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 28 matching student topics
Displaying 1–12 of 28 results
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
Machine Learning-based pedictive tool for energy storage
The fundamental idea behind the ML approach is to analyze and map the relationships between the physical,chemical, and energy storage properties of materials with their associated output data. This early understanding of the energy storage capabilities through the ML approach helps the material scientists to clearly understand, discover, and optimize the fabrication process to develop highly efficient energy storage systems. It also provides key steps in the device fabrication process omitting excessive experimental stages.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Facilitating Towards Sustainable Electric Vehicles Trading System
The number of Electric Vehicles (EVs) on the road is expected to reach 145 million by 2030. As the number of EVs on the road increases, the demand for energy to charge these vehicles also grows. Traditional charging infrastructure may not meet the increasing energy demands, which may lead to increased waiting time in those charging stations. The EV-EV trading scheme is a promising solution that allows EV owners to access additional energy from nearby EVs. This scheme has attracted …
- Study level
- Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Information Systems
Production of hard carbon for sodium-ion batteries
The transition to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind necessitates efficient and large-scale energy storage solutions. Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have emerged as a viable alternative to lithium-ion batteries for grid-scale storage due to the abundance and low cost of sodium. Hard carbon anodes, derived from biomass, offer a sustainable and effective solution for SIBs, providing a pathway to enhance energy storage capabilities and support renewable energy integration.
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy
Understanding user behaviours of kinetic energy harvesting
Kinetic energy harvesters are used in devices such as wearable fitness trackers and smartwatches to capture energy from human movement to prolong battery life. They are emerging as both an energy source and a means to provide context information for recognizing human physical activities like exercising or walking (Sandhu et al, 2023).Kinetic energy harvesters provide several benefits, including cost reduction associated with battery replacement and maintenance, minimizing electronic waste, and decreasing the carbon footprint related to energy production and disposal. …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- School
- School of Information Systems
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