivity with different speeds, illustrating how the test can be conducted to zero read noise understand mechanical and tribochemical events occurring in very different regimes.
The world’s first commercial direct detection system for EBSD
The method that is selected to calculate the COF is highly important when comparing lubricants that are very close in performance. It is not just a simple absolute value when referring to friction of reciprocating systems, but rather is very dependent on the analysis method. To better explain the effect on lubricant ranking/comparison, Figure 6 presents the results of the test performed using ASTM D6425-17 in two lubricants (oil A: 5W-30, oil B: 0W-20) that are very close in performance, and how the dataAnalyses materials like perovskite solar cells differs between the methods. that do not produce useable EBSD patterns
under typical beam currents
Figure 7. Oil B test at 10Hz, 5Hz, 1Hz and 0.5Hz
Conclusions
Figure 6. Comparison of oils A and B. The COF changes dependingupon the method of calculation.
Eliminates the need for conductive coatings The high-frequency reciprocating rig of the UMT TriboLab has been or low-vacuum SEM settings to assess proven as a reliable technique for screening of materials and non-conductive materials like ceramics lubricants employed on reciprocating applications,that such as engines and compressors. The flexibility of the system allows evaluation of charge under typical beam currents
When using the simple method with 1% of the top points, the lubricants at different regimes and with the advantage of having difference between oils A and B is considerably more noticeable full control the data analysis. The UMT TriboLab is capable of than when using the advanced method with 50% of the points in At low beamof energies and currents, obtains performing similar protocols to the ASTM 6425, to evaluate friction which the lubricants overlap their behaviour. These differences are and maps for of lubricants,EBSD and canpatterns help make important distinctions in a wide not just numerical differences, but could represent how different high-quality range of tribosystem functions. the effects of grain boundaries, the lubricants behave along the stroke, meaning they behave in a investigating different way mechanically depending on the regime or lubricant grain size and crystal orientation properties. References 1. ASTM D6425-17, Standard Test Method for Measuring Friction
Clarity direct and Wear Properties of Extreme Pressure (EP) Lubricating Oils Using SRVsensor Test Machine, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, detection
Studying Lubricants and Surfaces with Superior Flexibility The presented setup/rig has been designed with unprecedented flexibility, and not exclusively for protocols. It allows researchers to perform measurements at different conditions, which is essential in understanding performance differences of lubricants at different regimes. The TriboLab’s reciprocating stage can move at very slow speeds of 0.01 Hz and below, as well as at speeds as
PA, 2017, www.astm.org Authors
Giovanni Ramirez, Pha.D. , Sr. Applications Scientist (Giovanni. Ramirez@bruker.com) and Ivo Miller, Product Manager - Tribology (Ivo.Miller@bruker.com)
(08) 8150 5200 sales@coherent.com.au www.coherent.com.au
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Clarity EBSD Analysis System The world’s first commercial direct detection system for EBSD Delivers single-electron sensitivity with zero read noise Analyses materials like perovskite solar cells that do not produce useable EBSD patterns under typical beam currents
Eliminates the need for conductive coatings or low-vacuum SEM settings to assess non-conductive materials like ceramics that charge under typical beam currents At low beam energies and currents, obtains high-quality EBSD patterns and maps for investigating the effects of grain boundaries, grain size and crystal orientation Clarity direct detection sensor
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Research on Additive Manufacturing at UQ Ming-Xing Zhang, Han Huang, Michael Bermingham, Matthew Dargusch Source: Andrew Kostryzhev, Queensland Branch of Materials Australia
The University of Queensland (UQ) has historical research strengths in the field of metals, including solidification, grain refinement, alloy development, surface engineering, lead-free soldering, and processing. UQ has been the headquarters of the CAST CRC since 1993, and was a key member in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Design in Light Metals. UQ materials engineering received the ARC ERA rating of five, in 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2018. In recent years, additive manufacturing (AM) has been listed as one of the university’s major research priorities. With funding support from ARC, industry partners and UQ internal grants, the university’s team has made significant contributions to this area of research.
purchased off-shelf. Figure 1 compares the yield strength and elongation of the new alloys with previously reported titanium alloys fabricated with AM.
Professor Ming-Xing Zhang’s group focuses on development of new techniques, including AM process control and discovery of new additives to increase the AM processability, as well as the design of new alloys that are especially suitable for AM.
Over the past several years, Professor Han Huang’s group has been developing advanced structural ceramics and ceramic coatings on metal substrate using laser-based additive manufacturing (LAM) techniques. Compared with the conventional fabrication approaches, LAM techniques have apparent advantages in the preparation of near-net-shape complex ceramic components in terms of microstructure refinement, efficiency, cost and forming capability.
One recent invention is a new titanium alloys that can be produced in-situ by mixing additives with the feedstock together with a chemical functionalisation for surface charge modification of the metal powder particles. The laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) fabricated new alloys exhibiting a yield strength of over 1.0GPa with elongation over 23%, benchmarked against Ti-6Al-4V powder (850 MPa and 10% strain)
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Another invention is the discovery of nanoparticles that can be integrated into pure copper powder via ultrasonic vibration and mechanical mixing to reduce the surface reflectance and enable facile fabrication of highly dense pure copper parts via AM. This overcame a long-term problem of L-PBF of pure copper. The L-PBF fabricated pure copper parts exhibit the tensile strength of 400 MPa accompanied with the elongation of 24%, but still retain 95% of the thermal and electrical conductivity of the annealed wrought pure copper. Figure 2 shows the comparison of previously published data of copper alloys with the currently L-PBF fabricated pure copper in terms of tensile strength, elongation and electrical conductivity (C).
The group is now capable of synthesising single phase ceramics such as alumina and zirconia, and binary and ternary eutectic oxides such as Al2O3-YAG and Al2O3-
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YAG-ZrO2 that present similar density and mechanical properties to those fabricated using the conventional methods. They have also used LAM to successfully fabricate hard and wear-resistant TiOx ceramic coatings and TiOxNy reinforced α-Ti composite coatings on Ti alloys. Through the ARC Research Centre for Advanced Manufacturing of Medical Devices, Professor Matthew Dargusch and Dr Michael Bermingham’s group is exploring AM to produce metal alloys suited to medical devices. Permanent (non-degradable) alloys including titanium, stainless steel and cobalt-chrome have long been used for implant materials and are commercially produced into a range of medical devices by AM. The team is exploring ways to eliminate manufacturing waste and improve product quality in the production of medical devices, as well as developing new fit for purpose alloys. Another emerging interest for some applications is biodegradable metals. Challenges include understanding how such materials can be reliably processed by AM (for instance, many biodegradable metals, including magnesium and zinc, have high vapour pressures and tend to evaporate during fusion based AM processes such as Selective Laser Melting), as well as understanding the degradation rate and biological response to these materials in the body. Their work also explores the role of design in medical devices produced by AM, with a focus on exploiting the full potential of AM to create unique structures that are suitable for medical device applications.
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Rapid 3D Printer Settings Development Using AI Matthias Kaiser, Exponential Technologies Ltd, www.x-t.ai Source: Andrew Kostryzhev, Queensland Branch of Materials Australia
In additive manufacturing (AM), and particularly in laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), determination of a correct combination of printing parameters is a highly complex task. Interactions between the machine and the material are complicated and involve many different disciplines, such as metallurgy, laser science, mechanical engineering and many more. As such, the development of AM technology for new, and even existing, materials becomes extremely time and cost intensive. This is why AM can offer only a small number of processable materials when compared to classical manufacturing methods. For AM to become a truly industrial technology, hundreds of new materials will have to be made printable over the next years. The artificial intelligence (AI) tool xT SAAM newly developed by Exponential Technologies Ltd (EU), is designed to help facilitate the research and development process, and significantly speed up transition of ideas, processes and products from laboratory to industry. xT SAAM is based on specially-tailored small data and active learning algorithms that are highly versatile and resilient. This allows application of the software in a wide range of material chemistry and technology development situations without any reprogramming. This makes it far more flexible than other Design of Experiments (DoE) and AI solutions on the market. The xT SAAM software can be used in a DoE-like iterative format or in a predictive mode, when the software uses existing data sets to build predictive models of the parameter interactions. However, it is most often used in a hybrid approach, when the existing limited data sets are used as a starting point for a new experimental campaign.
were defined: the maximum pore size and their number density, solid material density, build rate, and a subjective expert opinion. The expert opinion was introduced through the observation of the printing process by an expert carrying out in-situ assessment of the melt pool and the component microstructure after printing and cutting. are used in a variety of industries including aviation, automotive, space, and others. Due to its light weight but high strength, Titanium is the perfect material in applications with high mechanical requirements under weight restrictions. This makes Titanium and AM a perfect match. If performed correctly, AM has the ability to decrease weight of printed parts while at the same time maintaining or even improving mechanical properties. Additionally, AM allows the integration of cooling channels within the walls of the end part, making it ideal for applications in engines and propulsion systems. However, in order to produce Ti alloy end parts for aviation, automotive or space applications using the AM process, the part quality has to be high. More importantly, the production results have to be very consistent. This is often a problem with AM as 3D printing processes in general, but especially L-PBF, are extremely sensitive to even minor changes in processing parameters or environmental factors. To ensure the consistent production of high quality end parts, the printer parameters have to be optimised for specific applications. A pilot project with a German L-PBF machine manufacturer aimed to optimise the printing parameters for alloy Ti-6Al-4V to achieve the highest possible density while maintaining high production speeds. The optimisation was carried out for five technological parameters: laser power, scan speed, hatch distance, stripe width, and stripe overlap. The layer thickness was kept constant.
