QUT offers a diverse range of student topics for Honours, Masters and PhD study. Search to find a topic that interests you or propose your own research topic to a prospective QUT supervisor. You may also ask a prospective supervisor to help you identify or refine a research topic.
Found 34 matching student topics
Displaying 1–12 of 34 results
Multiscale technology assessment of emerging CCUS processes
CO2 capture and utilisation is a promising, emerging climate technology. However, there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding its viability and economic impact. This project will be conducted in collaboration with an industry partner.
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
Advanced materials for redox flow batteries
Grid-scale energy storage for intermittent renewables like solar and wind is an essential element of the transition away from fossil fuel based electricity production. Redox flow batteries have some very interesting characteristics for this stationary storage application:they are safer than other battery typesthe amount of energy stored can typically be scaled up easilythe power and energy of a system are more decoupled compared to lithium and other batteries, making them flexible in their design parameters.Ion exchange membrane and electrode are …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Finite element modelling of 3D auxetic structures
Protection of structures has become a priority for saving lives and preventing structural collapses caused by increased natural or man-made disasters. Most injuries and mortalities in these disasters are caused due to fragmentation of structures, and therefore, structural protection through systems that can absorb more energy and effectively contain the fragments (debris) are needed. Additive manufacturing (such as 3D printing) can be used to develop special geometries called auxetic geometries and composites using sustainable bioplastics which can absorb shock energy …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
High energy absorbing materials and composites for building protection from collision damage
Protection of structures has become a priority for saving lives and preventing structural collapses caused by increased natural or man-made disasters. Most injuries and mortalities in these disasters are caused due to fragmentation of structures, and therefore, structural protection through systems that can absorb more energy and effectively contain the fragments (debris) are needed. Additive manufacturing (such as 3D printing) can be used to develop special geometries called auxetic geometries and composites using sustainable bioplastics which can absorb shock energy …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Sustainable energy transition with system dynamics
The challenge to keep global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels has become even greater due to a continued increase in greenhouse gas emissions (IPCC, 2023). One major challenge is the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy to reduce emissions (Gholami et al., 2016). The share of renewable energy in electricity generation has increased to 28.3%, however, an acceleration of the pace of the transition is required to limit global temperature rise (REN21, 2022).New energy policies are needed to …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
Low cost, long life metal-ion capacitors and supercapacitors for renewable energy storage
Australia boasts rich wind and solar energy resources. To avoid fluctuations placing severe burden on the power grids, a reliable and efficient battery storage is required.The present technology based on lithium-ion batteries suffers from high manufacturing cost, poor safety and short life-span.A new kind of storage devices, metal-ion capacitors (MICs), are expected to overcome the storage and the charging speed of the traditional batteries in the near future, opening new avenues for renewable energy resources. The basic structure of MICs …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
High performance energy storage materials and devices
Energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors, play an increasingly important role in our daily life as a reliable energy supplier. Supercapacitors are a type of energy storage system that possess merits of rapid energy storage and release (high power density) with a cycling lifetime of ten thousand or more. Nevertheless the energy density of conventional electrochemical capacitor is quite low.This project aims to enhance the energy density of supercapacitors without compromising their power density through innovative designing and synthesising electrode …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Centre for Clean Energy Technologies and Practices
Development composite electrode for next generation Li-ion batteries
Australia is rich in lithium battery materials and is poised to be the world leader in sustainable energy storage. The rapid growth in the automobile and energy sector created greater demand for high-performance Li-ion batteries with high energy density. Conventional Li-ion batteries utilise a graphite anode with a limited theoretical capacity. Therefore, we need to develop alternative electrode materials with high energy density and a longer lifespan.Silicon (Si) has received attention owing to its high specific capacity at ambient temperature. …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Safe and non-flammable electrolytes for batteries
Electrolytes play a significant role in determining the performance of energy storage devices. In general, different types of liquid electrolytes have been investigated so far including organic liquids, ionic liquids, and aqueous. Among them, organic liquid electrolytes are highly flammable and volatile, while aqueous electrolytes suffer from a narrow working voltage window. IL liquid showed a promise to circumvent these challenges, however, their practical applications are plagued by the high cost, difficulty in preparation, and toxicity.This project will develop low-cost …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Do people really intend to adopt renewable energies? Exploring the consumer adoption paradox
Consumers generally express positive attitudes towards renewable energies, recognizing system values such as environmental benefits and sustainability advantages (Zhang et al., 2024). However, the actual adoption and use of renewable energy services may not align with their expressed preferences.This paradox stems from various customer value-related barriers, such as high upfront costs, limited awareness, and concerns about reliability or convenience, which hinder widespread consumer adoption of renewable energy solutions (Jridi et al., 2016).In this project, we analyse the consumer adoption paradox …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
-
Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology
Climate justice: analysing eco-equity in the energy market
Climate justice aims at sharing the benefits and burdens of climate change equitably between individuals and communities, regardless of their socioeconomic status, geographic location, or other demographic factors (Upham et al., 2022). Yet, ethnic minority populations are disadvantaged, for example, with rising energy costs and limited access to renewable energy sources, such as African Americans in the United States (Nature Energy Editorial, 2020) or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia (Cain, 2024).In this project, we analyse eco-equity as a …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
-
Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology
Trust in renewable energy
Trust is a complex, multi-dimensional concept that plays an essential role in any context where there is interaction among different parties. Three dimensions are integral for a profound understanding of trusting beliefs: competence, integrity, and benevolence (Mayer et al., 1995). Due to the contingencies and dynamics of the renewable energy transition, trust is a critical factor in communities (Walker et al., 2010).In this project, we investigate the multiple dimensions of trust in the context of renewable energies and provide recommendations …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
- Research centre(s)
-
Centre for Behavioural Economics, Society and Technology
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