The

TM

Ian Wark Research InstituteARC Special Research Centre for Particle and Material Interfaces

Annual Report 2008 Experience. The Difference.

VisionAn international magnet for research, The Wark

advances global knowledge and understanding in

interface science and engineering, underpinning

Australian industry through breakthrough science

and technology transfer.

MissionAs a critical member of an elite international

group of colloid and interface science research

organisations, The Wark performs outstanding

research and attracts sponsors, staff and students

from around the globe.

Operating PrinciplesThe activities of The Wark are underpinned by

our guiding principles:

• Strategic Direction. Invest in areas that

build on existing strengths whilst pushing

the research boundaries into emerging areas.

Demonstrate an unswerving commitment to

fundamental research.

• Partnership. Undertake intensive collaboration

with global industry partners to build research

relevance and innovative application.

• Continuous Improvement. Practice

continuous benchmarking with internationally

renowned research organisations.

• Building Research Capacity. Attract world-

class experienced and early career researchers,

as well as PhD students. Support research and

analytical skills with high level technical skills.

• Career Development. Provide enviable

career opportunities, nurture talent, and

reward behaviour that supports an open and

interactive research culture.

Cover: Synchrotron X-ray tomograph of water distribution in a packed bed of 200µm silica spheres. CsCl has been added to the water to enhance adsorption contrast so that only the fluid is visible.

Image courtesy of Dr Ivan Kempson, conducted at the Advanced Photon Source, Chicago, USA.

Contents

Advisory Board Report 2

Director’s Report 3

Management Structure 4

Staff 6

Postgraduate Students 8

Major Research Sponsors 10

Research Funding 11

International Collaboration 12

Research Commercialisation 14

Research Highlights 16

Research Projects 30

Honours and Awards 34

Graduates 36

Seminars 38

Visitors to the Institute 40

Conference Attendance

and Invited Lectures 42

Publications 46

International Collaborators 52

Ian Wark Research InstituteARC Special Research Centre for Particle and Material Interfaces

University of South Australia

Mawson Lakes Campus

Mawson Lakes Blvd

Mawson Lakes South Australia 5095

Australia

T +61 8 8302 3694

F + 61 8 8302 3683

E iwri.enquiries@unisa.edu.au

W www.unisa.edu.au/iwri

CRICOS provider number 00121B

Photography: Sam Noonan

The

TM

02

Advisory Board Report

The Advisory Board commends the fourteenth

Annual Report of the Ian Wark Research Institute

(The Wark™) to the Council of the University of

South Australia.

Mineral processing research is the mainstay of

The Wark; it is pleasing to see growth and clear

direction in biointerfaces research, focussed

by our enabling skills in surface and colloid

science. The infrastructure, including the

buildings, the space available, and the range of

high quality equipment, is of very high standard

and steadily improving. All funding sources are

under pressure, with much uncertainty about

when “normality” will return. Nevertheless,

the Vice Chancellor has taken a direct interest

in the strategic plan through to 2016, and has

provided welcome solutions to two looming

issues – namely, the funding gap between the

cessation of the ARC Special Research Centre

and whatever scheme is to follow; and the

refreshment and replacement of the leadership

team. With this positive approach, a new

strategic relationship with BHP-Billiton, and its

established record for high quality research,

The Wark should weather the current turmoil

satisfactorily.

The funding division in 2008 was Industry

(43.7%), Federal/State Government (29.3%)

and the University (27.0%). The Wark Fund

is now established under the chairmanship of

Antony Simpson, and we hope the opportunity

to fund postgraduate scholarships, for example,

will attract alumni and other parties who have

enjoyed their relationship with The Wark.

The Advisory Board has a long-term, robust and

constructive relationship with the Director, and

congratulates him on his many highly prestigious

awards and invited lectures.

Our warmest congratulations go to the recipient

of the Ian Wark Research Institute Medal for

2008, Dr Jingfang Zhou.

Max Richards AM FTSEChairmanJuly 2009

Director’s Report

03

2008 was a milestone year in many respects. It

represented the fourteenth year of operation

of the Ian Wark Research Institute, The WarkTM.

Highlights include:

• The Wark’s papers for 2000-2008 in physical

chemistry appear predominantly in A* and

A journals and are consistently cited twice

as frequently compared with the national

and world benchmarks. There is a similar

performance in Resources Engineering and

Extractive Metallurgy.

• Funding has been received through the

National Collaborative Research Infrastructure

Strategy (NCRIS) for two new facilities. Both

are now well advanced in construction and

equipment procurement.

Microfluidics and Nano-Fabrication Facility

The South Australian node is located at The

Wark. The $8M facility will play a vital role in

the design and manufacture of microchips for

chemical, biological and clinical applications and

will open in mid 2009.

The work to be performed in this 21st century

laboratory will contribute to smart solutions that

improve environmental outcomes, deliver drugs

more efficiently, and contribute to the evolution

of future clever products, by making many

processes faster, more efficient and cheaper.

Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy

The new South Australian research facility, as

part of the national network, is world-class

in the instrumentation and expertise it offers

researchers, across a broad range of disciplines

with applications in industries such as defence,

health, biotechnology, manufacturing, and

pharmaceuticals. It is due for delivery and

commissioning in mid 2009 and will complement

our existing state-of-the-art facilities.

Materials and Minerals Science Learning and Research Hub

The University of South Australia has

been awarded $40M through the Federal

Government’s Education Investment Fund

(EIF) toward a $73M landmark education and

international research facility at Mawson Lakes,

for which the State Government of South

Australia has also pledged support.

The Materials and Minerals Science Learning

and Research Hub will comprise a dynamic

cluster of linked education and research

activities galvanised by The Wark and Mawson

Institutes, and integrating efforts from UniSA’s

strong School of Mathematics and Statistics. A

Materials and Minerals Science Learning and

Research building will sit at the heart of the

Hub and house state-of-the-art facilities for the

next generation of engineering, materials and

minerals science graduates and researchers.

Architects have been chosen and “M2”, as it is

now known, will be completed in the second half

of 2011.

Our research efforts in colloids and

nanostructures, minerals processing and

biointerfaces continue to blossom. Apart from

the excellent research conducted, the translation

into practice and commercialisation activities are

particularly pleasing. We have now increased

our numbers to 160 staff and students, with 40

different nationalities represented.

New staff include: Michael Bottroff, IT

Officer; Venkata (Ramana) Chimala, Research

Associate in Mineral Processing; Jason Connor,

Senior Research Fellow in Mineral Processing;

Saeed Farrokhpay, Research Fellow in Mineral

Processing; Mahaveer Kurkuri, Research

Associate in Biodiagnostics; Chi Ndi, Research

Associate; Yujie Yang, Research Assistant.

With departures: Leanne Britcher, Senior

Research Fellow; Dom Davda, IT Officer; Maria

Sinche Gonzalez, Research Assistant; Shuhua

He, Research Associate; Peter Murphy, Senior

Research Fellow; Nguyen (Peter) Tran, Research

Associate. Vassili Yaminsky passed away on 13

July 2008, causing great sadness to us all. We

remember him warmly as a friend, colleague and

an unusually perceptive scientist.

Our ARC Special Research Centre funding ceased

at the end of 2008. We are now embarking

upon new research initiatives that will guarantee

a splendid future for The Wark.

The support from the University, our Advisory

Board and Research and Technology Advisory

Committee, along with the wonderful efforts of

our staff, students and colleagues worldwide, is

gratefully acknowledged.

John Ralston AO FAA FTSEDirectorJuly 2009

04

Management Structure

University of South Australia Council

Office of theDeputy Vice-Chancellor

(Researchand Innovation)

AdvisoryBoard

Reseach and Technology

Advisory Committee

DirectorLaureate Professor John Ralston

Executive

Bio and PolymerInterfaces

SectorCo-ordinator

Prof Clive Prestidge

Colloids andNanostructures

SectorCo-ordinator

A/Prof Daniel Fornasiero

Mineral ProcessingSector

Co-ordinatorProf Stephen Grano

Materials andEnvironmentalSurface Science

Sector Co-ordinatorA/Prof Bill Skinner

Scientific ServicesCorporate Services

05

Advisory Board

The Advisory Board convened on two occasions during 2008. Members were:

Dr Max Richards (Chair) Chair, School of Botany Foundation, University of Melbourne

Dr Megan Clark Vice President, Technology, BHP-Billiton Ltd

Dr Matthew Cuthbertson Chief Executive Officer, CRC for Advanced Automotive Technology Ltd

Prof Calum Drummond Chief, CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering

Dr Chris Goodes General Manager Innovation - Recovery, Rio Tinto Technology & Innovation

Prof Tom Healy Particulate Fluids Processing Centre, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of

Melbourne

Dr Brian Hickman (Deputy Chair) Company Director and Past Chief Executive Officer, Amdel Ltd

Dr Rachel Lucas Principal, Heidrick & Struggles Australia

Dr Jim May Former Chief Executive, AMIRA Ltd

Prof Caroline McMillen Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President - Research and Innovation, University of South Australia