With the integrated JSON API cloud storage, xT SAAM can be connected to any machine, database or software application. This allows for the full automation of the analysis and optimisation process. The built-in Python scripting engine enables the development of custom routines and workflows.
To avoid too many failed prints, a search constraint was added in the form of an approximated energy density function that included the laser power, layer thickness, scanning speed and hatch distance. In this way, prints in which the material did not fuse at all or burn could be avoided from the start.
Titanium alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V and others
As optimisation objectives, the following
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However, there was no objective measurement available that could identify these problems consistently. The budget for the experimentation was fixed to six iterations with 20 density cubes each.
The best performing parameter set was successfully found during the fourth iteration. This parameter set resulted in a significantly reduced pore size, increased build rate (~5%) and a slightly increased part density, when compared to the company’s previously developed parameter sets. Surprisingly, at least three parameter sets with very different values of each parameter were found, leading to extremely similar end part properties. Having options is particularly important in industrial conditions, because the probability that an optimised parameter set results in unstable production process is high. A possibility to manufacture the end components with similar characteristics using vastly different sets of processing parameters facilitates the technology development and allows faster introduction of the product to market. In this project with a German L-PBF machine manufacturer, it was possible to demonstrate that the solution found significantly reduced the time and cost of AM technology development. Finding reliable manufacturing parameters with only 80 density cubes is an extremely fast research and development process—the standard procedure typically requires several hundreds of density cubes, can take several years, and cost millions. JUNE 2021 | 41
UNIVERSITY SPOTLIGHT
The Australian National University Source: Australian National University (ANU)
The Australian National University (ANU) is recognised internationally for its exceptional teaching and outstanding research. The ANU alumni and faculty include six Nobel Prize winners and two Australian prime ministers. Small class sizes, industry and international internship opportunities, cutting-edge research and policy influence equip ANU staff and students with opportunities and skills to shape the future of the world. The ANU gives the students a pathway to pursue their passions and ambitious goals by offering 50 pre-defined single degrees and the flexibility to design their own double degrees from 750 possible options. ANU is a part of the Group of Eight and the only Australian member of the International Alliance of Research Universities.
The ANU has seven academic colleges that house a number of schools and research centres that specialise in a range of disciplines - all relevant but some unique in Australia and our region. These include the College of Arts and Social Sciences, the College of Asia and the Pacific, the College of Computer Science and Engineering, the
College of Business and Economics, the College of Law, the College of Health and Medicine, and the College of Science. The university is consistently within the top ranked Australian universities and is #1 ranked Australian university according to QS World University Ranking.
Group leaders active in materials research in the ANU Research School of Chemistry
Professor Yun Liu
Professor Mark Humphrey
Professor Antonio Tricoli
Professor David Nisbet
Associate Professor Luke Connal
Associate Professor Zongyou Yin
Associate Professor Alexey Glushenkov
Associate Professor Pu Xiao
Associate Professor Nicholas Cox
Associate Professor Megan O’Mara
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Contributions to Materials Science and the Research School of Chemistry
by and opportunities for research projects within the range of contributing Schools noted above.
The ANU has extensive research-driven education and well-established research strengths in Advanced Materials. These activities in materials science are spread across the University with contributions from the Research School of Chemistry, the Research School of Physics, the School of Engineering and the Research School of Earth Science. ANU undertakes research in hard and soft materials, electrical and physical properties of materials, devices, colloidal particles, nanotechnology and biomaterials. The University has outstanding facilities for materials characterisation and processing, including the Centre for Advanced Microscopy, the National Laboratory for X-ray Micro Computed Tomography, ion beam facilities and a 1.7 MeV tandem accelerator, and hosts an ACT node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility.
Renewable Fuel Production
Materials science has featured prominently at the Research School of Chemistry (RSC) for over a decade and is well integrated with other strengths in materials physics and engineering on the ANU campus. Ten academic staff are currently involved in this field at RSC. These research groups strive to be the world leaders in energy materials, functional materials, and advanced manufacturing through ambitious and innovative research programs. Materials Science complements the other two RSC themes, Chemical Biology and Synthesis. The Materials theme is enabled by molecular chemistry expertise and there are strong synergies with biomaterials research. RSC has a well-developed, research-informed undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum and has just launched an advanced Master’s degree in materials science, featuring teaching
The synthesis of renewable fuels, such as hydrogen and ammonia, from renewably generated electricity is required for the sustainable use of energy in the transport sector, providing a convenient pathway for large-scale storage and export of renewable energy. Researchers at the RSC are focusing on the design of earth-abundant, low-cost catalysts for the efficient conversion of light and/or electricity into H2 and NH3 via photocatalysis and electrochemistry. Their research ranges from the design of catalytic and electrode materials using computational approaches to the development of scalable, industrycompatible synthesis methods. Associate Professor Zongyou Yin is focused on the development of nano-to-atomic materials for photocatalysis, photoelectroand electrocatalysis of CO2 to fuel conversion, N2 reduction to NH3, and the transformation of alcohols to H2 fuel. He has established a multi-angle in-operando mapping platform for nanoscale electroand photo-redox reactions under the stimuli of light, potential, heat, magnetic field and mechanic forces. His group employs techniques including surface plasmonic enhancement, nanointegration, high-throughput computation and machine learning in addition to in-situ experiments. Professor Mark Humphrey is exploring engineered nanomaterials (cobalt phosphide nanorods, trinickel monophosphide hollow nanospheres, and molybdenum carbide nanoparticles) as electrocatalysts and niobium cluster-coated titania nanoparticles as a photocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction. Professor Antonio Tricoli’s group is leading
Battery Materials and Energy Storage Laboratory
ANU Battery Materials and Energy Storage Laboratory was launched at the Research School of Chemistry in February 2021. This new facility established by Associate Professor Alexey Glushenkov provides testing opportunities for electrode, electrolyte and binder materials, the key components for aqueous and non-aqueous battery technologies and related devices. the development of flame synthesis of metal oxide catalysts for H2 production via electrolysis and photoelectrochemical water splitting. Flame synthesis is a scalable industrial process, used for the production of various nanoparticles including carbon black, P25 photocatalyst, and fumed silica. His group has recently demonstrated very rapid (seconds) fabrication of electrodes for the oxygen evolution and hydrogen evolution reactions, required for water splitting. Professor Yun Liu’s and Associate Professor Nick Cox’s group focuses their research on the understanding and design of highly efficient and noble-metal-free catalysts for hydrogen generation, storage and conversion, carbon/nitrogen conversion, and wastewater treatment. The group is looking for an opportunity to commercialise patented visible-light catalysts.
Energy Storage Batteries are a key energy storage solution that will enable a wide range of applications, ranging from portable electronics and power tools to the next generation electricity grid and electric vehicles. The activities in the development of materials (electrodes, electrolytes and binders) for lithium-ion, sodium-ion, potassium-ion and dual-ion batteries are undertaken in the laboratory of Associate Professor Alexey Glushenkov. These activities form a part of ANU Battery
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UNIVERSITY SPOTLIGHT
Storage and Grid Integration Program, a joint initiative between the RSC and the School of Engineering. The group is also developing advanced materials for hybrid energy storage technologies such as lithium-ion and sodium-ion capacitors.
nanomaterials) and devices to meet niche market requirements, especially for use in harsh environments and under extreme conditions. Battery materials research group (Associate Professor Glushenkov) is developing electrode materials manufacturing methods enabled by mechanical ball milling and mechanochemistry as well as hightemperature annealing and solid-state synthesis methods.
Professor Tricoli’s group focuses on the design of three-dimensional materials for emerging lithium-sulphur (Li-S) batteries. This battery system has potential to deliver a much higher (up to five times) energy density than the current Li-ion intercalation battery technology. His group has demonstrated that the stability and capacity of Li-S batteries can be drastically increased by the use of a composite material architecture, consisting of metalorganic frameworks in a threedimensional carbon matrix. Associate Professor Yin’s research lies in the phase engineering for redox electrodes of batteries. The group’s research focuses on polymorphism in batteries and the development of active polymorph catalysts, their evolution processes in redox electrodes of rechargeable batteries, and the investigation of how the intrinsic properties and electrochemical performances of materials can be improved. Professor Liu’s group is developing hydrogen storage technologies (both liquid and solid forms) that can integrate with solar cell and wind farm driven electrolysers to store green hydrogen at mild or ambient environment for transport (e.g. hydrogen energy export) and applications (e.g., renewable energy supply, hydrogen refuelling stations, heavy vehicles and potentially residential energy storage). Her group is also working on allsolid-state energy storage devices for high power applications. She has been closely collaborated with Associate Professor Cox’s group in materials design using the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique.
