Facilities

Deakin Advanced Characterisation Facility

The Deakin Advanced Characterisation Facility is an open-access facility located within the Institute for Frontier Materials. It provides a unified platform of advanced characterisation capabilities and expertise, including Electron Microscopy, X-ray and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance facilities.

Vision

To be recognised as a world-class centre of advanced characterisation facilities and expertise for frontier materials research.

Mission

• Advanced characterisation service, training, teaching and support
• Collaborative research programs within Deakin and with industry

For more information contact:

Deakin Advanced Characterisation Facility
Dr Ross Marceau

Electron Microscopy Facility
Dr Andrew Sullivan

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility
Dr Luke O’Dell

In-situ X-ray analysis (InSitX)
Dr Peter Lynch

Advanced Fibre/Composite Facility

Carbon Nexus

Carbon Nexus is a purpose-built research facility designed to accommodate the diverse needs of industry.

Located in Geelong, Australia, we have a unique suite of equipment available to researchers and industry.

Carbon Nexus incorporates world-first open access infrastructure designed to manufacture carbon fibres, textile pre-forms and composites for developing new technologies, processes and products.

Our composites capabilities include advanced material characterisation techniques and composites manufacturing processes.

For more information, visit Carbon Nexus

Contact: Professor Russell Varley

Advanced Metals Manufacture Facility

Our suite of equipment to develop lighter and stronger metal alloys includes:

• MELD facility – a breakthrough additive manufacturing technology. For more information contact: Associate Professor Daniel Fabijanic
• 3D roll forming facility – a $1.5 million facility for low volume part manufacture and prototyping. For more information contact: Dr Matthias Weiss

BatTRI-Hub and Energy Storage Facility

BatTRI-Hub

BatTRI-Hub is a prototyping facility that was designed to demonstrate new energy storage technologies at a practical prototype level. With these capabilities we aim to (i) support IFM research outcomes, (ii) translate our research excellence into industry engagement, and (iii) provide expertise and solutions to new and existing industry partners.

BatTRI-Hub is an open access facility. We welcome new partnerships by providing access to our facility and its team of engineers, either through joint research programs or service agreements.

For more information, visit BatTRI-Hub

Contact: Dr Robert Kerr

Infrastructure Testing Facility

IFM leads the Australian Centre for Infrastructure Durability (ACID), which provides an integrated, national platform for industry across the key sectors of oil and gas, mining, transport and structures, defence and aerospace, and water and desalination to connect with leading researchers.

For more information, visit ACID

Contact: A/Professor Will Gates

In the area of corrosion prevention, our facilities include the National Facility for Pipeline Coating Assessment, which provides NATA accredited independent commercial testing for coating manufacturers, suppliers, applicators and pipeline industry end users:

• pre-qualification testing and trials on pipeline coating
• assessment of pipeline coatings and corrosion inhibitors.

For more information, contact: Professor Mike Yongjun Tan

Nanomaterial Manufacture Facility

IFM has a large range of facilities for nanomaterials synthesis and processing, including sputtering system (PVD), plasma-enhanced CVD reactors, fluid-bed reactors, hydrothermal/solvothermal vessel, different types of ball milling systems, anodization system, advanced plasma system, and solid-state reactors (various types of tube and muffle furnaces). In addition, a prototype battery electrode production line, including RHK-furnace with simulator (Noritake, Japan), PQ-N20 ball-mill (Planetary), and thermal spray dryer (B-290, Switzerland) is available to produce large quantity electrode materials for industry scale application.

These facilities are designed to help us create new nanomaterials which will play a role in developing new technologies, such as: i) large scale energy storage, ii) energy saving technologies; iii) efficient heat dissipation technologies; and iv) technologies for environmental protection. These type of technologies will revolutionise industries in energy, aerospace, automobile and electronics.

For more information, contact: Professor Ian (Ying) Chen

Advanced Chemical Synthesis Facility

A fundamental discipline that underwrites a large portion of IFM’s research efforts is that of chemistry. This encompasses the synthesis of new molecules and materials, surface chemical manipulations, polymer processing, and decoration of nanomaterials and membranes.

IFM houses laboratories at our Geelong and Burwood Campuses where these chemistries are routinely conducted. These facilities include standard basic requirements for chemical handling and manipulation such as fumehoods, rotary evaporators and hot plate stirrers. As well, we have many other task specific chemical manipulation apparatus such as potentiostats and batch reactors.

These facilities are essential, both for fabricating new materials at the cutting edge and also to modify materials to impart extraordinary functionality.

These activities include: synthesis of novel molecules; surface modification of metals, carbon fibres, and biopolymers; processing new polymeric materials for high value added applications; battery electrolytes; corrosion suppressing additives, and more. These facilities are essential to the development of new technologies and underpin their fundamental understanding for high impact and translatable research.

For more information, contact:

IFM Enquiries
+61 3 5247 9255
Email IFM