Ms Ann Nelson Deputy CEO/Director Bioscience Infrastructure, BioInnovation SA

Mr Joe Pease Chief Executive, Xstrata Technology

Dr Neville Plint Head, Research & Development, Anglo Platinum Ltd

Laureate Prof John Ralston Director, Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia

Dr Leanna Read Managing Director and CEO, TGR BioSciences Pty Ltd

Dr Ray Shaw General Manager Technology Support, Rio Tinto Technology

Mr Antony Simpson Past Chair, Mason & Cox Pty Ltd

Mr Keith Smith Managing Director, Oncaidia Pty Ltd

Ms Madelene Pierce (Executive Officer) Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia

Research and Technology Advisory Committee

The Research and Technology Advisory Committee meets biennially. It convened in February 2007 and will reconvene in May 2009. Prior to the

meetings, members visit the Institute for several days of intensive discussions with staff and students. Members are:

Prof Brian Vincent (Chair) Leverhulme Professor of Physical Chemistry and Director, Bristol Colloid Centre, University of Bristol,

United Kingdom

Dr Terry Blake Surface Science Kodak (retired), United Kingdom

Dr Matthew Cuthbertson Chief Executive Officer, CRC for Advanced Automotive Technology Ltd, Australia

Prof Cyril O’Connor Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Director, Centre for Minerals Research, University of Cape Town,

South Africa

Prof Marcus Textor Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Ms Madelene Pierce (Executive Officer) Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia

Executive

The Executive met on a monthly basis:

Laureate Prof John Ralston (Chair) Director

A/Prof Jonas Addai-Mensah Dean, Research Education

Dr David Beattie Academic Staff Representative

Prof Hans Griesser Deputy Director (Industry)

Mr Craig Hackney Facilities & Information Systems Manager

Prof Roger Horn Deputy Director (Academic)

Mr Paul Luppino Professional Staff Representative

Mr Santanu Ray Postgraduate Student Representative

Mr Philip Moore Manager: Scientific Services

Ms Sandra Ray Operations Manager

A/Prof Bill Skinner Academic Staff Representative

Dr Terry Wilks Institute Manager

Mr Paul Byrne (Executive Officer)

Staff

06

Director Laureate Professor John Ralston, BSc(Hons) MSc DipEd PhD Melbourne DIC London, UK, Dr.h.c Abo Akademi, Finland

Deputy Directors Professor Hans Griesser, DipChem SciTeachingCert PhD ETH Zurich, SwitzerlandProfessor Roger Horn, BSc(Hons) Monash PhD Cambridge, UK

Institute Manager Terry Wilks, BSc(Hons) MSc PhD Newcastle, UK

Research Professors Stephen Grano, BMetEng(Hons) Queensland MAppSc SAIT PhD UniSA Clive Prestidge, BSc(Hons) Loughborough, UK PhD Bristol, UK

Namita Roy Choudhury, BSc(Hons) BTech MTech(Hons) Calcutta, India PhD Kharagpur, India

Associate Research Professors Jonas Addai-Mensah, BEng(Hons) UST, Ghana MSc TIIT, Israel PhD QueenslandDaniel Fornasiero, Maitre es Science Grenoble, France PhD Adelaide

Sunil Kumar, BSc(Hons) MSc(Hons) GNDU, India PhD IIT, Delhi, India William Skinner, BSc Melbourne BAppSc PhD RMIT

Senior Research Fellows David Beattie, BSc(Hons) PhD Edinburgh, UKLeanne Britcher, BAppSc(Hons) PhD UniSAJason Connor, BAppSc(Hons) Central Queensland PhD UniSANaba Dutta, BSc(Hons) BTech Calcutta, India PhD Kharagpur, IndiaDusan Losic, BSc Novi Sad, Serbia PhD FlindersHamid Manouchehri, BSc MSc(Hons) Tehran, Iran PhD Lulea, SwedenPeter Murphy, BSc(Hons) PhD FlindersSatomi Onishi, BSc Tokyo University of Science, Japan MSc Ibaraki, Japan PhD Saitama, JapanRossen Sedev, MSc Sofia, Bulgaria PhD Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria

Research Fellows Igor Ametov, BSc PhD Moscow State, Russia BEng AdelaideTimothy Barnes, BAppSc(Hons) UniSA GradDipEd Adelaide PhD UniSARick Fabretto, BSc(Hons) Flinders BEd PhD UniSASaeed Farrokhpay, BSc MSc Amir Kabir, Iran, PhD UniSAColin Hall, BAppSc(Hons) UniSASarah Harmer, BAppSc(Hons) PhD UniSAIvan Kempson, BAppSc(Hons) PhD UniSAMihail Popescu, MSc Bucharest, Romania PhD Emory, USASpomenka Simovic, BSc MSc Belgrade, Yugoslavia PhD UniSABenjamin Thierry, BEng INP Grenoble, France MSc Montreal, Canada PhD McGill, CanadaCatherine Whitby, BSc(Hons) UNSW PhD MelbourneVassili Yaminsky, DipSc PhD Moscow State, RussiaMassimiliano Zanin, BEng Trieste, Italy PhD Cagliari, Italy

Research Associates Artem Borysenko, MSc Kharkiv State, Ukraine PhD National Academy of Sciences, UkraineVenkata Ramana Chimala, BEng Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, IndiaRenate Fetzer, Dip Physics Ulm, Germany PhD Saarland, GermanySabina Gredelj, BEng(Hons) PhD UniSAShuhua He, BSc MEng University of Science and Technology Beijing, PR China PhD UniSA

Tatiana Khmeleva, MEng Ural Polytechnic, Russia PhD UniSAMarta Krasowska, MSc Maria Curie Sklodowska, Poland PhD Polish Academy of Sciences, PolandMahaveer Kurkuri, BSc Karnatak, India MSc Mysore, India PhD Karnatak, IndiaVera Lockett, MSc Ural State, Russia PhD Russian Academy of Science, RussiaAgnieszka Mierczynska-Vasilev, MSc PhD Lodz, PolandChi Ndi, BSc Buea, Cameroon MSc Leiden, The Netherlands PhD UniSACraig Priest, BAppSc(Hons) PhD UniSARada Pushkarova, BEng Kiev, Ukraine PhD UniSASurya Subianto, BAppSc(Hons) PhD QUTHui Tan, BEng Hunan, PR China DipChemEng, MSc Stellenbosch, South Africa PhD MelbourneSu Nee Tan, BSc Tulane, USA MSc Minnesota, USA PhD UniSANguyen-Duc Tran, BAppSc(Hons) PhD UniSAJingfang Zhou, BSc(Hons) Xiamen, PR China MSc Henan, PR China PhD UniSA

Research Assistants Louie Del Castillo, BSc Unciano Medical College, PhilippinesMaria Sinche Gonzalez, BMetEng San Agustin National University, Peru MEnvMan EADE Business Admin Autonomous School, Spain BAdminSci Inca Garcilazo de la Vega University, Peru MSustainable Use of

Mineral Resources Madrid Polytechnic University, SpainYujie Yang, BSc Hebei Medical University, PR China

Scientific Services Scott Abbott, BAppSc(Hons) PhD UniSAChris Bassell, BAppSc BEng UniSAJohn Denman, BTech BSc(Hons) Flinders PhD UniSALiping Ding, BEng(Hons) MEng Northeastern, PR China PhD QueenslandAleksandr Kaplun, BSc Kiev State, UkrainePhilip Moore, Advanced Chem Plant Operation Poole Tech College, UK, DipOH&S Management NSC, AdelaideRay Newell, BSc MSc UNSW PhD UniSADennis Palms, MSc PhD Johannes-Gutenberg, GermanyMaria Provatas, BSc Flinders BAppSc UniSAKeith Quast, BAppSc MAppSc SAITAndrew Robinson, BAppSc SAITEric Tavenner, BSc Missouri-Rolla, USA MSc Southwest Missouri State, USA PhD QueenslandTosha Tichy, DipAppSc UniSADaniel Weissmann, ScTechCert SAIT

Research and Technology Support Michael Bottroff, Cert IV (Info Tech) TAFEDom Davda, CertHECompStudies Southampton Institute of HE, UK HND Graphic Design Middlesex. UKDarren Faulkner, Fitting & Machining App, Adv Cert Engineering TAFEPeter Gray, Electrical Mechanic App TAFECraig Hackney, ScTechCert SAIT BBus UniSAMarek Jasieniak, BSc(Hons) Cracow, PolandCzeslaw Poprawski, DipMechEng TUW, Poland ScTechCert SAITNicola Sleep, BTech BSc(Hons) FlindersPhilip Souter, Post-trade Certificate TAFE

Administration Paul Byrne, BA(Hons) AdelaideJulie Freytag

Kim Gauci

Tracy Greeneklee, Cert IV Business (Admin) TAFE Cert IV (Info Tech) TAFEChristina Koutlakis

