Next generation materials

Led by Professor Baohua Jia, our research into new manufacturing processes aims to work with a wide range of industry partners to gauge the sector’s needs for next generation materials. 

Drawing on our expertise in materials and process science, chemical engineering, manufacturing, photonics and physics, we're developing new material species and functionalities and standards for new materials and processes along the value chain.

Our projects

Graphene-reinforced smart composites

Imagine Intelligent Materials (Imagine) identified graphene as a material that could be used to create smart composites that sense and report real-time dimensional changes in composites. Working with Imagine, we’re utilising our unique expertise in composite manufacturing and sensor technologies to develop graphene-reinforced smart composites. 

Graphene certification

‌In 2017, the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre Projects scheme funded a $943,937 project to develop an Australian graphene characterisation and certification capability. We’re leading this project with four key industry partners: 

• Imagine Intelligent Materials Pty Ltd

• Agilent Technologies Australia (M) Pty Ltd

• Australian Engineering Solutions Pty Ltd

• Duromer Products Pty Ltd.

Graphene is the lightest, strongest and most electrically conductive material known to exist, but to date, unreliable quality and poor manufacturing reproducibility have prevented the development of an industrial graphene market. Producing reliably high-quality graphene in replicable manufacturing circumstances will enable the generation of revolutionary new products across all industry sectors. Certification will enable volume manufacturing of graphene by supporting replicability and quality. It will also connect Australian industry with global advanced manufacturing supply chains that use graphene and the development of Industry 4.0 capability internationally.