A fresh round of Advance Queensland funding will help AIBN researchers team up with industry to develop next-gen lithium-ion batteries, indoor solar panels, and nanotech-assisted bioinks for drug screening.
Three AIBN-affiliated researchers won funding under the state government’s latest Advance QLD Industry Research Fellowship round, a program that recognises the benefit of linking strategic research projects with the growth of the Queensland economy.
Dr Liwen Zhang will use his $160,000 early career fellowship over the next two years in partnership with 3D tissue culture firm Gelomics to develop nanotechnology and AI-assisted kits for drug screening.
Working under AIBN group leaders Dr Ruirui Xiao and Professor Tom Davis, Dr Zhang will develop a 3D cell culture kit to speed up new biologics discovery and cut down healthcare spending by government and biomedical companies.
“3D cell culture technologies that can accurately mimic human tissue offer more accurate and reliable models than animal models, moving drug discovery toward higher precision and lower failure rates,” he says.
“The use of nanomaterials will ensure Gelomics’ product has more precise stiffness for 3D culture technology, while AI optimisation dramatically reduces manual trial and error.”
Improving the local battery value chain
Dr Tong’en Lin also secured an early career fellowship and will use his $240,000 prize to develop graphite materials for fast-chargeable and long-endurance lithium-ion batteries.
Dr Lin is a joint appointment between the AIBN and UQ School of Chemical Engineering and works with group leaders Professor Lianzhou Wang and Dr Bin Luo on a range of advanced battery technologies.
“Urgent technological advances are required to improve fast-charging capabilities and extend the lifespan of graphite anodes,” Dr Lin says.
“My project aims to develop high-performance graphite anode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries, something that will not only complement the local battery value chain in Queensland and Australia, but also provide new profitable product lines for Graphinex.”
Low-cost, efficient energy solution
Dr Miaoqiang Lyu is another AIBN joint appointment working with Professor Lianzhou Wang to score Advance QLD funding.
Dr Lyu’s $240,000 mid-career fellowship - awarded through his affiliation with the School of Chemical Engineering – will involve working with Reid Print Technologies to develop a new indoor power supply that harvests artificial light.
He says his perskovite indoor photovoltaic prototypes will provide a low-cost and efficient energy solution as portable power sources for autonomous internet-of-things (IoT) devices.
“As most IoT devices operate through wireless networks, off-the-grid portable power sources are the essential integration component"
“Indoor photovoltaics that can directly harvest ambient and artificial light for generating electricity have been employed as promising portable power sources for IoT and electronic devices.”
