From 3D-printed stem cell cages to nylon that can generate electricity when compressed, here are four new engineering innovations from Australian researchers.
Technological innovations from Australian universities are setting new standards in engineering. Here are the latest innovative developments.
3D-printed cell cages
At Monash, engineers have unveiled a method of 3D printing miniature cages to hold single stem cells in specific shapes.
This three-dimensional process offers more opportunities for researchers to observe how cells change shape and the behaviour of individual cells within their surroundings. This is designed to more accurately emulate the behavior of real human cells.
“Traditional approaches often control cell shape in two dimensions,” said Roshantha Perera, the lead author. “This can introduce artificial polarisation, which is a limitation when looking at natural cell behaviour.
“Our 3D confinement approach allows us to study how shape alone influences cell behaviour in a way that’s closer to what happens inside the body.”
High-density membrane
Researchers at the University of Queensland have developed ultra-thin membranes that can transport ions in fuel cells, batteries and electrolysers to a higher-grade quality than previously.
“Strengthening these membranes … usually means trading off valuable electrochemical qualities, which affects the performance of devices they are used in,” said Dr Zhuyuan Wang of the School of Chemical Engineering. “Our research shows that we don’t need to make that compromise.”
Wang and his colleagues used what they describe as a nanoconfinement polymerisation strategy to ensure that chemical reactions within the membrane are controlled, resulting in nanoscale polymers that develop in an extremely dense fashion, maximising structural integrity.
With a tensile strength twice that of other products and a level of flexibility that means they can be bent 100,000 times over – and still maintain integrity – the membranes “have the potential to improve the efficiency, power output and operational stability of a number of electrochemical devices for decarbonisation”, Wang said.
“The conductivity and selectivity of the new membranes outperform both commercial membranes and those reported in [literature], with an ion exchange capacity nearly 20 per cent higher.”
Read the full study in Nature Synthesis.
Gallium converted into hydrogen
By suspending gallium particles in water and activating them under artificial or sunlight, engineers at the University of Sydney have successfully produced hydrogen molecules in a process they describe as forgoing many of the challenges inherent in other hydrogen production methods.
The gallium reacts with the water to become gallium oxyhydroxide and releases hydrogen.
Professor Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh described the innovation as very commercially competitive, given the team reached a maximum efficiency of 12.9 per cent.
“Silicon-based solar cells started with six per cent in the 1950s and did not pass 10 per cent till the 1990s,” he said. “After we extract hydrogen, the gallium oxyhydroxide can also be reduced back into gallium and reused for future hydrogen production – which we term a circular process.”
Read the full study in Nature Communications.
Power-generating nylon
Nylon has been reengineered at a molecular level by RMIT researchers, producing an industrial-grade material able to generate electricity when placed under compression. The team said the innovation could be deployed in infrastructure, wearables and smart surfaces.
The engineers used high-frequency vibrations while placing the nylon in an electric field. As a result, the nylon’s molecules became more ordered, enabling the nylon to produce an electrical charge when bent, squeezed or tapped.
“This method could power next-generation devices that need to survive real-world stresses – whether that’s wearable tech, sensors or smart surfaces,” said team co-lead Distinguished Professor Leslie Yeo, of the School of Engineering.
The nylon films remain tough yet flexible, according to first author and RMIT PhD researcher Robert Komljenovic.
“The thin-film devices are so robust, you can fold them, stretch them, even run a car over them – and they keep making power. This could mean new ways to charge small devices using compression from the movement of people, machines or vehicles.”
Read the full study in Nature Communications.
For more homegrown innovations, read about “cyborg” beetles equipped with microchip backpacks.