Paul Luppino, AssDipAcc TAFEMadelene Pierce, BA(Hons) FlindersKathryn Prohaska

Sandra Ray, GradDipMgmt MBA UniSABaden Smith, AssDipAdvGraphicDes TAFEMaureen Terry

Paul Wotley, BSc(Hons) AdelaideKerry Zweck, Cert IV Business (Admin) Jobs Statewide

Adjunct Research Professors Dr Terry Blake, Visiting Professor, University of Mons-Hainaut, Belgium and Past Head, Surface Science Kodak, United KingdomDr M Iko Burgar, CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, Victoria, AustraliaDr Bart Follink, Chief of Division, CSIRO Minerals, Victoria, AustraliaProf Ron Martin, Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, CanadaProf Jordan Petrov, Institute of Biophysics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, BulgariaDr Allan Pring, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, AustraliaProf Jarl Rosenholm, Physical Chemistry, Abo Akademi, Turku, Finland

Adjunct Research Associate Professor Dr Nataliya Mishchuk, Institute of Colloid and Water Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine

Adjunct Senior Research Fellows Mr George Levay, Levay & Co Environmental Services, Adelaide, AustraliaDr Marek Zbik, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland, Australia

Adjunct Research Fellows Dr Kristen Bremmell, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Adelaide, AustraliaDr Joan Thomas, Jefferson Lab (The College of William and Mary), Virginia, USADr Gunhild von Oertzen, Consultant in Numerical Modeling and Energy Distribution, Namibia

07

08

Postgraduate Students

Degrees Awarded

Vic Absolon PhD in Applied Science

Gary Hanly PhD in Applied Science

Melanie McGuire PhD in Applied Science

Kinnari Shelat PhD in Applied Science

Yoo Hyun (Daniel) Sung PhD in Applied Science

Jingfang Zhou PhD in Applied Science

PhD Candidates

Nick Absalom BSc(Hons) FlindersRobert Acres BSc(Hons) FlindersFurqan Ahmed MBBS MCPS Sindh Medical College & Jinnah Post-graduate Medical Centre Karachi, Pakistan, MPhil

University of Karachi, PakistanHeramb Bal BEng Pune, India MEng UniSAAudrey Beaussart MEng European School of Materials Science and Engineering Nancy, FranceXun Bian BEng MEng Wuhan University of Technology, PR ChinaSusana Brito E Abreu BEng Licenciado Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, PortugalChiu Ping Chan BSc(Hons) UniSADaniel Chipfunhu BSc(Hons) MSc University of ZimbabweMartin Cole BSc(Hons) Flinders

Left to right: Dr Agnieszka Mierczynska-Vasilev, PhD candidate Ms Audrey Beaussart, Dr David Beattie and PhD candidate Ms Iliana Sedeva

09

Jessica Cook BSc (Hons) UniSALorena Del Castillo BSc MSc University of the PhilippinesBen Demchenko BSc(Hons) UniSA

Terry Dermis BSc(Hons) UniSAIvan Djordjevic BAppSc BSc(Hons) UniSAMariya Foundas BProcessEng(Hons) Moscow State Institute of Food, RussiaJairo Garnica Rodriguez BEng Universidad Nacional de Colombia, MEng MPhil QueenslandNasrin Ghouchi Eskandar BSc(Hons) Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, IranCarlos Gontijo Eng de Ninas Universidade Federal do Minas Gerais, BrazilAravind Govindaraj Kannan BTech, Central Electrochemical Research Institute, IndiaColin Hall BAppSc(Hons) UniSAWendy Harrington BSc(Hons) UniSAMingzhao He MSc Northeastern University, PR China LICEng Lulea, SwedenAllister Henderson BSc(Hons) AdelaideKaryn Jarvis BAppSc BSc(Hons) UniSALi Jiang BSc Ludong, PR China MSc Tianjin University, PR ChinaJessica Kinal BEng(Hons) CurtinHua Li BPhil/BA MPhil Tianjin University, PR ChinaHuixin Li BEng Hebei Chemical Engineering Institute, PR ChinaSundar Mayavan BTech Central Electrochemical Research Institute, India, MSc Anna, IndiaMayur Mistry BAppSc BSc(Hons) UniSASolomon Muganda BSc(Hons) University of ZimbabweAtaollah Nosrati BSc Petroleum University of Technology, Iran MSc Tarbiat Modarres University, IranMatthew Oaten BAppSc(Hons) UniSAMani Paneru MTech IIT Bombay, IndiaSrinivas Parimi BSc Andhra, India MSc GriffithLuke Parkinson BSc Adelaide BSc(Hons) QueenslandAnuttam Patra BSc(Hons) Calcutta, India MSc IIS Bangalore, IndiaThiru Ponnusamy Meenakshisundaram BEng(Hons) Regional Engineering College Trichy, India, MAppSc UniSALee San Puah BEng(Hons) University of Science, MalaysiaGujie Qian BEng Tongji University, PR China, MEng East China University of Science & Technology, PR ChinaAndry (Laza) Randriamanjatosoa BEng Polytechnic University of Antananarivo, Madagascar MSc Tuebingen, GermanySantanu Ray BSc MSc Jadavpur, IndiaEvgueni Resnianski BSc MSc Novosibirsk State, RussiaIliana Sedeva MSc Sofia, Bulgaria GradDipEd AdelaideYunyu Shi BChemEng East China University of Science and Technology, PR China, MChemEng AdelaideSin Ying Tan BEng(Hons) CurtinSandra Thompson BAppSc(Hons) UniSADiana Tran BChemEng(Hons) AdelaideMy Yung Truong BEng AdelaideMohanraj Vellore Janarthanan BPharm JSS College of Pharmacy, India MPharm CurtinFeng Wang BMed Guangxi College of TC Medicine, PR China MSc Waikato, New ZealandWenbo Wang BMinProc Southern Institute of Metallurgy, PR China, MSc University of Science and Technology Beijing,

PR ChinaDanfeng Xu BSc Northeastern, PR China MSc Tianjin, PR ChinaDie Yang BEng Anhui University, PR China, MSc University of Science & Technology, PR ChinaXiangfei Ye BEng Tianjin, PR China MSc Nanyang, Singapore/Technical University of Munich, GermanyKai Ying Yeap BChemEng(Hons) AdelaideHardi Ys BSc Syiah Kuala, Indonesia MSc Andalas, IndonesiaYang Yu BSc Nankai University, PR China MSc Tianjin University, PR ChinaLin Zhou BChemEng Daqing Petroleum Institute, PR China MSc Tianjin University, PR China

MAppSc Candidates

Joseph Chan BSc(Hons) FlindersLachlan Hyde BSc (Hons) FlindersDjoko Julianto BEng Institute of Technology Bandung, IndonesiaJoseph Putubu BSc Papua New Guinea

Major Research Sponsors

10

Amdel Ltd

AMIRA International Ltd

Anglo Platinum Ltd

Australia-India Strategic Research Fund

– Australian Government

Australian Antarctic Program

– Australian Government

Australian Research Council

BHP Billiton Ltd

BHP Billiton Nickel West Ltd

BHP Billiton (Olympic Dam Corporation) Pty Ltd

BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance

Boliden Minerals AB

Cancer Council of South Australia

Carl Zeiss Vision Australia

COREM

CP Kelco Oy

CRC for Advanced Automotive Technology

CRC for Polymers

CSIRO Minerals

CSIRO Petroleum

Cytec Australia Holdings Pty Ltd

Department of Primary Industries & Resources

- South Australian Government

Fermiscan Ltd

Freeport-McMoRan Mining Company

Intellection Pty Ltd

ITEK Pty Ltd

Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre

LabTech Systems Ltd

Lundin Mining Corporation

Magotteaux Australia Pty Ltd

MHE Technologies Ltd

National Collaborative Research Infrastructure

Strategy – Australian Government

National Health and Medical Research Council

– Australian Government

Newcrest Resources Inc

Norilsk Process Technology Pty Ltd

Nyrstar

Ok Tedi Mining Ltd

Orica Australia Pty Ltd

Outotec

OZ Minerals Ltd

Penford Australia Ltd

Phelps Dodge Mining Company

Premier’s Science & Research Fund

– South Australian Government

pSivida Ltd

Rio Tinto Kennecott Utah Copper

Rio Tinto Ltd

Starpharma Holdings Ltd

Talison Minerals Pty Ltd

Teck Cominco Ltd

Tiwest Joint Venture

Vale Inco Ltd

Visiocorp Australia Pty Ltd

Xstrata Copper

Xstrata Technology

ZBB Technologies Ltd

Left to right: Sector Coordinators - Prof Stephen Grano, A/Prof Daniel Fornasiero, Prof Clive Prestidge and A/Prof Bill Skinner

Research Funding

11

16, 000, 000

14,000, 000

12,000, 000

10,000, 000

8,000, 000

6,000, 000

4,000, 000

2,000, 000

01997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Funding Division - 2008

Federal/State Government

29.3%

University of South

Australia

27.0%

Industry

43.7%

Operating Revenue for the Period 1997 - 2008

12

International Collaboration

The Wark has formal partnerships and

agreements with institutions in 11 countries to

promote international cooperation in research

and research education. During 2008, our

collaborative activities focused on five highly

prestigious institutions.

