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 4 matching student topics
Displaying 1–4 of 4 results
Sustainable high performance biocomposites from lignocellulosic biomass for building and automotive applications
Lignocellulosic biomass, such as sugarcane bagasse, is primarily composed of three biopolymers: cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. The combination of these components makes lignocellulosic biomass a natural biocomposite material. This PhD project aims to develop innovative biomass processing strategies to convert lignocellulosic biomass into customized biocomposites for building and automotive applications.
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy
Synthesis of lignocellulose-derived aerogels for thermal energy management
Building thermal insulation plays a critical role in global decarbonisation by directly reducing energy consumption for heating and cooling - two of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the built environment. Aerogel materials offer tremendous potential in insulation applications due to their ultralow thermal conductivity, lightweight nature, and flexible design properties. This PhD project aims to develop high-performance aerogel materials from renewable lignocellulosic biomass for thermal energy management applications.
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy
Synthesis of SiOx/C from lignocellulose for lithium ion battery anode applications
SiOx/C anodes are attracting significant industry interest for lithium-ion battery applications due to their much higher energy density compared to graphite. Currently, SiOx/C anodes are produced on a limited commercial scale using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods. However, the CVD process is costly and unsustainable, limiting the large-scale deployment of SiOx/C in lithium-ion batteries. Lignocellulosic biomass is rich in carbon, and many types also contain silica, making it a promising sustainable feedstock. This PhD project aims to develop low-cost, …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy
Lignocellulose-derived innovative nanomaterials for enhancing (bio)polymer composites
Lignocellulosic biomass, such as sugarcane bagasse and rice husk, is an abundant and low-cost bioresource for producing nanomaterials such as nanocellulose, lignin nanoparticles, and nanosilica. This PhD project aims to develop cost-effective biomass processing strategies to produce innovative nanomaterials with tunable properties from lignocellulosic biomass, enhancing the performance of (bio)polymer composites in different applications.
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy
Contact us
If you have questions about the best options for you, the application process, your research topic, finding a supervisor or anything else, get in touch with us today.