Materials Supply
The Materials Node has the skills and facilities necessary to supply advanced materials such as functional organic molecules, ionic liquids, functional polymers, conducting polymers and nanostructured carbons and other 2D materials for a variety of purposes, including:
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Electromaterials: Synthesis of functionalised thiophene and other aromatic monomers, nanostructured inherently conducting polymers (ICPs), ionic liquids, chemically converted graphene (CCG), liquid crystalline graphene oxide (LCGO), edge functionalised graphene (EFG) and other 2D materials such as molybdenum disulphide.
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Energy Conversion: Dyes for solar cells, light harvesting and catalytic porphyrins, polymers for electrodes, improved materials for electrochromic devices, electrochemical actuators, and thermoelectric devices.
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Energy Storage: Ionic liquids, graphene, electrolytes and polymers for batteries, supercapacitors and solar fuel production.
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Bioenginnering for Bionics, Bioploylmer and Bioglass: Bioinks (see below), improved ICPs for biointerfaces, polymers for bionic devices.
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In addition, the Node has extensive experience and capability across a broad range of speciality materials systems and offers a range of materials consultancy services in the design, development and fabrication of novel materials.
The node also has the skills and facilities necessary to supply advanced materials. In recent years, this has included different forms of graphene, specifically and ionic liquids.
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Electrolytes with desired electrochemical and dynamical properties such as high thermal stability and rheology are of great interest and will be driving its use in variety of applications, including energy storage and high-temperature lithium-ion batteries. We can supply high purity pyrrolidinium and imidazolium Ionic Liquid (ILs) electrolyte with bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide(TFSI) and bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (FSI) anions.
Materials Supply: Bioinks Synthesis
Application of wide range of bioinks for 3D bioprinting has gained much attention due to its potential for revolutionising medical practices in the field of medicine/healthcare. Recent research advances have enabled bioprinting of biocompatible materials, cells, and supporting components into complex 3D functional living tissues.
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Bioinks at ANFF Materials
Researchers from the University of Wollongong (UOW)-based ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Sciences (ACES) have had significant success in developing a wide range of bioink formulations suitable for use in 3D bioprinting and to address different clinical conditions.
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Translation of research to large-scale synthesis of the bioinks at Translational Research Initiative for Cell Engineering and Printing (TRICEP) has capabilities to tailor a wide range of bioinks complemented to bespoke biofabrication hardware, allowing users to print structure with or without cells. A wide range of natural biomaterials as such or in combination with other chemically modified biocompatible materials such as alginate, ulvan, hyaluronic acid, agarose, cellulose nanofibrils, chitosan, collagen, gelatin and its chemically modified derivatives have been in regular production at TRICEP. The technology can be scaled up to produce multi-kilogram quantities of these bioinks.
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TRICEP is under the advanced stage of acquiring ISO 13485 certification for bioinks manufacturing. Systems and procedures are in place for the sourcing of starting materials, synthesis, purification, sterilisation and packaging and transportation of the bioinks.
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Examples
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At TRICEP, we have been developing bioinks for bioprinting solutions for a range of clinical challenges starting from cartilage regeneration in the knee through to 3D printed living ears for children born with microtia, and islet cell printing for treating patients with diabetes and more recently bioinks for wound healing applicaitons.
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The use of the bioinks from TRICEP has demonstrated biofabrication solution and to develop clinical treatment of human articular cartilage. In collaboration with St Vincent's Hospital, use of the bioinks formulations have been developed using a handheld device, the Axcelda Pen, to allow in situ additive bioink printing during surgery.