Max Planck Institute for Metals Research, Stuttgart, GermanyCollaborative activities in the area of physical and interfacial chemistry, in particular the wetting of structured surfaces and solid-liquid interfaces.

Prof Siegfried Dietrich, Director of Research at

the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research

(MPI-MR), visited The Wark for one week in mid-

February. This was concurrent with a four-week

visit by his colleagues, Dr Andrea Gambassi, Dr

Markus Rauscher and Dr Mykola Taskinkevych,

and a former member of his department, A/Prof

Alvaro Dominguez (presently at the University of

Seville).

During the visit:

• A series of seminars was given by the visitors,

followed by several small group sessions in

which a number of questions of common

interest were identified.

• Existing collaborative work with Dr Mihail

Popescu continued - self-propelling by

diffusiophoresis; trapping of interacting

brownian particles at a fluid-fluid interface;

transport of colloid-polymer solutions in

narrow channels.

• Opportunities for additional collaborative

projects were identified in the area of

dynamic wetting phenomena, with the

intention of submitting several new research

proposals in 2009.

As a follow-up, Dr Marta Krasowska and Dr

Renate Fetzer visited the MPI-MR in the winter

of 2008, and three joint publications are in

preparation.

Mr Markus Mezger, a PhD student jointly

supervised by Prof Harald Reichert and Laureate

Prof John Ralston, graduated from MPI-MR in

2008. Ms Monica Marinescu, an MSc student,

participated in our International Visiting Student

Traineeship Program from 13 August to 19

December.

The Wark’s formal partnership and collaborative

activities with the MPI-MR provided the impetus

for Prof Peter Høj, Vice Chancellor and President

of the University of South Australia, to meet with

Prof Joachim Spatz, Managing Director, and Prof

Siegfried Dietrich during a visit to Europe in July

2008.

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, IndiaCollaborative activities in the area of physical chemistry, surface engineering, nanotribology.

The Wark and the Indian Institute of Science

(IISc) in Bangalore together hold an international

collaborative grant “Fluid Flow and Lubrication

at the Nanometre Scale” under the Australia-

India Strategic Research Fund. This bilateral fund

is co-sponsored by the Australian Government

through the Department of Innovation, Industry,

Science and Research and the Indian Government

through its Department of Science and

Technology.

One of the activities sponsored under this grant

is a series of workshops held jointly between the

two institutions, allowing the researchers with

an interest in the project to meet and discuss

research directions and results. The first of

these was held in Adelaide on 22-24 October,

under the title “Microfluidic Design and Device

Fabrication”.

Three of our collaborators from the IISc, Dr

Ganapathy Ayappa, Dr Sanjay Biswas and Dr

Raghuraman Govardhan, attended the workshop

and a further 21 researchers (including 7 PhD

students) attended from The Wark. One visiting

scientist from The Netherlands also attended.

On the first day of the workshop, 11

presentations were made, 3 from the IISc and 8

from The Wark, with time allowed for discussion

after the talks. Further discussions amongst the

participants, and in particular the nominated

researchers on the project, were held on the

second and third days. Presentations made

on 22 October included overviews of recent

research in friction, microfluidic flow, molecular

and mathematical modelling, wetting, flow in

capillaries and porous media, and a look ahead

to the microfluidic fabrication facilities under

development at The Wark.

A reciprocal visit to the IISc in Bangalore was

undertaken by Prof Roger Horn in November

2008.

13

Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, JapanCollaborative activities in the area of physical chemistry and interfacial physics. Laureate Prof John Ralston is the only Australian Fellow of the Graduate School of Engineering.

Laureate Prof John Ralston and Ms Sandra

Ray visited the University of Tokyo from 29

September - 1 October. The purpose of the

visit was to further collaboration between the

two institutions, particularly in relation to staff

and student exchange. Existing collaboration

facilitated the establishment of a key laboratory

in microfluidics, under the Australian NCRIS

Nanofabrication banner. This establishes The

Wark as a national focus in the area and involves

a joint laboratory with the University of Tokyo. A

joint publication and a patent application were

produced during 2008.

A reciprocal visit by five staff and two students

from the University of Tokyo was undertaken

from 21-24 November, including an Australia-

Japan Joint Seminar Program. This visit was led

by Prof Takehiko Kitamori. The other participants

were Dr Arata Aota, Dr Kasuma Mawata, Mr

Kyojiro Morikawa, Mr Hisashi Shimizu, A/Prof Yo

Tanaka and A/Prof Manabu Tokeshi.

Materials Research Center, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich, SwitzerlandCollaborative activities in the area of biomaterials.

The long-standing collaboration between Prof

Marcus Textor, from the Laboratory for Surface

Science and Technology, and Prof Hans Griesser

has continued with the exchange of student

visits and collaborative research activities. This

has again led to joint publications. Prof Textor

also makes a significant contribution to The

Wark through membership of our Research and

Technology Advisory Committee.

Dr Lucy Clasohm and Dr Jarred Clasohm,

graduates of The Wark in 2005 and 2007

respectively, are employed as Postdoctoral Fellows

in the Department of Materials Science.

Mr Michael Müller, a BSc student from the

Department of Materials Science, participated

in our International Visiting Student Traineeship

Program from 4 August to 4 December. His

research project was titled “Fabrication of

conducting polymer electrochromic cell proto-

types”.

Tianjin University, PR ChinaCollaborative activities in the areas of chemical engineering, environmental science and engineering, material science and engineering. Laureate Prof John Ralston is an Honorary Professor of Tianjin University.

A delegation from The Wark visited Tianjin

University from 17-23 September. The visit was

intended to continue discussions on a whole of

life relationship between the two institutions,

including collaborative research proposals,

exchange of staff and students, and possibly joint

PhD programs (a longer term goal).

An Australia-China International Workshop was

held, involving presentations by eight Wark staff

– A/Prof Jonas Addai-Mensah, A/Prof Daniel

Fornasiero, Prof Roger Horn, A/Prof Sunil Kumar,

Laureate Prof John Ralston, Prof Namita Roy

Choudhury, Dr Rossen Sedev and Dr Benjamin

Thierry. Four staff from Tianjin University also

gave presentations – Prof Xiwen Du, Prof Yali Li,

Prof Wenguang Liu and Prof Conghua Lu.

Six graduates from Tianjin University are currently

enrolled in PhD programs in The Wark and more

are anticipated.

Left to right: PhD candidates - Mr Gujie Qian, Ms Li Jiang, Mr Lin Zhou, Ms Danfeng Xu and Mr Xiangfei Ye

Research Commercialisation

ITEK, the commercialisation arm of the University

of South Australia, is working closely with

The Wark in relation to commercialisation

opportunities. The accompanying table lists

technologies/patents which are in various

stages of development and these highlights are

discussed by way of examples.

LipoCeramic™ Technologies: Drug Delivery Breakthrough in the Pharmaceutical Industry

This is an innovative drug delivery technology

with huge potential for worldwide sales.

Led by Professor Clive Prestidge, a research

team has developed a unique mechanism for

administering poorly soluble drugs to patients.

Called LipoCeramic™ Technologies, the drug

delivery system increases the body’s ability to

absorb poorly soluble drugs. This bioavailability

is increased by administering the drug in a

nanoparticle-coated capsule with a matrix

structure that provides a much larger surface area

than traditional tablets.

Poorly soluble drugs comprise about 40 per cent

of formulations produced by the multi-billion-

dollar global pharmaceutical industry. Increasing

the absorption rate of these drugs represents a

huge commercial opportunity through reviving

previously abandoned drug formulations,

re-inventing end-of-life products into new

formulations and improving the viability of new

product lines.

ITEK has assisted the research team to gain

funding and investment of nearly $1M to take

the innovative drug delivery technology from

concept to a viable commercial opportunity, and

to establish patent protection via four patent

‘families’. The focus now is on opportunities in

the global pharmaceutical market and developing

a commercialisation strategy, and identifying a

guaranteed accurate regulatory pathway for this

technology.

Microfluidic Mineral Separation

Led by Laureate Professor John Ralston, The

Wark has been funded, under the National

Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy

(NCRIS), as the South Australian node of

the Australian National Fabrication Facility

(ANFF), and has established a new facility

unique to Australia, specializing in the design,

fabrication and development of microchips and

nanostructures for micro- and nanofluidics. Total

capital investment exceeds $8M.

An example of the application of this technology

is microfluidic solvent extraction, which is

traditionally employed in high-value, low-volume

separations for analytical applications. However,

microfluidics is equally suited to intensify

industrial processes, such as mineral processing

where larger samples must be processed at

high rates and with maximal product yields.

Microfluidic solvent extraction is advantageous

as it offers a smaller footprint, a closed system

with no moving parts contacting the fluids, the

possibility to use smaller volumes of solvents,

negligible evaporation, better control over

aggressive or hazardous substances, and easier

recycling.