Advanced Manufacturing Additive manufacturing will be a key technology in the future of advanced manufacturing. The research conducted by the group of Associate Professor Luke Connal includes the development of functional “inks” for advanced functions. Self-healing and shapechanging objects as well as a range of other properties can be engineered. The group is also developing an entirely new, recently patented process for additive manufacturing to enable facile 44 | JUNE 2021
Electronic and Optoelectronic Materials
patterning of multi materials structures, including polymers, metals and semiconductors. Associate Professor Pu Xiao’s group is focused on the manufacturing of polymer-based materials under environment-friendly conditions such as photopolymerisation using mild visible light irradiation, the investigation of light-induced responses of materials, and photophysical chemistry. His group is currently investigating natural dye-based photoinitiating systems applicable to fast 3D printing of biocompatible polymeric materials with visible light. Professor Xiao has just published a book “3D Printing with Light” which includes the fundamentals of photoinitiating systems for 3D printing and resins. Professor Tricoli’s research is focused on the design of a scalable synthesis process for the industrial translation of nanostructured materials in energy and biomedical applications. He has led the development of twin-flame synthesis reactors for the very rapid production of catalysts, nanotextured electrodes, functional coatings, optoelectronic materials and a range of biomaterials for antimicrobial applications, biomedical sensing and implants. His group has also established processes for the scalable fabrication of three-dimensional composite structures of carbon and metal-organic frameworks from low-cost precursors. Professor Liu’s group possesses wellestablished manufacturing facilities for ceramic, glass and alloy thin films and devices, enabling small-scale manufacturing of materials (including BACK TO CONTENTS
Professor Humphrey and his colleagues are designing, synthesising and evaluating a broad range of new materials with applications in photonics, including metalrich oligomers, dendrimers and polymers, surface-supported nanostructures, nanoparticle hybrids, semiconductors and coordination polymers. These materials are designed to modify the propagation characteristics of light (frequency, phase, path and amplitude) or act as “molecular switches”. The group is also exploring new luminescent materials (exploiting crystallization-induced emission and thermally activated delayed fluorescence) and ultrabright multi-photon excited emitters with potential applications in the precise spatial control of photodynamic therapy and medical imaging. The group of Professor Liu works on dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric materials and devices for uses in quantum photonics, solar energy conversion, microwave and millimeter wave communication. This includes various electronic, photonic, optoelectronic and electro optic components, sensors, transducers and actuators. The group is also able to conduct research in order to provide comprehensive investigation on defects, structures and properties of materials to help industry to pin down the problems (such as failure issues) existing in operational functional materials and devices.
Bioinspired Materials, Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial Coatings Associate Professor Connal’s group is developing functional polymer materials with engineered properties. The researchers have developed a range of polymers which show rapid self-healing to regain their properties, while also demonstrating high strength, mimicking the properties of muscles and bone. These WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
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polymers are being investigated for applications such as soft robotics and artificial muscles.
Magnetic Resonance Facility
A key theme of the research is in materials inspired by nature. A collaborative program between Associate Professor Connal’s and Associate Professor O’Mara’s groups is the development of new materials to mimic naturally occurring antibacterial surfaces. One of the materials developed is capable of killing coronavirus that lands on a coated surface. The clear coating material shows efficacy within 5 minutes of the virus landing on the surface, and is envisaged to be long-lasting, anti-viral and anti-bacterial. Professors Tricoli and Nisbet have developed a surface coating that repels bacterial pathogens and provides a strong antimicrobial action in case of bacterial adhesion. These hierarchically structured nanocoatings anchored on a polymer network layer can reduce adhesion and proliferation of gram positive and negative bacteria by more than 99.85%. The coating structure is highly water repellent, capable of resisting the transmission of pathogens present in droplets expelled by sneezing, coughing or hosted on human skin. When in contact with bacteria, the second nanocomponent of the coating responds by releasing antimicrobial agents that that can quickly destroy the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. Professor Liu’s group, in collaboration with ANU colleagues in the medical field, is working on the development of nanomaterials to promote the “growth” of good cells whilst killing bad cells for infection resistance. This group is also developing materials to make specific biosensors for targeting diseases. Associate Professor O’Mara’s group is experts on the use of multiscale molecular dynamics simulations of biomolecular systems, with applications in the characterisation of bio-inspired materials and soft matter systems. Lipid based systems are a key research theme within the group. In particular, the research focuses on the characterisation of self-assembly and dynamic interactions of biomolecular and bio-inspired systems and includes the development of computational tools for the parameterisation of polymer systems and supramolecular systems.
The magnetic resonance facility based at the Research School of Chemistry caters for both nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The facility is one of the most advanced in Australia, boasting equipment worth over 12 million dollars and caters for over 100 staff, including members from the ANU, and industrial and commercial users. The centre has one of the most sophisticated NMR spectrometers in Australia including very fast magic angle spinning (MAS) solid state capacity. It also hosts the only high-field EPR instrument in the Southern Hemisphere.
Sustainability Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a key health and environmental concern. Professor Liu’s group has successfully developed catalysts for photodecomposition of PFAS and the remediation of contaminated water and soil using sunlight. The technology is in the stage of seeking industry partners to develop a demonstration facility. Oil remediation represents another important sustainability problem. Professor Humphrey’s group is involved in developing recycling methods for spent lubricants, and a range of approaches to desulphurisation are being explored.
Laser Laboratory
Professor Humphrey manages a dedicated facility for the examination of optical properties of materials. This laser laboratory contains an 11.5 x 6.5m2 cleanroom, providing a dust-free, temperature- and humidity-controlled environment for laser systems. This facility affords wavelength tuneable light (from ca. 300 to 2600 nm) of varying pulse length (femto- to nanosecond) for a range of experiments. An adjacent instrument room contains electrochemical equipment as well as infrared, visible light and ultraviolet spectrometers, enabling a variable temperature spectroelectrochemistry capability.
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BREAKING NEWS A New, Positive Approach Could Be the Key to Next-Generation, Transparent Electronics An RMIT University-led team has introduced ultrathin betatellurite to the 2D semiconducting material family, which provides an answer to the decades-long search for a high mobility p-type oxide. Researchers have sought a new class of electronics based on semiconducting oxides, whose optical transparency could enable these fully transparent electronics. These see-through devices could potentially be integrated in glass, flexible displays and in smart contact lenses – bringing to life futuristic devices that seem like the product of science fiction. Dr Torben Daeneke led the collaboration across three FLEET nodes. He said the research was a breakthrough. “This new, high-mobility p-type oxide fills a crucial gap in the materials spectrum to enable fast, transparent circuits.” The oxide-based semiconductors also provide a suite of other benefits, like their stability in the air, less-stringent purity requirements, low costs, and easy deposition. “In our advance, the missing link was finding the right, ‘positive’ approach,” Dr Daeneke said. There are two types of semiconducting materials: ‘n-type’ materials have abundant negatively charged electrons, while ‘p-type’ semiconductors possess positively charged holes. When complementary n-type and p-type materials stack together, it allows for electronic devices to be created, like diodes, rectifiers, and logic circuits. These materials are the building blocks of every computer and smartphone, which are crucial in contemporary living. This project was supported by the Australian Research Council and also by RMIT University’s Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility. It received funding from the McKenzie postdoctoral fellowship program from the University of Melbourne.
Above: A magnified image showing nano-thin sheets of the new type of ultra-efficient, flexible and printable piezoelectric material. Credit: RMIT University. Right: The new material could be used to develop devices that convert blood pressure into a power source for pacemakers. Credit: RMIT University.
Nano-Thin Piezoelectrics Advance Self-Powered Electronics RMIT researchers have discovered a new type of ultraefficient, nano-thin material that could advance self-powered electronics and even deliver pacemakers powered by heart beats. The flexible and printable piezoelectric material – able to convert mechanical pressure into electrical energy – is 100,000 times thinner than a human hair and 800% more efficient than other piezoelectrics based on similar non-toxic materials. Researchers believe it can be easily fabricated through a costeffective and commercially scalable method through the use of liquid metals. Dr Nasir Mahmood, who led the project, said the material was a major step towards realising the full potential of motiondriven, energy-harvesting devices. “Until now, the best performing nano-thin piezoelectrics have been based on lead, a toxic material that is not suitable for biomedical use.” “Our new material is based on non-toxic zinc oxide, which is also lightweight and compatible with silicon, making it easy to integrate into current electronics,” Dr Mahmood explained.
The RMIT team from left, Ali Zavabeti, Patjaree Aukarasereenont and Torben Daeneke with transparent electronics.
The optical transparency of the new materials could enable futuristic, flexible, transparent electronics. Credit: RMIT University.
The potential biomedical applications within the materials include internal biosensors and self-powering biotechnologies, including devices that convert blood pressure into a power source for pacemakers. The nano-thin piezoelectrics may also be used in the development of smart oscillation sensors to detect faults in infrastructure like buildings and bridges, especially in earthquake-prone regions. “It’s so efficient that all you need is a single 1.1 nanometre layer of our material to produce all the energy required for a fully self-powering nanodevice,” Dr Mahmood said.
A molten mixture of tellurium and selenium rolled over a surface deposits an atomically-thin sheet of beta-tellurite.
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Crystal structure of beta-tellurite showing charge density.
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BREAKING NEWS Researchers Develop Improved Recycling Process for Carbon Fibres Recycling of composite materials could be up to 70% cheaper and lead to a 90 to 95% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to standard manufacturing. Like other recyclable materials, carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites, non-biodegradable materials have typically lacked a viable recycling method. But researchers from the University of Sydney’s School of Civil Engineering have developed an optimised method for recycling CFRP composites while maintaining 90% of their original strength.
The study was led by Dr Pavel Kolesnichenko at Swinburne University of Technology (and now a postdoc at Lund University).
“Globally and in Australia there has been a march towards better recycling processes, however there is often the belief that a material can be recycled an infinite number of times – this simply isn’t the case. Most recycling processes diminish mechanical or physical properties of materials,” said Dr Ali Hadigheh, who led the research.
‘Target Identified’: Teaching A Machine How to Identify Imperfections In 2d Materials
CFRP composites are present in many products like wind turbines, plane parts, cars, ships, and technology like laptops and mobile phones.
