UWS PhD student inventor wins award

Image: Marina Belkina (middle) receiving her award at the CHEMECA 2011 conference

We are proud to announce that PhD student, Marina Belkina has won the David Trimm Award for the best catalysis student paper entitled “Direct low temperature synthesis of carbon nanotubes on Si/SiO2 substrates without using a metal catalyst” at the CHEMECA 2011 conference.

The paper describes a potentially revolutionary new method for the production of carbon nanotubes (CNTSs) at low temperature without metal catalysts. CNTs are one of the most important emerging nanomaterials and this new synthesis method will potentially be able to assist in solving a number of key manufacturing problems.

Marina’s work forms part of a project being conducted under the supervision of Associate Professor Kamali Kannangara and Dr Adriyan Milev. The Carbon Nanotubes project has recently undergone a provisional patent application and we are currently seeking to engage commercial partners to:

- Promote licensing of the patented technology or;
- Engage in collaborative R&D to further develop the technology.

For enquiries, please contact Robert Burnside on 02 9685 9742 or on ip@uws.edu.au

UWS pioneers new carbon nanotube production method

Researchers at the School of Natural Sciences have developed a potentially revolutionary new method for the production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at low temperature without metal catalysts.

CNTs have been touted as one the most important emerging nanomaterials as they have extraordinary properties due to their unique structure: graphene sheets consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms in a honeycomb framework that can be rolled into a tube measuring about a nanometer in diameter. Per unit weight, they are among the strongest and stiffest materials known and are also excellent conductors of electricity and heat. The tiny structures may be used in dozens of applications that touch nearly every industry, including aerospace, electronics, medicine, defense, automotive, energy and construction. While crude CNTs are currently produced en masse for uses such as structural reinforcement, advanced applications such as new printed electronics and energy storage devices require a much more refined version of the material.

Dr Adriyan Milev, Dr Kamali Kannangara and PhD student Marina Belkina have developed a new method for the low temperature and metal catalyst free synthesis of CNTs. The invention will potentially be able to assist in solving a number of key manufacturing problems and has recently undergone a provisional patent application filing.

UWS is seeking to engage with commercial partners to:

· Promote licensing of the patented technology or;

· Engage in collaborative R&D to further develop the technology.

For enquiries, please contact Robert Burnside on 02 9685 9742 or at r.burnside@uws.edu.au