ITEK has been involved in the ongoing

development of the patent strategy, and

commercial and industry validation.

Antimicrobial Coatings

A platform technology based on antimicrobial

coatings has been developed by researchers

from The Wark (Professor Hans Griesser) and

the Sansom Institute (Dr Susan Semple). The

significance of this project relates to the

enormous medical problems and costs that

bacterial infections associated with implants

and biomedical devices cause. A solution to

the problem will bring quality-of-life benefits to

patients, cost benefits to the health system, and

commercial benefits to the manufacturer(s) of

antibacterially coated biomedical devices. This

technology platform hinges on novel antibacterial

compounds that have been recently extracted

and identified from Australian plants of the

genus Eremophila. These compounds will be

coated, by staff employed under an NHMRC

Development Grant, as thin layers first onto

model materials used for biomedical device

fabrication and then onto real-life biomedical

products, and evaluated for their ability to deter

colonization by several biofilm-forming human

pathogenic bacteria. Initial data have shown that

such coatings can prevent the settlement from

suspension of the human pathogen bacterium

Staphylococcus epidermidis; the work now needs

to advance to more sophisticated bacteriological

tests, and to pre-clinical safety testing and studies

of antibacterial mechanism of action.

ITEK has assisted the team to raise funds

via an NHMRC Development grant, and a

Commercial Development Initiative grant from

BioInnovationSA, and has conducted extensive

market research in the area and supported patent

protection of the technology, which is currently

in PCT phase. Legal support was also provided

to Professor Griesser who secured additional

funding from, and a license to, an orthopaedics

company. ITEK expects to engage in further

industry development and validation once the

current research milestones are complete.

14

Patents List 2000-2008

Patent Title PatentType Country PatentAppNo Status

Bioactive Coating of Biomedical Implants PCT PCT/AU2005/000055 Filed

Bioactive Coating of Biomedical Implants Provisional Australia 2004900202 Filed

Bioactive Coating of Biomedical Implants Regional United States of America 10/586,261 Filed

Bioactive Coating of Biomedical Implants Regional Australia 2005204981 Filed

Bioactive Coating of Biomedical implants Regional Europe 05 700 087.9 Filed

Dried Formulations Of Nanoparticle-Coated Capsules PCT PCT/AU2006/000771 Filed

Nanoparticle-coated Capsule Formulation for Dermal Drug Delivery PCT PCT/AU2008/000555 Filed

Capsule Formation by Nanoparticles Provisional Australia 2005902937 Filed

Nanoparticle-Coated Capsule Formulation for Dermal Drug Delivery Provisional Australia 2007902112 Filed

Dried Formulations of Nanoparticle-coated Capsules Regional Europe 06741188.4 Filed

Dried Formulations of Nanoparticle-coated Capsules Regional Canada 2608226 Filed

Dried Formulations of Nanoparticle-coated Capsules Regional Australia 2006255477 Filed

Dried Formulations of Nanoparticle-coated Capsules Regional Japan 2008-514997 Filed

Dried Formulations of Nanoparticle-coated Capsules Regional United States of America 11/916570 Filed

Craze Resistant Plastic Substate and Method of Production PCT Australia PCT/AU/2005/001874 Filed

Craze Resistant Plastic Substate and Method of Production Provisional Australia 2004907060 Filed

Craze resistant plastic article and method of production Regional Australia 2005316191 Filed

Craze resistant plastic article and method of production Regional Europe 05815896.5 Filed

Improved catalytic electrode coating Provisional Australia 2007903308 Filed

Patterned Plasma Surface Modifications Provisional Australia 2006902825 Filed

Photoresponsive surfaces Regional United States of America 6800370 Granted

Drug Release From Nanoparticle-Coated Capsules PCT Australia PCT/AU2007/000602 Filed

Drug Release From Nanoparticle-Coated Capsules Provisional Australia 2006902311 Filed

Drug Release From Nanoparticle-Coated Capsules (2) Provisional Australia 2006906840 Filed

Nanoparticle-coated Capsule Formulation for Treatment of Inflammation Provisional United States of America 61/046,539 Filed

Drug Release from Nanoparticle-Coated Capsules Regional Australia 2007247770 Filed

Drug Release from Nanoparticle-Coated Capsules Regional Japan 2009-508053 Filed

Patterned plasma Surface Provisional Australia 2004902642 Filed

Antimicrobial Surfaces Provisional United States of America 61/024325 Filed

Agents and Methods for Photodynamic and/or Photothermal Therapy Provisional Australia 2008904042 Filed

Bubble Generation Apparatus Provisional Australia 2008905161 Filed

Extraction Apparatus and Processes Provisional Australia 2008904363 Filed

Electrowetting Cells and Devices Provisional Australia 2008903526 Filed

Formation of nanoporous materials Provisional Australia 2008906329 Filed

Active Polymeric Films Provisional Australia 2008906500 Filed

15

16

Research Highlights

AMIRA P260 20th Anniversary

Since its commencement in April 1988, the

AMIRA P260 series of projects has made a

significant contribution to the efficiency of

mineral sulphide flotation worldwide. In doing

so, it has improved fundamental understanding

of the flotation process across a range of

areas including the impact of the grinding

environment, of oxidation, particle size,

hydrophobicity, energy inputs and the role of

a range of materials in acting as depressants.

Importantly for sponsoring companies, it has

addressed problems related to site-specific ore

characteristics on at least twenty sites world-

wide.

In 2007, an evaluation study of the P260 series

of projects was conducted by RMDSTEM Ltd, a

specialist management consulting group with

capabilities in the evaluation of research and

development predominately in the resources

sector. Results show a return to industry of

better than 20:1 for each dollar invested.

The Wark has been personally involved in this

project since its inception, firstly through Prof

John Ralston, who wrote the original proposal,

and now through Prof Stephen Grano who heads

the current project team of Dr Igor Ametov,

Dr Saeed Farrokhpay, A/Prof Daniel Fornasiero,

Dr Sabina Gredelj, Dr Hamid Manouchehri, Mr

Czeslaw Poprawski, A/Prof Bill Skinner and Dr

Max Zanin. Student researchers have also played

a key role and thus far, the P260 series of projects

has produced 14 PhD and 5 Masters graduates.

In order to celebrate this milestone event, a

20th anniversary dinner was held in Adelaide on

28 May for both past and present researchers,

students and industry representatives. Keynote

speakers for the evening included Dr Paul

Greenhill and Mr Bruce Fraser, AMIRA P260

Research Directors, Mr Greg Lane of the former

Aberfoyle Resources Ltd, one of the original

sponsor companies, Laureate Prof John Ralston,

Director of The Wark and Prof Peter Høj, Vice

Chancellor and President of UniSA.

Left to right: Past and present P260 researchers - Mr Michael Pietrobon, Mr Grant Small, A/Prof Daniel Fornasiero, A/Prof Bill Skinner, Laureate Prof John Ralston, Mr George Levay (Levay and Co Environmental Services), Prof Stephen Grano and Prof Roger Smart

Left to right: Present P260 PhD candidates - Mr Daniel Chipfunhu, Mr Xiangfei Ye, Ms Danfeng Xu, Mr Yunyu Shi, Mr Wenbo Wang, Mr Solomon Muganda, Ms Susana Brito E Abreu and Mr Lin Zhou

17

Final Findings in the Phar Lap Arsenic Mystery

Further to findings released in October 2006

which concluded that two sources of arsenic

were present in hair samples obtained from

Phar Lap, Dr Ivan Kempson from The Wark and

Mr Dermot Henry, Manager of Natural Science

Collections at Museum Victoria, were able to

determine that it was possible to distinguish

between arsenic which had been digested and

arsenic which had been used in the taxidermy

process. These findings, released in June, have

proven that Phar Lap, one of Australia’s most

successful racehorses, ingested a large dose of

arsenic 30 to 40 hours prior to his death.

Hair samples from horses preserved using arsenic

were obtained from the National Museum of

Scotland and along with taxidermied mammals

from Museum Victoria, samples were analysed

at the Advanced Photon Source synchrotron in

Chicago. Using the intense x-rays generated

by the synchrotron, it is possible to detect low

concentrations of metals in very small samples

and this allows for detailed chemical mapping on

a nanometre scale. Through this analysis, it was

determined that it was possible to distinguish

between the two forms of arsenic.

2007 Ian Wark Research Institute Medal PresentationDr Jarred Clasohm

My first contact with the Ian Wark Research

Institute came in 2002 while I was carrying out

an Honours degree at the University of South

Australia. My research project that year was

undertaken at The Wark, working under the

supervision of Professor Roger Horn. It was

my first taste of real scientific research and

although the project was challenging, I found

the experience highly rewarding. I came back

the following year to begin a PhD, again working

with Professor Horn.