The simple and automated optical identification of the different physical areas on these materials could significantly accelerate the science of atomically thin materials.
However, they are typically disposed of in landfills or incinerated, which create significant threats to the environment and public health.
Atomically thin layers of matter are a new and emerging class of materials that will serve as the basis for next-generation energyefficient computing, optoelectronics and future smart-phones.
The research team used an optimised process to support a circular economy. In phase one, ‘pyrolysis’, the material is broken down using heat. The material is significantly charred, which prevents it from developing a good bond with a resin matrix. In the second phase, ‘oxidation’, high temperatures are used to remove the initial char.
Dr Pavel Kolesnichenko led a study into atomically thin materials.
“Until now, it has been impossible to continuously recycle products made of carbon fibres. Given that most recycling involves shredding, cutting or grinding, fibres are worn out, decreasing a future product’s viability,” Dr Hadigheh said.
Just as James Cameron’s Terminator-800 was able to discriminate between clothes, boots, and a motorcycle, machine-learning could soon identify different areas of interest on 2D materials.
“Without any supervision, machine-learning algorithms were able to discriminate between differently perturbed areas on a 2D semiconducting material”. “This can lead to fast, machine-aided characterisation of 2D materials in the future, accelerating application of these materials in next-generation low-energy smart-phones,” he said. Dr Kolesnichenko and Professor Jeffrey Davis from the Swinburne University of Technology discovered that the task of characterising 2D materials could be accomplished by machines in a rapid and automated manner. “In order to understand the impact of different perturbations and minimise or control their presence, it is important to be able to identify them and their spatial distribution rapidly and reliably,” Professor Davis said. The researchers worked with FLEET colleague Professor Michael Fuhrer from Monash University. Together, they applied unsupervised machine-learning algorithms to characterise the semiconducting monolayer of tungsten disulphide.
Corresponding author Prof Jeff Davis (Swinburne University of Technology).
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The data was acquired through an apparatus involving a microscope and a spectrometer. The learning algorithms were then able to discriminate between the areas on a monolayer flake affected by doping, strain, disorder, and the presence of additional layers. JUNE 2021 | 47
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BREAKING NEWS Nanotechnology Offers New Hope for Bowel Cancer Patients Breakthrough research has found that bowel cancer survival rates could be improved if chemotherapy drugs were delivered through tiny nanoparticles to the diseased organs rather than by oral treatment. A partnership between scientists in India and Australia has studied nanoparticles to target bowel cancer – the third most common cancer in the world and the second deadliest. Experiments have shown that nanoparticles containing the chemotherapy drug, Capecitabine, attach themselves directly to the diseased cells. It then bypasses healthy cells and therefore reduces toxic side effects and the size and number of tumours. The University of South Australia’s Professor of Pharmaceutical Science, Professor Sanjay Garg – the sole Australian researcher involved in the project – said that Capecitabine is the first-line chemotherapy drug for bowel cancer. “Due to its short life, a high dose is necessary to maintain effective concentration, resulting in some harsh side effects when delivered conventionally, including severe hand and foot pain, dermatitis, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and loss of taste,” Professor Garg said. The side effects are exacerbated because the drug affects both healthy and diseased cells. “A viable alternative to conventional therapy is targeted drug delivery using nanoparticles as smart carriers so that the drug can be delivered specifically to the tumour. This allows a smaller and less toxic dose,” Professor Garg explained. When Capecitabine is delivered through nanoparticles, it reduces both the size and number of cancerous bowel tumours, results in fewer abnormal cells, improved red and white blood cell counts and less damage to other organs.
New Tech A Curtain Raiser for Cheap Clean Solar Energy Recent research from the Australian National University (ANU) shows technology that stores clean energy by heating particles with captured sunlight is cost-effective and reliable. An ANU research team examined solar thermal technology developed by US-partner Sandia National Laboratories. The technology uses concentrated sunlight to heat a ‘curtain’ of falling low-cost particles to 700 degrees Celsius. The heated particles are stored for later use in overnight electricity generation or industrial process heat. They are then lifted up for reheating, providing a highly efficient and cyclical system. “Our modelling shows a concentrated solar power system built around this falling ‘particle curtain’ could generate a megawatt-hour of stored electricity for less than USD $60,” said Associate Professor John Pye. “A least-cost system built at the 100-megawatt scale would come with enough storage to run the turbine for 14 hours, easily enough to allow continuous night-time electricity for large parts of the year,” he explained. The ANU researchers also contributed to the development of a novel multi-stage falling particle solar receiver design, which maximises the amount of light absorbed and retained by the system. It also contributes to the fundamental understanding of how light and particles interact in these systems. In light of this research, the United States Department of Energy recently announced USD $25 million to test the technology at a new facility in New Mexico. Australia will work with the United States on developing the new technology, including trials at the CSIRO solar thermal falling particle test facility.
3D illustration of a nanobot attacking a cancer cell. Credit: University of South Australia.
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BREAKING NEWS Apartment Made from Waste Glass And Textiles Showcases ‘Green’ Ceramics A new display apartment at at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) shows how recycling techniques could change the way people build homes. An industry-first apartment, which was made using waste materials that have the potential to revolutionise home construction, was recently launched by the UNSW SMaRT Centre and industry partner, Mirvac. The apartment features efficient flooring, wall tiles, kitchen and lighting features, furniture, and artworks, which are made from waste glass and textiles. Mirvac Chief Executive and Managing Director, Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, said it was time for the property, construction, and design industry to find more sustainable ways to build. “Every year, an estimated 11 billion tonnes of waste are sent to landfill globally. Ninety-two billion tonnes of materials are extracted, with buildings responsible for around 50% of global materials used,” she said.
DNA-Inspired ‘Supercoiling’ Fibres Could Make Powerful Artificial Muscles for Robots
Professor Veena Sahajwalla, who is the Director of the SMaRT Centre, said the furnishings and products were a positive indication of what the future could look like.
The double helix structure of DNA is one of the most iconic symbols in science.
“These very stylish and functional furnishings and products made in our UNSW SMaRT Centre green ceramics MICROfactorie show what can be done when science, technology and industry vision and commitment come together,” she said. “In Australia, the building industry is responsible for around 60% of the waste we generate. The ‘take, make waste’ approach is no longer acceptable, and we are working hard to find a better, more sustainable way to provide Australians with homes and office buildings that are kinder to the planet,” she concluded.
The kitchen splashback, the front of the island bench and the tubular light fittings on display in the apartment were manufactured using green ceramics. Credit: UNSW.
By imitating the structure of this complex genetic molecule, researchers have found a way to make artificial muscle fibres far more powerful than those found in nature. These may have potential applications in miniature machinery like prosthetic hands and dexterous robotic devices. Many bacteria, like spirochetes, adopt helical shapes. Even the cell walls of plants can contain helically arranged cellulose fibres. Muscle tissues are also composed of helically wrapped proteins that form thin filaments. Many of these naturally occurring helical structures are involved in making things move, like the opening of seed pods and the twisting of trunks, tongues, and tentacles. Helically oriented fibres embedded in a matrix allow complex mechanical actions like bending, twisting, lengthening and shortening, or coiling. This versatility in achieving complex shapeshifting may hint at the reason for the prevalence of helices in nature. Geoff Spinks is a Senior Professor at the University of Wollongong, who has focused his research on double helix structures for several years.
Mirvac CEO and Managing Director Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, NSW Energy and Environment the Hon Matt Kean MP and UNSW waste technology pioneer Veena Sahajwalla inspect recycled materials at the launch. Credit: UNSW
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“Ten years ago, my work on artificial muscles brought me to think a lot about helices. My colleagues and I discovered a simple way to make powerful rotating artificial muscle fibres by simply twisting synthetic yarns”. “Our latest results show DNA-like supercoiling can be induced by swelling pre-twisted textile fibres. We made composite fibres with two polyester sewing threads, each coated in a hydrogel that swells up when it gets wet and then the pair are twisted together,” he concluded.
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JUNE 2021 | 49
FEATURE – Glass Science
Through The Looking Glass: A Transparent Look at Glass Science
50 | JUNE 2021
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FEATURE – Glass Science
From food storage, and windshields in motor vehicles, through to test tubes in laboratories – glass is one of the world’s oldest, and most known synthetic materials. Glass is highly versatile and durable. It can be spun finer than a spider’s web or even moulded into a disk for use in mirrors or telescope lenses. In addition, glass has the capacity to be stronger than steel, or more fragile than a single sheet of paper. Glass also comes in an array of shapes, sizes and colours. From historical uses in the middle of the desert, to contemporary usage in computing and technology – glass has changed the way that humans work, interact, and socialise. Glass has a wide variety of applications. For instance, in healthcare, bioactive glasses and ceramics are typically used in the dentistry community. They can also be used in bone regeneration. In fact, borate glass fibres, which are oxygen-born compounds, can heal soft tissues.
Glass Physics Glass is in a constant state of thermodynamic disequilibrium, which is a continuous relaxing towards a more stable liquid phase. Researchers consider this to be one of the most intriguing phenomena in modern glass physics. While there has been significant progress in understanding the transition and relaxation of glass, its structural relaxation remains a key focus area. In addition, glass physicians are perplexed by the origins of thermal properties like heat capacity, thermal expansion and conductivity, and the acoustic properties of glass.
