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 48 matching student topics
Displaying 13–24 of 48 results
Green polymer-inorganic composite materials
Composite materials are widely researched and widely used in applications such as aircraft, automobiles, ships, structural components and even the space industry.There is a need to create new composite materials which are environmentally friendly and do not use fossil fuel based products. Moreover, the properties of the composites need to be improved while at the same time minimising the costs involved.Consequently our research group is working on composite materials which not only include inexpensive inorganic fillers from the mining sector …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
Advanced materials for perovskite solar cells
Solar cells using metal halides perovskite materials to absorb light is one of the most important scientific discoveries. These cells have the potential to provide cost-effective solar electricity in the future. In the last decades, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) demonstrated unprecedented progress towards this goal. This technology holds the world record for energy conversion efficiency and is comparable to commercial crystalline silicon, but at a much lower cost.Currently their instability and use of hazardous solvents and toxic lead are key …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours, Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Growth and characterisation of epitaxial graphene for electronic and sensing applications
The extraordinary properties of graphene, a single sheet of carbon atoms (e.g. monodimensional structure, high conductivity, low-noise characteristics) are expected to be exploited in the next generation of electronic devices and gas sensors. These applications require a perfect control of the growth of graphene layers, and an optimum integration with the processes and materials used in the semiconductor industry.This project aims at studying the growth of graphene obtained by heating crystalline SiC at high temperature in Ar atrmosphere and ultra …
- Study level
- Master of Philosophy, Honours, Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Computational methods for multi-scale structural optimisation
Structural optimisation is a powerful computational methodology for finding high-performing designs for structural components or material architectures. For example, what periodic scaffold would provide the highest possible stiffness for its weight?Solving such a problem computationally requires an understanding of the relevant equations required to model the physical properties of interest, as well as efficient implementation of a range of numerical methods including finite elements, finite differences and optimisation.With recent developments in 3D printing technologies it is now becoming possible to …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours, Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Mathematical Sciences
Advanced electron microscopy for sustainable nanocatalysis
The systematic and detailed characterisation of heterogeneous catalysts is critical for design of effective and stable catalytic materials, since it allows one to understand the correlation between their structure and physicochemical properties.Especially, it is important to monitor the structural evolution of catalytic materials and their active sites in a controllable environment and under realistic reaction conditions.Thus, we propose to use a powerful combination of aberration-corrected high-resolution TEM and in situ TEM experiments which allow us to gain extensive knowledge about …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
The impact of automotive interior materials on user experience in the era of EVs
Materials play a crucial role in shaping people's perceptions, experiences, and emotional responses to the products they encounter. In automotive design, this significance is particularly pronounced within the interior cabin space, especially in the age of sustainability and electric vehicles (EVs).The materials utilised heavily influence how customers and users perceive the value, quality, and emotional aspects of their interactions. While numerous studies have examined the link between interior materials and traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, the advent of EVs …
- Study level
- PhD
- Faculty
- Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice
- School
- School of Design
- Research centre(s)
-
Design Lab
Design material library digital twin
A material library digital twin is a virtual representation of the physical material library we are building in the School of Design soft labs. It contains a comprehensive collection of materials used in various industries. Its purpose is to provide a digital platform that facilitates efficient and effective material selection, exploration, and analysis through integrated search and filtering functionalities, and provides connections to local suppliers and manufacturers.By providing comprehensive information about each material, including its composition, mechanical and thermal properties …
- Study level
- Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice
- School
- School of Design
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, Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Library of material dimensions for design
A physical material library contains a comprehensive collection of materials used in various industries. Existing material libraries offer the opportunity to physically interact with materials and provide information about physical properties that impact design decisions such as manufacture, sustainability, and usability. Our intention is to establish this and more, by also delving into the intangible aspects of the materials selection such as appropriateness for context and culture, and influence on user emotion, preference, and perceptions.This VRES seeks design students to …
- Study level
- Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice
- School
- School of Design
Two dimensional heterostructures on SiC for new electronics
The present electronic technology is approaching the limit to the smallest circuit element achievable, and the future electronic devices will depend critically on the development of novel approaches. Two dimensional materials seem to offer an exciting perspective, and the advent of graphene (a single layer of carbon atoms in a honeycomb structure) sparked a huge interest, but its application to electronics are limited by the absence of a band gap.A new perspective has been open by other 2D materials which …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy, Honours, Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Chemistry and Physics
- Research centre(s)
- Centre for Materials Science
Phase separation and atmospheric water exchange in droplet nuclei
Several PhD positions are available for motivated individuals to investigate phase separation and glassy state formation inside airborne droplet nuclei and its impact on water uptake and loss during atmospheric transport.Marine and continental atmospheric aerosols play an important role in the global climate hydrological cycle while respiratory aerosols released during breathing speech and coughing are responsible for the airborne transmission of human respiratory viral infections such as SARS-CoV-2. These processes can limit the availability of cloud seeding nuclei with implications …
- Study level
- PhD, Master of Philosophy
- Faculty
- Faculty of Science
- School
- School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Computer modelling of water infiltration into soils
This project involves investigations of the process of water infiltration into soils using the computational modeling method (numerical simulation). This problem is very important in agriculture, where an understanding of how water is distributed within the soil after rainfall is essential.
- Study level
- Vacation research experience scheme
- Faculty
- Faculty of Engineering
- School
- School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering
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