One of the things that attracted me to The

Wark was the high quality of the research being

conducted, and because of the large community

of staff and student researchers with projects

spread across the diverse fields of materials,

surface and colloid science, I had the opportunity

to also learn about topics not directly related to

my own project. I am grateful for the excellent

supervision of Professor Horn who was always

available to answer my questions and provide

helpful advice and who also gave me the

freedom that was necessary for my development

as an independent researcher. I am now working

at the Swiss Federal Technical University (ETH)

in Zurich and I am thankful that I had the

opportunity to complete my PhD at The Wark – a

great preparation for a career in science.

Courtesy of the Herald-Sun

Dr Jarred Clasohm and Laureate Professor John Ralston

XXIV International Mineral Processing Congress

Seven staff from The Wark attended the XXIV

International Mineral Processing Congress, held

in Beijing, PR China from 24-28 September.

The Congress was attended by 850 delegates

representing 45 countries.

Laureate Prof John Ralston was invited to

present a plenary lecture titled “Extreme

Flotation: How Particle Size, Contact Angle and

Hydrodynamics Influence Flotation Limits”. Dr

Jonas Addai-Mensah, Dr Igor Ametov, A/Prof

Daniel Fornasiero (pictured above) and Dr Hamid

Manouchehri also presented papers.

The accompanying exhibition was represented

by 56 companies, including two booths for

The Wark and the Australian Mineral Science

Research Institute (AMSRI), managed by Ms

Sandra Ray and Dr Terry Wilks respectively. It is

estimated that up to 500 delegates visited the

two booths.

Laureate Prof John Ralston will lead the Technical

Program Committee for the XXV International

Mineral Processing Congress to be held in

Brisbane, Australia from 6-10 September 2010.

The Wark has already joined as an IMPC 2010

sponsor.

Publication in Science

Laureate Prof John Ralston was co-author of an

article in the very prestigious journal Science:

Markus Mezger, Heiko Schröder, Harald Reichert,

Sebastian Schramm, John S Okasinki, Sebastian

Schöder, Veijo Honkimäki, Moshe Deutsch,

Benjamin M Ocko, John Ralston, Michael

Rohwerder, Martin Stratmann, Helmut Dosch,

‘Molecular Layering of Fluorinated Ionic Liquids

at a Charged Sapphire (0001) Surface’, Science,

322, 424-428, (1095-9203), 2008.

Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) are

promising candidates for a broad range of

“green” applications, for which their interaction

with solid surfaces plays a crucial role. In

this high-energy x-ray reflectivity study, the

temperature-dependent structures of three ionic

liquids with the tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluoropho

sphate anion in contact with a charged sapphire

substrate were investigated with submolecular

resolution. All three RTILs show strong interfacial

layering, starting with a cation layer at the

substrate and decaying exponentially into the

bulk liquid. The observed decay length and

layering period point to an interfacial ordering

mechanism, akin to the charge inversion effect,

which is suggested to originate from strong

correlations between the unscreened ions. The

observed layering is expected to be a generic

feature of RTILs at charged interfaces.

18

Research Partnership with BHP Billiton Olympic Dam Operations, South Australia

BHP Billiton is a major research sponsor of The

Wark, participating in a broad range of projects -

including multi-partner collaborative projects via

AMIRA International - and is a major sponsor of

the Australian Mineral Science Research Institute

(AMSRI). BHP Billiton has also contributed to

significant large capital equipment purchases,

such as our quantitative mineralogy, and mini

pilot plant. They have also had a representative

on The Wark’s Advisory Board for many years.

As a result of recent developments and expansion

plans at BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam Operations

in South Australia, the company has chosen

The Wark as a select research provider over the

next five years. For this purpose, and in order to

retain the highly specialised minerals processing

staff and expertise which will be required within

The Wark, BHP Billiton has entered into a five

year contract, based on an Umbrella Agreement,

that will provide $500K per financial year

(July-June) in support of the research project. It

is anticipated this investment will exceed the

minimum guarantee, as the various projects

come on stream. The work is directed at

enhancing existing operations, and developing

mineral processing technologies in relation to the

planned Olympic Dam expansion.

New Record for Publications

In 2008, The Wark produced a total of 104

publications:

• Book Chapters (B) 5

• Refereed Journal Articles (C1) 74

• Refereed Conference Papers (E1) 25

This total is higher than our previous record set in

2006 for 100 publications (1+72+27).

Using both the final (PCE cluster) and draft

ARC ranking lists, we were able to rank 67 C1

publications (no ARC ranking is yet available for

the remaining 7 C1 publications). In terms of

the ranking categories, the break-up of these 67,

including percentage values, is:

• A* (top 5%) 25 (37.3%)

• A (the next 15%) 19 (28.4%)

• B (the next 30%) 14 (20.9%

• C (bottom 50%) 9 (13.4%)

Therefore, over 65% of our 2008 publications

appeared in the top 20% of the research outlets.

The Wark’s papers for 2000-2008 in physical chemistry are consistently cited twice as frequently compared to the national and world benchmarks, with a similar performance in resources engineering and extractive metallurgy.

19

Photo courtesy of BHPB Billiton

20

Bio and Polymer InterfacesSector Coordinator: Prof Clive Prestidge

Research Themes• Bio-interface science

• Smart surfaces for biomaterial applications

• Nanostructured colloids for therapeutics

delivery and biodiagnostic applications

• Polymer interfaces.

New Research ProjectsTwo new national competitive grants were

awarded in the areas of bioactive surfaces and

biodelivery:

• NH&MRC development grant, “Development

and Evaluation of Novel Antibacterial Coatings

for the Prevention of Infection of Biomedical

Implants and Devices”, Prof Hans Griesser

in collaboration with Dr S. Semple (Sansom

Institute) and Prof M. Perkins (Flinders

University). (Total funding: $332,000)

• NH&MRC development grant, “LipoceramicTM

Technologies: A Solution to the Low and

Variable Bioavailability of Poorly Soluble

Drugs”, Prof Clive Prestidge in collaboration

with Dr B. Boyd (Monash University) and Dr

A. Davey (Sansom Institute). (Total funding:

$246,000)

New collaborative projects with industry have

commenced, eg ARC Linkage project with Citech

Holdings Ltd, “Novel Biodiagnostic Platforms for

Human Metabolites”, Prof Clive Prestidge, Prof

Hans Griesser and Dr T. Vaithianathan (Mawson

Institute). (Total funding: $695,000)

A number of new collaborative projects with

academia have commenced, eg The Cancer

Australia and Prostate Cancer Foundation of

Australia project, “Preclinical Evaluation of Novel

Prostate-Targeted Nanoparticles for Imaging

Primary and Metastatic Prostate Cancer”. Dr

Benjamin Thierry in collaboration with Prof P.

Russell, B.J. Walsh, J. Bucci, P. de Souza and A.

Khatri (University of Sydney). (Total funding:

$590,000)

Staff and StudentsDr Spomenka Simovic was awarded the

University of South Australia’s Hypatia Fellowship

for Women (funded for 3 years) enabling her

to continue her research on nanostructured

materials for drug delivery.

Dr Mahaveer Kurkuri joined the project team

working on the ARC Discovery grant “Advanced

Nanostructured Biointerfaces for Cell Capture:

Mechanistic Understanding of Binding Events

to the Development of a New Generation of

Biodiagnostic Tools”.

There are currently more than 15 PhD students

working on sector related projects. Kinnari

Shelat completed a PhD thesis on “Tailoring

Polymer Blends and Nanocomposites to Tune the

Barrier Properties”.

A/Prof Sunil Kumar was appointed to the

editorial board of the Journal of the Australian

Ceramic Society. Prof Clive Prestidge was

appointed as an editor to the Journal of

Biomedical Nanotechnology and joined the

international advisory board of the Journal of

Liposome Research.

Research Outcomes and New DirectionsSector related publications increased significantly

in 2008. Approximately 30 fully refereed journal

articles and 4 book chapters were published

across the following areas:

21

• Functional colloids and nanoparticles of

therapeutic delivery and diagnostics, eg

porous silica and silicon particles, metals

nanoparticles, dendrimers, DNA-lipid

complexes and colloidosomes

• Novel surface functionalisation of inorganic

and polymeric materials for biomaterial

application.

A number of ARC Linkage projects were

successfully completed, ie with (i) Starpharma

Holdings concerned with the biopharmaceutical

application of dendrimers and (ii) The pSivida

Group concerned with the pharmaceutical

application of porous silicon.

Recent research success is leading to potential

biomaterial and bio-diagnostic applications, eg:

• Novel citric-acid based elastomers have been

synthesized for potential tissue engineering

applications

• Low temperature alpha alumina coatings for

surgical instrument applications (A/Prof Sunil

Kumar in collaboration with University of

Arkansas, USA)

• Building on previous projects in bio-

interfaces engineering and using advanced

microfabrication concepts, a cross-disciplinary

project lead by Dr Benjamin Thierry is

developing a platform technology able to

capture tumour cells circulating in the blood

of cancer patients. Although present only in

extremely small numbers, these cells provide

vital diagnostic and prognostic information.