In addition, researchers have found that radioactive glass microspheres have practical applications in the fight against cancer. Other uses of glass in the health sector include an anti-microbial cover glass that can suppress the spread of serious and deadly infectious diseases. Similarly, some glass materials can activate a certain type of gene within a living cell, which is crucial for stem cell engineering.
Glass Chemistry
Glass also plays a pivotal role in technology. For example, fibre optic cables that have been extensively used for the rollout of Australia’s National Broadband Connection, have accelerated internet speeds across the nation. In addition, optical interconnects that are made from glass and other glass-based devices will continue to play a fundamental role for the flow of data in the future of information technology.
Glass boasts chemical durability, which provides a platform for vast applications like pharmaceutical labware, nuclear storage, architecture, and the automotive industry. As such, chemists remain focused on understanding the chemical compounds, structures, and kinetics in relation to glass and its durability.
The environment is also a key winner. In the field of solar energy, researchers have found that glass is a key component in photovoltaics and other conversion processes where solar is turned into energy. Researchers have also discovered the importance of glass to ensure equal access to water and clean air. Glass is even able to securely hold and store radioactive waste materials from nuclear power generation.
Like glass physicists, glass chemistry continues to raise a series of new challenges and research areas. However, the chemistry of glass also opens a new world for researchers, who have access to nearly the entire periodic table to feature as palettes for possible ingredients.
Glass Technology Finally, glass forming and processing technologies are at the cutting-edge of the globe’s future. Glass technology brings expertise in glass physics and chemistry to lead the development of precise and speciality glass products for mass consumption.
While the use of glass is far and wide, these innovations rely on continuous research and advances in glass science.
For example, the Pilkington float process has allowed the production of a range of glass sheets for contemporary homes and high-rise skyscrapers. Similarly, the fusion draw process aids to the development of high-precision and ultra-thin glass for panel displays.
What is Glass Science?
The History of Glass Science
Glass science is the stream of research that questions and analyses the scope for new glass compositions and manufacturing capabilities. In this stream of research, scientists seek to utilise previously unknown or unavailable functionalities for glass. Together, glass science focuses on the cutting-edge research available across physics, chemistry, engineering, geology, and mathematics.
For centuries, researchers have been fascinated with glass’ ability to reflect, refract, and transmit light that follows geometrical optics entirely without any scattering effects. As such, contemporary glass science seeks to address the challenges of tomorrow. It focuses on three core areas: glass physics, glass chemistry, and glass engineering technology.
A Roman historian, Pliny, wrote about his discovery of glass before 79 A.D. In his version of events, he believed that the discovery of glass was accidental. In fact, the discovery occurred after several Phoenician merchants mixed nitre, or a bicarbonate of soda, with sand and heated it up on the coast near Palestine. Pliny reported that “they together produced transparent streams of an unknown fluid, and such was the origin of glass”.
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JUNE 2021 | 51
FEATURE – Technical Innovations in Steels
In 1607, the first glass furnace was constructed in Jamestown, Virginia. A second plant was erected a short time later, in 1620 to produce glass beads. These beads were a key source of trade between locals and the Indigenous population at the time. However, both glasshouses were destroyed in 1622. Other ancient uses of glass included bottles and vases. In 1609, Gasper Lehmann invented glass engraving, which changed the industry dramatically. Spanish glass, venetian, German glass and French glasses were all conceptualised and sold during the 1600s. In addition, glass manufacturing accelerated when gas was substituted for coal, and after the invention of the glass-blowing machine. As time went on, glass became more prominent in the built environment. Lamp chimneys, lantern globes, laboratory glassware, globes for street lighting, and tumblers were all crucial items that accelerated glass manufacturing. Advances in technology have prompted the departure from traditional glassmaking practices to contemporary and more sustainable approaches. Today, there are many unique types of glass, including: • Flat glass: used primarily in windows • Glass containers: used for food packaging and medicines • Optical glass: used for microscopes, glasses and telescopes • Fibreglass: tightly packed and combined with plastics for technological purposes • Bullet-resisting glass: a thick multi-layer that can absorb the energy of a single bullet. The use of glass has expanded and grown for a range of different purposes. Today, glass is a crucial material in everyday life. But despite its purpose, the process for glass-making is relatively similar: melting source materials, forming a structure, and allowing it to cool. As physicians and chemists learn more about glass and its properties, the societal impacts of glass remain strong.
Research Developments Over the Years Some of the world’s most integral objects and systems – windows, computer screens and smart phones – are made from glass. These materials are made 52 | JUNE 2021
when sand, rock and gravel are crushed and melted. While materials science has evolved to incorporate new manufacturing processes, the natural environment remains a key player in the formation of glass. Glass is primarily made from silica sand, which is a more precise material than asphalt gravels and concrete. After water, sand is the world’s most consumed raw material. But there is a global shortage of sand. In fact, researchers and scientists believe that the global sand shortage is a challenge to the world’s overall sustainability. The United Nations believes that around 4.1 billion tonnes of cement are produced per annum, which is made up of 58 per cent of the contemporary sand-fuelled construction. But the global demand of sand and gravel is estimated to be around ten per cent higher than cement, which has cascading effects for glass science. For example, the global production of silicon chips relies on sand. However, global shutdowns prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese trade disputes, and severe weather in Texas caused delays to the production of silicon chips. Estimates show that it can take up to half a year to create a chip. When making some products, the entire process involves over 1,000 steps. Similarly, Australia’s National Broadband Network has been impacted by the global chip shortage. These silicon chips are integral for powering smartphones, computers, video game consoles, automobiles, and home Wi-Fi networks. Analysts believe that production may take up to a year to bounce back, as organisations and governments alike negotiate new deals and seek alternative sources of production. Urbanisation has changed the world. However, a surge in people living in major cities and built environments has challenged traditional norms and processes in materials science. Sand is a crucial material for glass science. But the global rate of sand consumption has tripled in the last 20 years, which has prompted new research developments and innovations. Given the scarcity of sand, materials scientists are also seeking new avenues for glass production into the future. As history shows, it is likely that renewed glass science approaches will be required to prevent further damage. BACK TO CONTENTS
2022 Year of Glass Since 1959, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly has allocated specific subject areas as themes for that year. In previous years, UN member states propose a theme, or an occasion to be marked. Similarly, a specialised agency of the United Nations like UNESCO and UNICEF may put forward a proposal. Unlike previous years, ACerS member David Pye proposed the ‘Year of Glass’. On 18 May 2021, the UN General Assembly approved the idea, which will be celebrated in 2022. Alicia Durán is the president of the International Commission on Glass and chair of the International Year of Glass 2022. She said the year will underline the “scientific, economic and cultural roles and celebrate several anniversaries”. “Glass supports many vital technologies, facilitates sustainability and a green world and enriches our lives, yet often goes unnoticed,” she explained. Planning is already underway for the international event. An opening congress will take place in Geneva and an International Commission on Glass conference will feature in Berlin. Meanwhile, an interactive Glass Expo with additional satellite events will be held in China. Also, art and history congresses with a key focus on glass will take place across Egypt, Europe and the United States. Over 1,500 universities and research groups supported the decision and 79 countries across five continents approved the Year of Glass. The event will pave the way for dedicated international journals, exhibitions, and planned events in museums, where public and private glass collections and materials will be showcased. It will also promote glass science and finding renewed manufacturing processes for the future. “Heartfelt thanks go to the Spanish Mission at the UN, particularly the Spanish ambassador Agustín Santos Maraver and Ana Alonso, who led this process through the difficult twists and turns of diplomacy in stressful times,” Ms Durán said.
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FEATURE – Glass Science
Glass Science at the University of Adelaide Source: Dr Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem
Research in inorganic non-metallic glasses was brought to The University of Adelaide (UoA) in 2005 when Dr Heike EbendorffHeidepriem joined UoA. Heike has been passionate about glass since 1985 when she took up the offer of a summer project at the end of her first year at university. The project saw her assist in the development of novel optical glasses at the Otto-Schott-Institute for Glass Chemistry at the University of Jena, Germany. This project sparked her enthusiasm about glass as a material—it allows an unprecedented broad range of shapes and properties, while each glass piece is itself a work of art. Glass has been made for thousands of years but still holds a lot of mystery that waits to be uncovered. This is what has driven Heike’s research on glasses over the past 25 years. Working at the Otto-Schott-Institute was instrumental in helping Heike—as a young researcher—learn to work beyond disciplines, particularly with physicists, for example to test the glasses’ lasing ability. She also took the opportunity to work in collaboration with industry partners—a very different and equally rewarding learning curve—to develop new glasses for specific applications. Heike’s experience is a testament to a strong cultural heritage in Jena, when in the 19th century, three pioneers worked together to develop the optical microscope we know and still use today. These pioneers included: Otto Schott, a glass chemist and entrepreneur who developed new glasses suitable for microscope objectives; Ernst Abbe, a physicist who uncovered the optical imaging principles and invented the microscope lens; and Carl Zeiss, an entrepreneur that took the risk to manufacture the optical microscope. Another key experience that shaped Heike’s research journey was her hands-on training and then research on specialty glass optical fibre fabrication at the Optical Research Centre (ORC) at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom. The ORC is the world-leading research institution in the development of novel optical fibres. WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
Glass extrusion to create glass preforms - Prof Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem
In 2005, Heike joined Professor Tanya Monro (now Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist) to build the Centre of Expertise in Photonics (CoEP) at UoA. This was a once-in-a lifetime offer for Heike to build a world-class laboratory for the fabrication and characterisation of glasses and glass fibres for photonics applications including light-based sensing, novel light sources and delivery of light at new wavelengths. Even more, working with Tanya offered the perfect environment to establish an optical glass and fibre capability that is integrated in an interdisciplinary research BACK TO CONTENTS
culture. In 2009, the CoEP transformed into the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), with Heike as one of the co-founders. IPAS was created on the strong belief that many of the challenges we face as a society can only be solved by pursuing a transdisciplinary approach to science. IPAS brings together experimental physicists, chemists, material scientists, biologists, experimentally driven theoretical scientists and medical researchers to create new sensing and measurement devices, primarily using glass technology. JUNE 2021 | 53
FEATURE – Glass Science
Controlled atmosphere glovebox - Prof Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem
A Fascinating Material Glass is a fascinating material that only exists due to kinetic hindrance. When a liquid glass melt is cooled down sufficiently fast, the transformation into a solid state with regular crystalline structure is inhibited, resulting eventually in a solid with a frozen-in amorphous structure that is similar to the liquid melt. This feature makes the properties of glasses highly dependent on the process conditions, which is why it is essential to consider both chemical composition and fabrication parameters (i.e. science and technology) in the development of new glasses and fibres. The everyday glasses around us are made of silicate glasses with SiO2 (i.e. sand) as the main component. Such glasses have a large resistance to crystallisation (also called devitrification) and have a large working range at elevated temperature, meaning that these glasses have a wide time window for being shaped at elevated temperature (e.g. via blowing and moulding) in an unlimited range of geometries. By contrast, glasses with exotic compositions, such as fluoride glasses, need extensive fine-tuning of the glass melting and shaping process to prevent crystallisation of the end-product. Therefore, the research aims of Heike’s team have been focussed beyond the traditional small sample glass chemistry needed to develop new glass compositions. The team is working to develop advanced and new glass technology, including understanding the glass flow during glass processing, a 54 | JUNE 2021
Electron Miroscope Images of Microstructured Optical fibres. Prof Andre Luiten and Prof Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem.
