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An experimental study into the surface properties that optimise the collection of water from humid air.
PHD
Maintaining a stable supply of drinking water in Australia is a continual challenge. In 2006 the Australian mainland was gripped by “the worst drought in 1000 years”, with the once-ferocious Murray River receiving only 5% of its average inflow. Existing technical solutions to water shortages include the building of dam infrastructures, desalination plants, and waste-water recycling plants, methods which are energy intensive, result in water wastage through evaporation, or are potentially environmentally damaging.
Harvesting water directly from the atmosphere is a viable alternative, which could provide an energy-effective and localised method of water capture, especially useful in remote communities where the local humidity is high.
In this PhD project, we aim to optimise the potential for water collection by designing coatings that facilitate both the nucleation of droplets and their roll-off to be collected. The project involves building custom devices to quantify water capture, investigating the physico-chemical principles which underpin water condensation and collection, and designing new water capture devices that optimise the collection process. Part of this research resulted in the incorporation of start-up company Dewpoint Innovation dewpointinnov.com.
The project primarily involves building custom devices for the quantification of water capture, as well as performing experiments using a wide range of surface modification techniques, and surface characterisation techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle goniometry, ellipsometry. The modification of solid surfaces using advanced surface coatings will be performed both in the lab and through external collaborations. Interested students should source their own scholarship, as detailed on the University’s website. This project is particularly suited to students who have experience in building custom equipment and/or with background in physics, mechanical engineering or similar disciplines.
Project Keywords: atmospheric water capture, surface wettability, dewpoint, sustainability
The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 1563