Molecular analyses of these cancer cells

captured within microfluidic devices could

ultimately enable the design of improved and

personalized cancer treatment.

Dr Tim Barnes (left) and Dr Benjamin Thierry using Optical Waveguide Lightmode Spectroscopy (OWLS). OWLS is a highly sensitive (~1ng/cm2) providing in-situ, real-time adsorption kinetics at the solid-liquid interface. For example, we are investigating the adsorption of dendrimers onto supported lipid bilayers. Dendrimers offer significant potential for use in a range of biomedical applications, particularly the delivery of drug and DNA/RNA.

Colloids and NanostructuresSector Coordinator: A/Prof Daniel Fornasiero

22

Research Themes• Stability of colloidal particles, including their

aggregation, dispersion and adsorption on

solid or gas surfaces

• Manipulation of surface chemical and

physical nano-heterogeneities to influence the

properties of these surfaces with simple and

complex fluids.

Research OverviewThe sector’s key projects for 2008 included:

• Integrated Predictive Evaluation of Traps and

Seals – IPETS; CSIRO Petroleum, Australian

School of Petroleum, IWRI and CSIRO

Exploration and Mining, (AU$480,000, 2005-

2008) Ralston, Sedev.

• Model Studies of the Wettability of Reservoir

and Seal Rocks as Recovered and After

Treatments to Alter Surface Properties;

ARC Linkage with PIRSA, Santos and Origin

(AU$225,000, 2006-2008) Sedev, Ralston,

Borysenko.

• Fluid Flow over Heterogeneous Surfaces on

the Nanometre Scale: Australia-India Strategic

Research Fund, DIISR (AU$292,000, 2008-

2011) Horn, Ralston, Sedev, Prestidge.

• Polymers at Mineral Interfaces; ARC Linkage

and AMIRA P498B (AU$1,100,000, 2005-

2008) Beattie, Fornasiero, Ralston, Addai-

Mensah.

• Impact of Recycled and Low Quality Water on

Sustainable Mineral Processing Practices; ARC

Linkage with AMIRA (AU$700,000, 2008-

2011) Fornasiero, Ralston and Moran.

• Australian Mineral Science Research Institute

(AMSRI); ARC Linkage with AMIRA and

Universities of South Australia, Melbourne,

Newcastle and Queensland (2006-2010).

• ARC Special Research Centre for Particle and

Material Interfaces (2000-2008).

Selected Key Publications• V. Lockett, R. Sedev, C. Bassell, and J.

Ralston, Angle-Resolved X-Ray Photoelectron

Spectroscopy of the Surface of Imidazolium

Ionic Liquids, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 10

(2008) 1330-5.

• J. Ralston, M.N. Popescu, and R. Sedev,

Dynamics of Wetting from an Experimental

Point of View, Ann. Rev. Mater. Res. 38 (2008)

23-43.

• J. Zhou, R. Sedev, D. Beattie, and J. Ralston,

Light-Induced Aggregation of Colloidal Gold

Nanoparticles Capped by Thymine Derivatives,

Langmuir 24 (2008) 4506-11.

• V. Lockett, R. Sedev, J. Ralston, M. Horne, and

T. Rodopoulos, Differential Capacitance of the

Electrical Double Layer in Imidazolium Based

Ionic Liquids-Influence of Potential, Cation

Size, and Temperature, J. Phys. Chem. C 112

(2008) 7486-95.

• M.N. Popescu, J. Ralston, and R. Sedev,

Capillary Rise with Velocity-Dependent

Dynamic Contact Angle, Langmuir, 24 (2008)

12710-6.

• S. Ray, R. Sedev, C. Priest, and J. Ralston,

Influence of the Work of Adhesion on

the Dynamic Wetting of Chemically

Heterogeneous Surfaces, Langmuir 24 (2008)

13007-12.

• D.Y.C. Chan, O. Manor, J. Connor, R.G. Horn,

Soft Matter: From Shapes to Forces on the

Nanoscale, Royal Society of Chemistry, 4

(2008) 471-474.

23

• R.Manica, J.N. Connor, L.Y. Clasohm, S.L.

Carnie, R.G. Horn, D.Y.C. Chan, Transient

Responses of a Wetting Film to Mechanical

and Electrical Perturbations, Langmuir, 24

(2008) 1381-1390.

• L.T. Cuba-Chiem, L. Huynh, J. Ralston,

D.A. Beattie, In Situ Particle Film ATR-

FTIR Spectroscopy of CMC Adsorption on

Talc: Binding Mechanism, pH Effects, and

Adsorption Kinetics, Langmuir, 24 (2008)

8036-8044.

• M. Mezger, H. Schroder, H. Reicher, S.

Schramm, J. Okasinski, S. Schoder, V.

Honkimaki, M. Deutsch, B.M. Ocko, J.

Ralston, M. Rohwerder, M. Stratmann, H.

Dosch, Molecular layering of fluorinated ionic

liquids at a charged sapphire (0001) surface,

Science, 322 (2008) 424.

Patents• Electrowetting Cells and Devices; M. Paneru,

C. Priest, R. Sedev, and J. Ralston. Prov. Pat.

2008903526, Univ. South Australia, 9 July

2008.

• Extraction Apparatus and Processes; C. Priest,

J. Ralston, R. Sedev, K. Mawatari, and T.

Kitamori; Prov. Pat. 2008904363, Univ. South

Australia, 25 August 2008.

Future GoalsStaff and students will continue to be involved

in the Australian Mineral Science Research

Institute. It is envisaged that there will be

significant contributions to the Materials and

Minerals Science Learning and Research Hub,

as well as the planned Centre of Excellence

application.

Dr Marta Krasowska using the atomic force microscope (AFM). The AFM allows surface topography and adsorbed molecules to be imaged, and interaction forces measured between surfaces

24

Materials and Environmental Surface ScienceSector Coordinator: A/Prof Bill Skinner

Research Themes• Reaction mechanisms at material and

environmental surfaces/interfaces

• Surface spectroscopies

• Synchrotron science.

Research OverviewAs foreshadowed, 2007/08 saw a major push

into the uranium industry. Two, short-term

projects with BHP-Billiton on processing issues at

Olympic Dam, resulted in a 3-year, ARC Linkage

Grant, “Improving aqueous processing and

control of Cu-U leach tails behaviour” (Addai-

Mensah/Skinner). On an energy materials theme,

an ARC Linkage Grant, “Novel Nanostructured

Polymeric Membranes for Energy Storage

Applications” (Roy Choudhury/Skinner) was

won with ZBB International, manufacturer of

liquid-polyelectrolyte storage batteries. This adds

to previous success in ARC Discovery (Dutta/Roy

Choudhury) on “New high temperature proton

conducting polymer electrolyte for sustainable

energy conversion”.

Electro-optical materials have also been a key

focus of industry research, including an ARC

Linkage Grant (Griesser et al) on nanostructured

systems. Titania-based pigment research projects

also ran throughout 2007/08, reaching a total of

15 years of continuous funding in this area.

Successes in key infrastructure in 2008 included

a new ToF-SIMS instrument (Physical Electronics

TRIFT V Nano-ToF) via the National Collaborative

Research Infrastructure Scheme (NCRIS) funding

(Griesser) and Scanning Transmission X-ray

Microscopy (STXM) via ARC LIEF (Skinner), to

be located on Beamline 14-ID at the Australian

Synchrotron in Melbourne. STXM provides

chemical imaging at the <50 nm scale in the

“water window”, benefiting Wark activities

across a range of disciplines. The Wark was

also involved in obtaining a Metastable Induced

Electron Spectroscopy (MIES) instrument, located

at Flinders University, via ARC LIEF (Griesser/

Skinner).

On the invitation of the Department of

Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Dr

Naba Dutta joined the Australian delegation to

the Nanotech 2008 Conference and Trade Show

in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1-5 June. Dr

Sarah Harmer-Bassell has received a prestigious

Lumsden Award in collaboration with Prof Wayne

Nesbitt of the University of Western Ontario

(UWO). The award provides funding for travel

to UWO to undertake research in mineral surface

chemical spectroscopy.

Selected Key Publications• Priest, C., Stevens, N., Sedev, R., Skinner,

W. and Ralston, J., Inferring wettability of

heterogeneous surfaces by ToF-SIMS, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 320, 563-

568 (2008).

• Mayavan, S., Roy Choudhury, N. and Dutta,

N.K., Pt-catalyst nanoparticles from directed

deposition in functional block copolymer,

Advanced Materials, 20, 1819 (2008).

• Mistry, M.K., Roy Choudhury, N., Dutta, N.K.,

Knott, R., Shi, Z. and Holdcroft, S., Novel

Organic-Inorganic Hybrids with Increased

Water Retention for Elevated Temperature

Proton Exchange Membrane Application,

Chemistry of Materials, 20(21), 6857 (2008).

• Subianto, S., Roy Choudhury, N. and Dutta,

N.K., Palladium-catalysed phosphonation of

SEBS block copolymer, Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry 46, 5431

(2008).