critical factor in creating the desired structures and achieving step-change functionalities.
Real World Applications Heike is passionate about connecting glass research with real world applications. This has motivated her to help to create the world-class facilities at IPAS, including the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) funded Optofab Adelaide node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF), which houses over $20 million in advanced manufacturing equipment. As Director of Optofab Adelaide, Heike has shaped the facilities over the years to ensure researchers and industry worldwide have access to state-of-the-art fabrication facilities: the key to achieving specialised optical glass and fibre production.
understanding of dissolution and dispersion of nanocrystals in glass. Her team has been investigating how to best embed nanoparticles in glass, instilling the glass with the properties of the nanoparticles it contains. In collaboration with Macquarie University and the University of Melbourne, five years ago, the team developed a method for embedding light-emitting nanoparticles into glass without losing any of their unique properties. This research has opened up exciting possibilities for new hybrid materials and devices that can take advantage of the properties of nanoparticles in ways we haven’t been able to do before – a major step towards ‘smart glass’ applications such as 3D display screens or remote radiation sensors.
Glass Art Collaboration
Glass research at UoA covers a broad range of glass types, ranging from traditional optical glasses in the silicate system to exotic glass compositions such as glasses composed entirely of fluoride components. This breadth of glass types is motivated by the diverse range of glass science and technology topics tackled by the glass research at UoA in close collaboration with huge numbers of researchers from academia and industry. A few examples illustrating the breadth in fundamental and application driven research are described in the following.
A key source of inspiration for the glass research at UoA is the ongoing collaboration with the thriving glass art community in Adelaide. In 2011, Heike collaborated with the community in Adelaide through a joint exhibition ‘A fine line – glass science meets art’. The collaborative exhibition with artists at Jam Factory’s Glass Studio incorporating video footage and examples of the works created by both artists and scientists, showcasing the technique and process behind the making of both glass art and the glass that underpins new science and technologies.
Fundamental Glass Science
As a result of the exhibition, strong interactions were established between the glass art and glass science communities.
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FEATURE – Glass Science
Glass Preforms.
This relationship inspired the creation of a new diamond-glass fibre for quantum sensing. Artist Karen Cunningham’s work on embedding diamonds in glass inspired Heike to apply the technology to make a new class of diamond-glass fibre, which has been used by her collaborating research fellows to develop quantum sensors to monitor changes in magnetic fields – with implications for mining and underwater monitoring. In 2020, the team of researchers (from the University of Adelaide, RMIT, University of Melbourne, DSTG and UniSA) was awarded a Global-X Challenge Award of $1.5 million to develop an optical fibre-based network, like the National Broadband Network, capable of underwater operation.
Glass Flow Models to Advance Production Another part of the transdisciplinary puzzle in this area is Heike’s collaboration with mathematicians at UoA, which has contributed to the development of mathematical and computational models for the glass flow during fibre drawing and led to the experimental validation of these models. All of these models have resulted in more complex preform and fibre geometries with a significantly higher first-time success rate. This collaboration together with the world-class facilities in glass and fibre manufacture at UoA underpins industry research with the global medical instrument manufacturer Trajan Scientific and Medical. The longstanding collaboration of Trajan with UoA’s fibre manufacture and mathematical modelling team has enabled the realisation of WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
Soft Glass Optical Fibre Draw Tower - Prof Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem.
research, development and commercialisation of new generation specialty glass products for the global science and medical equipment market. Another example of commercial impact of the glass development and manufacture capabilities and expertise at UoA is the reproducible fabrication of fluoride glass with excellent optical quality, enabling the development of a new class of waveguide laser by the start-up company Red Chip Photonics. Glass-based fibres developed at UoA have also generated real world impact in the mining sector via an ultra-high temperature optical fibre sensor allowing local companies to monitor processes for the first time within a smelter environment, enabling significant reductions in energy use.
Ecofriendly Coloured Glass A few years ago, one of Heike’s PhD student (now a postdoctoral researcher in her group) in collaboration with the PhD supervisors invented a new technology to create gold and silver nanoparticles in a highly controlled way in any oxide glass type. As these nanoparticles impart colour, this invention opens up the development of coloured glasses from non-toxic raw materials with unlimited colour choices and unique dichroic colour effects. The team realised that this new technology offers a path to the manufacture of ecofriendly coloured glass that can be made compatible to any type of clear oxide glass. The coloured glasses produced have been successfully employed by local glass artists BACK TO CONTENTS
at the Jam Factory to make glass sculptures. In 2020, the team established EZY-GLAS Technology Pty Ltd to commercialise their eco-friendly and compatible coloured glass manufacturing technology. The company’s vision is to provide coloured glass products for use in glass art, printing and other high-value applications where product identity, safety and quality are prerequisites.
3D Glass Printing There are many future opportunities in the glass materials space for innovation. One area that Heike’s team have been working towards is how to 3D print glass with optical qualities. This potentially overcomes conventional manufacturing challenges that limit the design of traditional optical systems. This work builds on the extensive metal and plastics printing experience in the ANFF team at Adelaide and on the recently established collaboration with 3D glass printer manufacturing start-up company Maple Glass Printing. The team at Adelaide University works with a wide range of industry and government customers from around the world and are always keen to explore how their skills, expertise and technology can assist making the world a healthier, safer and wealthier place.
Prof Heike Ebendorff-Heidepriem School of Physical Sciences The University of Adelaide tel: +61 8 8313 1136 email: heike.ebendorff@adelaide.edu.au www.adelaide.edu.au/ipas JUNE 2021 | 55
FEATURE – Glass Additive Science Manufacturing
Characterising Glasses using Thermal Analysis Source: Andrew Gillen, NETZSCH Analyzing and Testing
Glass is a uniform amorphous solid material (at ambient temperatures), usually produced when the viscous molten material cools very rapidly to below its glass transition temperature, without sufficient time for a regular crystal lattice to form. The most common glasses are silicate based, especially soda-lime, lead and borosilicate types used for windows, containers and decorative objects. Non-silicate glasses including amorphous metals, polymers and supercooled molecular liquids and molten salts are also used in various applications. The insulation industry utilises the excellent thermal properties of glass wool in roof and wall insulation products.
sample to sample are indicative of slight variations in composition. Glass technologists and researchers often need to characterise the sintering behaviour of glasses in powder form. In such cases, dilatometers can be employed for measuring sintering temperatures and shinkage steps. Optimisation of sintering temperature programs used in production are possible using dilatometer data and thermokinetic modelling software. The NETZSCH DIL402 Expedis® Series offers state-of-the-art dilatometer technology for a wide range of research and development and industrial applications. The instrument covers a temperature range of -180…2800ºC and is the first horizontal dilatometer series on the market allowing force modulation, bridging the gap between dilatometry and thermomechanical analysis (TMA).
In its pure form, glass is a transparent, strong, hard-wearing and essentially inert material, which can be formed with very smooth and impervious surfaces. Below glass transition temperature, glasses are brittle and will break into sharp shards. These properties can be modified or changed with the addition of other compounds or heat treatment. Common glass contains about 70% amorphous silicon dioxide, which is the same chemical compound found in quartz.
Thermal Expansion and Shrinkage Steps using Dilatometry Coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE), glass transition temperatures and softening points are crucial parameters for the characterisation of glass formulations. Using pushrod dilatometry (DIL), all of these parameters can be measured precisely utilising the high resolution of the inbuilt displacement sensor. If the sample maintains a constant mass, then temperature dependent density can be calculated utilising dilatometer data, sample mass and cross sectional area. Presented in the plot (Figure 1) is a dilatometry measurement of a soda-lime glass. The mean thermal expansion coefficient was calculated as 9.35ppm/K in the temperature range 50…500ºC. The glass transition temperature was evaluated to be 556ºC and softening point detected at 614ºC. In a manufacturing environment, shifts in the glass transition temperature and softening point from
Figure 2: Typical sample setup in a high temperature pushrod dilatometer. Specimen (green) is placed inside furnace (pictured) for the desired heating cycle.
