Federal Government announces Wollongong's key role in $12 million new Centre of Excellence

Jun 15, 2005

The University of Wollongong will play a pivotal role in a $12 million Australian Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science, announced today by Education, Science and Training Minister, Dr Brendan Nelson.

One of the key aims for the team from UOW, Monash University and the Bionic Ear Institute is to create the electromaterials required for a new generation of bionic ears, artificial muscles, nerve repairs, and the bio-batteries and bio-fuel cells to drive them.

The Director of the new Centre of Excellence, Professor Gordon Wallace, of UOW’s Intelligent Polymer Research Institute said the Centre overall would tackle some of the biggest challenges facing society – enhancing human health, renewable energy and sustainable industries.

“Improvements in all these areas are possible by developing electromaterials with improved efficiency in the generation and transfer of electrical charge,” Professor Wallace said.

By developing new nano (ultra minute) materials and new theories to explain their behaviour, Professor Wallace said the Centre would make advances in:

• The regeneration of damaged nerves (eg in spinal injury) and the development of artificial muscles

• Renewable energy (plastic solar cells, lightweight batteries and electronic textiles) and

• Sustainable industries (recovery of precious metals and new corrosion protection technologies)

University of Wollongong Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gerard Sutton, hailed the announcement as a major coup for UOW.

“It is further evidence of how the University has successfully concentrated its research strengths and is now being clearly acknowledged by the Government and the Australian Research Council,” he said.

Professor Wallace said on the bionics front, the University of Wollongong group would provide materials expertise to produce revolutionary new interfaces for coupling biology and electronics.

He said the combined expertise of Monash University and UOW researchers would enable novel biofuel cell and biobattery concepts that will provide energy to allow improved performance of bionic implants.

The medical application of these new devices will be led by the Bionic Ear Institute, Professor Wallace said.

Plastics will be made so they have nano-features – hairs and tubes and surfaces that allow them to link directly with nerves and other cells in our bodies. Add very low voltages (energy levels already found in our bodies) and these plastics can be engineered to change their properties. For example:

• the surface of the plastic can change from wettable to water repelling

• the plastic can slowly release drugs or growth factors

• the plastic can encourage or discourage cells from sticking to it.

“These smart plastics could transform the performance of the bionic ear,” according to Professor Graeme Clark, Director of the Bionic Ear Institute.

“Our aim is a bionic ear that gives near-normal hearing,” he said. “For that, we need much better connections between the hearing nerves and the electronics.”

“We hope the research team will create a plastic electrode that conducts electrical signals to the nerves, releases a nerve growth factor, and has microscopic features that encourage nerves to link with it.”

“We thank the Minister and the Australian Research Council for their vision in supporting this centre, he said.

Professor Maria Forsyth, of Monash University, said the Monash team would focus on new materials for renewable energy technologies, corrosion protection and the bio-interface.

“Inexpensive, flexible solar cells are a particular goal, as is the development of new corrosion protection coatings for various metals and in particular new light weight alloys. Cutting edge bio-battery and bio-fuel cell technologies would also be developed for both implantable medical as well as everyday domestic applications,” she said.

Funding for the new Centre is for the period 2005-2010.

For further information contact Professor Gordon Wallace on (02) 4221 3127 or 0409 914410 (m); or the UOW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gerard Sutton on (02) 4221 3909. Footage can be taken at the Intelligent Polymer Research Laboratory (contact Dr Peter Innis on 4221 3600).

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128