Debindering and Crystallisation Behaviour Using Simultaneous Thermal Analysis Organic binders are often employed to maintain the integrity of glass powder green bodies prior to heat treatment. These binders typically decompose well below the sintering temperature. Simultaneous Thermogravimetry (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) are commonly used for measuring debindering/ calcination temperatures and recrystallisation in glass formulations. In Figure 3, below, the graph shows a simultaneous TGA and DSC measurement (NETZSCH STA449 F1 Jupiter®) of a glass green body heated in synthetic air at 10K/min. The green plot (TGA) shows a minimum 2-step mass loss coming from the decomposition of the organic binder with characteristic DTG peaks at 301 and 438ºC, respectively. The blue plot (DSC) first shows the 3-step exothermic combustion of the organic binder, glass transition temperature at 704ºC, and finally recrystallisation peaks at 818ºC and 897ºC, respectively. The endothermic peaks at 946ºC and 962ºC are indicative of the melting of the recrystallised material.
Figure 1: Dilatometry measurement of a soda-lime glass. 56 | JUNE 2021
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FEATURE – Glass Science
using thermokinetic modelling via model-free methods (eg. Friedman, Vyazovkin), and model-based methods where knowledge about the chemistry of the process is required. NETZSCH Kinetics Neo software offers a powerful all-in-one thermokinetic modelling solution with a user-friendly interface suitable for all user levels. The Analyzing & Testing business unit of the NETZSCH Group (est. 1873, Germany) develops and manufactures a complete highprecision instrument line for thermal analysis and thermophysical properties measurement, as well as offering world class commercial testing services in our laboratories. Their instrumentation is employed for research and quality control in the glass and ceramics sector, polymer sector, the chemical industry, and many more. Their instruments accommodate various testing needs including: thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, glass transition temperature, specific heat capacity, rheology and more.
Figure 3: Simultaneous TGA/DSC measurement of a glass green body with a NETZSCH STA449 F1 Jupiter®.
Contact at.au@netzsch.com or visit www.netzsch.com.au/at for more information
KEEPING YOUR GLASS IN SHAPE by Combining Simultaneous Thermal Analysis, Dilatometry and Kinetic Analysis for Process Opimization
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Characterise thermal expansion Determine sintering steps Measure debindering and crystallisation behaviour Use NETZSCH Kinetics Neo for simulation of sintering processes
STA 449 F1 Jupiter®
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Contact us for more information or visit www.netzsch.com.au/at NETZSCH Australia Pty Ltd ∙ Unit 3/591 Withers Rd, Rouse Hill NSW 2155 ∙ Tel.: 02 96412846
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JUNE 2021 | 57
FEATURE – Glass Science
Glass – More than Meets the Eye Source: James Riley (GTS Glass) and Dr. Cameron Chai
Glass Recycling
We are all familiar with glass, as an amorphous material that allows us to bring the outside in, but at the same time protecting us from the elements. With the sleek and clean lines it offers, glass is becoming a material of choice in architecture and engineering. Various grades and types of glass are available that can provide specialised properties suited to a wide range of applications offering designers choices they may have never considered using glass for.
Switchable-glass
composition is used for many different types of glass including float glass. Float glass is so named, as the molten mixture of raw materials is floated on a bed of molten tin, above which thin sheets of glass can be produced and used for windows as well a precursor for other applications that we will discuss herein.
celebrating the role of glass in society), global production of flat glass rose sharply to 84.0 million tonnes worth US$90.2b per annum in 2020, up from 59.2 million tonnes and US$ 48.3b per annum in 2016. Two-thirds of this production is consumed in architecture, and the bulk of the rest is used in automotive applications.
Nominal float glass composition
Driven by explosive growth over the last decade of touchscreen and smart devices, production of smart and display glass has also seen rapid growth. Needing to be very thin, this glass has greater durability thanks to ion exchange strengthening.
Composition wt. % 72.5 15 9 2.5 1 Balance
What is Glass?
SiO2 Na2O CaO MgO Al2O3 Others
Common glass or soda lime glass is made primarily from silica (sand) with additions of soda ash and limestone, and makes up over 90% of all glass produced. This
According to a report generated by the United Nations International Year of Glass 2022 (a recently ratified event
Factory manufacturing tempered clear float glass panels.
58 | JUNE 2021
A shard of broken annealed glass.
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Glass Recycling Glass lends itself to recycling. Secondary glass processors have turned waste and offcuts into cullet which can be fed back into glass production. Similarly, glass bottles and packaging can be recycled.
Granules from broken toughened glass.
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FEATURE – Glass Science
620°C and then rapidly cooling it using jets of air. This induces compressive stresses of more than 69MPa (typically 80MPa) in the surface which significantly reduces the ability of cracks to form, resulting in higher strength. When float glass fails, it commonly forms large shards which we have all seen used as lethal weapons in movies. Toughened glass on the other hand, shatters into small, almost cubic granules when it fails, which is another advantage of toughened glass. Toughened glass is now commonplace in pool fencing, balustrading, shower screens and glass furniture, with different thicknesses available to suit the required engineering specifications.
Laminated Glass Above: Glass-walkway. Top: Multi-panel-printed-facade.
However, more emphasis needs to be put into recycling of architectural glass. Use of recycled glass reduces the strain on environmental resources, reduces the energy required to melt feedstocks, thereby reducing energy consumption and hence CO2 emissions as well as saving money.
Machining Glass Gone are the days where complex glass shapes are nigh on impossible to produce. Now, if you can draw it, it can be made. Drawings can now be imported into CAD-based systems and complicated geometries can be generated by waterjet cutters and CNC machining centres. Final machining processes such as arrising and polishing ensure machined surfaces are finished to the same standard as the flat float glass faces.
Toughened Glass Float glass is a precursor for a range of architectural and engineering glass products. It is annealed after coming off the float line to remove residual stresses so it is easy to cut and machine. Toughening or tempering results in an increase in strength of between 4 to 6 times making it suitable for engineering applications, most commonly in building. In Australia, this is carried out in accordance with Australian Standard AS 2208 – Safety Glazing Materials in Building which is stamped on all toughened glass. The process involves heating the glass to WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
Laminated glass is another form of safety glass in which glass sheets sandwich a polymer interlayer. Typically PVB or polyvinyl butyral has been used, however, other interlayer materials such as EVA or ethylvinyl acetate and Kuraray’s ionoplast structural interlayer SGP are increasingly popular choices for specific applications. Different grades of PVB are available, which can be combined with various thicknesses of glass sheets (both toughened and non-toughened) to provide a range of properties tailored to specific applications such as: • Safety glazing – awnings, curtain walls, windows, doors, splashbacks, fins etc. • Structural and security glazing – where maximum strength is required including glass flooring, stairs, facades and roofing, areas prone to extreme weather conditions (cyclones), intrusion protection and ballistic and bomb protection • Sound control glazing – enhanced acoustic insulation, ideal for high traffic areas, hotels, airports etc.
thickness glass sheets can be combined to provide the required strength. Furthermore, multiple interlayers can be combined to provide multiple properties or enhanced protection.
Printed Glass Large area glass installations lend themselves to blank canvasses for designers to create visual impact or even simply to create brand awareness. Many options are available for this purpose. Starting at the budget end are vinyl graphics which can potentially be applied and removed if necessary. Painted glass is also possible, but longevity is an issue. Sandblasted designs offer a permanent solution and can be very effective for applications not requiring colour. Where designs can be repeated many times over, screen printing using ceramic pigments offers a suitable solution. Using ceramic pigments that are fused to the glass during the tempering process. Screen printed designs are permanent and colours will not fade over time. For the ultimate in design freedom, full digital ceramic printing services are offered. Using systems akin to inkjet printers, ceramic pigments can be laid out using fully custom designs. Again, the ceramic pigments provide permanence of colour, even under long-term UV exposure. While the maximum size of glass panels might be limited, the size of a glass installation such as building façades is almost infinite using well understood fixing systems. These installations are also at the mercy of graphic designers with digital printing and ceramic pigments offering total design freedom and ultimate durability.
The Future of Flat Glass
Similar to toughened glass, different
Flat glass will continue to play a significant role in architecture in aesthetic, structural and engineering applications as well as in and the automotive industry. The push for more energy efficient buildings will see the continued development and use of low emissivity glasses which reflect heat in the summer and trap warmth in the winter. As part of an overall strategy, more energy efficient designs will better control internal climates and reduce the need for HVAC and artificial lighting. Electrochromic glass shows potential for the future to further improve energy efficient designs as well as photovoltaic coatings with high visible light transmission.
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• UV control glazing – can block almost all UV-A and UV-B radiation providing protection for artwork, furniture and even people • Decorative glazing – available in a range of colours and opacities suitable for indoor and outdoor use, designers are afforded even further design freedom. • Switchable glass – allows privacy control at the touch of a button
FEATURE – Glass Science
No Cracks: Maple Glass’ 3D Printing Is Seamless Source: Sally Wood
The world of 3D printing has grown significantly in recent years. Today, the practice can create crucial body parts and even houses. But when it comes to glass, 3D printing has not been explored because of the vast challenges that it poses. In fact, 3D glass printing has only been practiced by a select group of researchers and companies around the world. However, Maple Glass Printing (MGP) have been bringing their expertise and skills to the world of 3D glass printing since 2017. The company has a simple mission: to reduce glass waste by 3D printing it. The Melbourne-based company enables broken and unused glass to be reused as part of their additive manufacturing processes. Unlike other companies and researchers that have used extreme temperatures and heat-resistant facilities to print molten glass, MGP uses advanced manufacturing capabilities to ensure a point of difference and a more sustainable approach to glass production. The company focuses on the three core pillars of a more sustainable environment: reduce waste, reuse materials, and recycle. MGP’s Chief Executive Officer, Dareen Feenstra and Chief Technology Officer, Nick Birbilis believed there was a gap in the market for more a sustainable and affordable glass manufacturing process. The innovation started when Birbilis was working with Feenstra, who was a PhD candidate at Monash University’s Woodside Innovation Centre at the time. They noted that glass was a popular material, but additive manufacturing had not penetrated it for greater use among industry. Four years later, the company is challenging traditional thinking in materials science. “Our prolific use of materials is so entrenched in the norm of our thinking, and that’s largely because there is nobody alive on the planet today that hasn’t lived in a period where materials are just thought of as coming from a factory. That has created a mindset where it is often thought that there is an infinite supply of materials in a factory, and that’s not the case,” Birbilis explained. Birbilis said 3D printing of glass is a disruptive technology that raises a suite of new possibilities for manufacturers and companies alike. “3D printing has allowed us to start to think very different about the way in which we use materials and the type of materials that we use.” 60 | JUNE 2021
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Unlike traditional glass-making technologies, MGP only heats the glass in a focused manner and momentarily at a high temperature. The company uses 100 percent recycled glass in a favourable environment. “Glass is one of these materials that has been used for centuries but I think we know very little about it. “When glass is very thin, around a fifth of the thickness of your hair, it can become infinitely flexible. Glass can also be very tough in large dimensions and resist cracking,” Birbilis said. Other universities have made attempts at producing 3D printed glass, but there were various concerns among industry groups and bodies about its wider use. “It’s no secret that Australia, like other countries, is having a waste and landfill crisis. Our systems of a circular economy are not yet up to the task.” “However, 3D printing of glass has remained at the bleeding edge. Fortunately, there are some companies giving it a red hot go,” Birbilis said.
MGP Launches World-First 3D Glass Printers In January 2021, MGP announced it would shake up the additive WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
FEATURE – Glass Science
“The nine to five is becoming a thing of the past so it’s important for universities to prepare our graduates to shape their own world of work,” she said Maple Glass Printing were also part of the CSIRO-sponsored program, OnPrime, which assists researchers to gain critical skills and knowledge-sharing to innovate in a more efficient and faster way. The The Maple 2™ printer allows MGP’s customers to create rapid prototypes and designs that meet high repeatability – a crucial concern and challenge for industry. It also provides a series of environmental and economic benefits for clients. The innovation is poised to be the “world’s affordable 3D glass printer”. The 3D printing technology is currently in production and sales. MGP believes it will allow users to create “complex digital designs” with glass in a sustainable manner. This will reduce the time of glass prototypes from weeks or days, to minutes. Unlike polymers and metals, additive manufacturing has not expanded into the world of glass. This is because of the challenging process associated with glass production. But MGP guarantee that their 3D printers will ensure a point of difference. “Customers can create rapid prototypes with unique designs and iterate with high repeatability. “By using recycled glass, our printers can print detailed glass pieces with an economically viable process.”
Sustainability is at MGP’s Heart Unlike previous models and innovation, the Maple 2™ printer provides a more sustainable approach to glass-making. Feenstra said the technology will play a critical role in the world’s sustainable future. “I see being able to print glass as another step towards creating a more sustainable world. It’s more efficient in terms of the recyclable materials it can use and less energy intensive than other recyclable processes currently on the market,” he said.
manufacturing game with the development of one of the world’s most affordable 3D glass printers. The The Maple 2™ printer allow users to create a series of complex digital designs with glass. It uses a unique technology to remove any shortfalls and inconveniences that are usually linked with glass manufacturing. The innovation follows two years of research by Maple Glass Printing (which has drawn upon local engineering talent), developing a prototype, and finalising a patent. Together, they were among ten projects selected from more than 200 applicants for the Monash Generator Accelerator Program – before fully spinning off to their Northcote (Victoria) premises. The program engages start-ups and individuals to produce inspiring and innovative ideas. It supports a full range of services, including a one-on-one seminar with an entrepreneur about launching an idea. “Universities sit on such a hot bed of talent when it comes to knowledge and innovation and we’re seeing that reflected in the incredible founders from our student, staff and alumni communities who are engaging with the Generator,” said Julie Stevens, who is the Program Manager of the Generator program. WWW.MATERIALSAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
Feenstra also explained that the Maple 2™ printer have been thoroughly trailed and tested with a range of glass materials, colours, and even multi-colours. “We’ve spent a lot of time and energy ensuring that our printer can use all kinds of recyclable glass materials because, at the moment, there are tonnes of waste being put in landfill and it’s not all necessarily waste – we just need the right tools to process it, to make new products and reduce our footprint.” “This is where glass printing could be part of the movement towards a fully sustainable society,” he explained. “We are proud to be manufacturers, and manufacturing, in Australia”. The printers currently eject glass with a layer height of around 0.25mm. However, the company plans to further reduce that figure to allow to produce pieces with flatter surfaces. The Maple 2™ printer can produce objects with dimensions of 250mm. But MGP can scale this for production versions that are not ‘benchtop’ oriented – traversing the needs of prototypers, artists and researchers, through to dedicated producers. For more information about MGP and the Maple 2™ printer, please visit: mapleglassprinting.com
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MATERIALS FEATURE – AUSTRALIA – Short Courses
Short Courses - Study at Home
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These short courses provide you with an engaging learning experience. Courses may include flash animations, video of instructors teaching the course in a classroom, video segments from ASM’s DVD series relevant to the learning material, and PDFs of instructor Power Points used in the instructor led training. All online courses require internet access for reading and viewing course content. Both HTML pages and PDF files for each lesson are downloadable and printable for easy offline access.
www.materialsaustralia.com.au/training/online-training BASICS OF HEAT TREATING
HEAT TREATING FURNACES AND EQUIPMENT
Steel is the most common and the most important structural material. In order to properly select and apply this basic engineering material, it is necessary to have a fundamental understanding of the structure of steel and how it can be modified to suit its application. The course is designed as a basic introduction to the fundamentals of steel heat treatment and metallurgical processing. Read More
This course is designed as an extension of the Introduction to Heat Treatment course. It discusses advanced concepts in thermal and thermo-chemical surface treatments, such as case hardening, as well as the principles of thermal engineering (furnace design). Read More
HOW TO ORGANIZE AND RUN A FAILURE INVESTIGATION Have you ever been handed a failure investigation and have not been quite sure of all the steps required to complete the investigation? Or perhaps you had to review a failure investigation and wondered if all the aspects had been properly covered? Or perhaps you read a failure investigation and wondered what to do next? Here is a chance to learn the steps to organize a failure investigation. Read More
MEDICAL DEVICE DESIGN VALIDATION AND FAILURE ANALYSIS This course provides students with a fundamental understanding of the design process necessary to make robust medical devices. Fracture, fatigue, stress analysis, and corrosion design validation approaches are examined, and real-world medical device design validations are reviewed. Further, since failures often provide us with important information about any design, mechanical and materials failure analysis techniques are covered. Several medical device failure analysis case studies are provided. Read More
NEW - INTRODUCTION TO COMPOSITES Composites are a specialty material, used at increasing levels throughout our engineered environment, from high-performance aircraft and ground vehicles, to relatively low-tech applications in our daily lives. This course, designed for technical and non-technical professionals alike, provides an overarching introduction to composite materials. The course content is organized in a manner that guides the student from design to raw materials to manufacturing, assembly, quality assurance, testing, use, and life-cycle support. Read More
METALLURGY FOR THE NON-METALLURGIST™ An ideal first course for anyone who needs a working understanding of metals and their applications. It has been designed for those with no previous training in metallurgy, such as technical, laboratory, and sales personnel; engineers from other disciplines; management and administrative staff; and non-technical support staff, such as purchasing and receiving agents who order and inspect incoming material. Read More
PRACTICAL INDUCTION HEAT TREATING
This course provides essential knowledge to those who do not have a technical background in metallurgical engineering, but have a need to understand more about the technical aspects of steel manufacturing, properties and applications. Read More
Taking a fundamentals approach, this course is presented as an introduction to the world of induction heat treating. The course will cover the role of induction heating in producing reliable products, as well as the considerable savings in energy, labor, space, and time. You will gain in-depth knowledge on topics such as selecting equipment, designs of multiple systems, current application, and sources and solutions of induction heat treating problems. Read More
PRINCIPLES OF FAILURE ANALYSIS
TITANIUM AND ITS ALLOYS
Profit from failure analysis techniques, understand general failure analysis procedures, learn fundamental sources of failures. This course is designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice of failure analysis. Read More
Titanium occupies an important position in the family of metals because of its light weight and corrosion resistance. Its unique combination of physical, chemical and mechanical properties, make titanium alloys attractive for aerospace and industrial applications. Read More
METALLURGY OF STEEL FOR THE NON-METALLURGIST
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