• Dutta, N.K., Bhowmick, A.K. and Roy

Choudhury, N., Thermoplastic Elastomers,

Current Topics of Elastomer Research, Taylor

& Francis Group LLC, CRC Press, Florida, USA

(Ch 4, p 101) (2008).

• Denman, J.A., Kempson, I.M., Kirkbride, K.P.

and Skinner, W.M., Discrimination of pencil

markings on paper using elemental analysis,

Forensic Science International, 175, 123-129

(2008).

• Coumbaros, J., Denman, J., Kirkbride, K.P.,

Walker, G.S. and Skinner, W., An Investigation

into the Spatial Elemental Distribution within

a Pane of Glass by Time of Flight Secondary

Ion Mass Spectrometry, Journal of Forensic Science, 53(2), 312-320 (2008).

• Gräfe, M., Beattie, D.A., Smith, E.R., Skinner,

W.M., Singh, B., Copper and arsenate co-

sorption at the mineral-water interfaces of

goethite and jarosite, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 322(2), 399-413 (2008).

• Beattie, D.A., Chapelet, J.K., Gräfe, M.,

Skinner, W.M., Smith, E., In situ ATR-FTIR

particle film studies of sulphate adsorption in

the presence of Cu(II), Environmental Science and Technology, 42(24), 9191–9196 (2008).

Right: Kratos Axis Ultra X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS). XPS is a technique used to analyse the surface chemistry of a material. Information that can be obtained includes: the empirical formula of pure materials, the elemental composition of the surface, the chemical state of the elements on the surface and electronic state of the surface elements.

25

26

Mineral ProcessingSector Coordinator: Prof Stephen Grano

Research Themes• Flotation

• Leaching

• Solvent extraction (involvement in the

Australian Mineral Science Research Institute).

Research OverviewIn 2008, the sector’s research centred around five

major activities:

• Optimising Froth Zone Performance in Mineral

Flotation and associated ARC Linkage

• Improving Sulphide Mineral Flotation and

associated ARC Linkage

• Differential Flotation of Copper Minerals from

Final Concentrate (BHP Billiton)

• Gangue Recovery (BHP Billiton)

• Australian Mineral Science Research Institute

(AMSRI).

The industry project titled Optimising Froth Zone

Performance in Mineral Flotation was completed

in mid-2008 (a proposal for a project extension

was distributed in early 2008). Dr Hamid Reza-

Manouchehri was appointed to the position

of Senior Research Fellow in P260E. Dr Jason

Connor, Dr Saeed Farrokhpay and Mr Ramana

Chimala joined the sector as Senior Research

Fellow, Research Fellow and Research Associate

respectively.

In P260E, the heterogeneity of hydrophobicity of

individual particles in samples of differing mean

contact angle was determined by Time of Flight

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS).

This work involved correlating the mean contact

angle determined for a range of samples by the

Washburn technique against a calculated contact

angle using Principal Component Analysis in

ToF-SIMS. In the case of chalcopyrite particles,

a sample having a mean contact angle of 75o

may have a 95% confidence interval of 50o to

95o. This has very significant consequences

in the flotation behaviour of these particle

ensembles, giving rise to their multi-component

behaviour in flotation. In some cases, particles

in the low contact angle range are below the

critical contact angle to affect bubble-particle

attachment, giving rise to a maximum recovery

achievable in flotation. This new approach may

allow the prediction of maximum recovery based

on measurements of mean and polydispersity

of contact angle. The critical contact angle

required to affect flotation is a strong function of

particle size. An IP disclosure and patent for new

methods to increase coarse, composite particle

recovery have been submitted.

A significant technology transfer achievement in

P260E has been to demonstrate in three separate

plants the beneficial effect of reduced pulp

density on coarse, liberated molybdenite recovery.

In practice, molybdenite recovery may lag copper

recovery by between 5-30%, while normal pulp

densities are usually of the order of 30-40%

(w/w) in roughing flotation. Indeed, the pulp

density is often increased during operation due

to the necessity to maximise solids throughput.

An operational response to maximise retention

time in flotation is to reduce water additions in

an effort to maintain recovery. However, and

somewhat counter-intuitively, it has been found

that reduced pulp density actually increases

both the rate and maximum recovery of coarse,

liberated molybdenite particles. The mechanism

responsible for this phenomena is being

determined in a separate fundamental study in

which it has been found that the co-existence of

calcium and fine silica leads to silica adsorption

onto the edges and faces of molybdenite and a

reduction in its hydrophobicity.

27

An Umbrella Agreement was signed with BHP

Billiton for a series of projects relevant to Olympic

Dam of the Uranium Customer Sector Group.

In 2008, the main focus has been (i) differential

flotation of minerals in copper concentrates for

which an ARC Linkage grant was awarded in the

second round of 2008, and (ii) gangue recovery

to examine methods to reduce acid consumption

in leaching.

Future GoalsThe main goals for 2009 are to achieve continuity

of the P260 project as P260F “Influence of

Process Mineralogy and Pulp Chemistry on the

Flotation of Fine and Coarse Minerals” (2010-

2013) with an associated ARC Linkage proposal

“Collection of Coarse, Composite Particles by

Bubbles in Flotation” planned for submission

in the second round of 2009. There will be

continued activity supporting the Australian

Mineral Science Research Institute and strategic

support for the planned Centre of Excellence

application. Opportunities in dry processing

(Manouchehri) and plastics recycling (Zanin) are

being actively pursued, as is a significant initiative

in ionic liquids (Ralston, Sedev, Lockett). The

Materials and Minerals Science Learning and

Research Hub provides an enormous opportunity

for growth.

Left to right: PhD candidate Mr Daniel Chipfunhu, Dr Igor Ametov, Dr Jason Connor, PhD candidate Ms Danfeng Xu and Mr Ramana Chimala

28

FunctionsThe primary function of Scientific Services is to

underpin the research activities of The Wark.

This is partly achieved by taking responsibility

for significant equipment installations with an

estimated replacement value of $35M. The

15 full time staff provide training to staff

and students, enabling them to characterise

surface and bulk properties of materials. A

fast turnaround analysis service is also provided

for researchers wishing to take advantage of

the considerable experience and skills of sector

staff. This service extends to data interpretation

if required. A growing function of the sector

is to provide a consulting service to industry,

which harnesses the combined knowledge

and experience of Scientific Services staff and

researchers.

OverviewDuring the period from January 2004 to

December 2008 services were provided to 382

clients. 504 enquiries were processed in 2008,

resulting in a total of 454 research support and

consulting projects. Of these, 231 were analysis

services for researchers and the remaining 224

were short term consulting projects for industry.

Industry consulting projects were conducted for

76 individual companies clearly indicating that a

significant number of clients returned to us for

further work throughout the year. One company

requested 25 separate consulting projects and

42.6% of clients commissioned 2 or more

projects. The income through research support

activity generated 20.9% of income. Income

derived from industry consulting projects was

almost identical to 2007 income.

Automated mineralogy was added to the range

of services on offer to researchers and industry

through the delivery and installation of a

QEMSCAN®.

Work commenced on the construction of a new

Microfluidics and Nanofabrication Clean Room.

Orders were placed for a Mask Aligner, Substrate

Bonder with hot embossing option, a Deep

Reactive Ion Etcher and a Micro Mill. The Micro

Mill will be the most advanced tool of its type

in Australia and 1 of only 10 in the world. The

facility will be the South Australian Node of the

ANFF (Australian National Fabrication Facility).

An order was placed for a new nanoTOF

surface analysis instrument, which will be the

most advanced of its type in Australia. The

instrument will also be one of two National

Flagship instruments located in South Australian

universities. It is expected to be available for

research and industry access during the second

quarter of 2009. This facility is part of the South

Australian Node of the AMMRF (Australian

Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Facility).

Funding for the Clean Room, Nanofabrication

Equipment and nanoTOF was largely made

possible through NCRIS (National Collaborative

Research Infrastructure Strategy) Fabrication,

Characterisation and Government of South

Australia funding.

MetricsCompanies with head offices based in South

Australia accounted for 58% of all clients but

72% of the total consulting income. Interstate

and international companies represented 42% of

total clients and 28% of total consulting income.

The type of work performed was predominantly

problem solving and consulting with the latter

being projects involving materials selection,

product development, process development

and optimisation, expert opinion and litigation,

specifying and/or sourcing technology or

equipment, literature review and technology

audits. These two categories comprised 92.9%

of the total work performed.

Mining and Minerals and Consumer Products

accounted for 85% of total income from industry

consulting projects.

Future GoalsEquipment ordered in 2008 for the Microfluidics

and Nanofabrication Clean Room will be

delivered and installed during the first half of

2009. Orders will be placed for a Spin Coater

and Optical Profilometer with delivery and

installation anticipated during the second half of

2009.

Analysis results for samples produced by the

Mini Pilot Plant are typically required within 6

– 12 hours of submission. To achieve this target

it will be necessary to have dedicated facilities

on campus. During the first half of 2009, a

laboratory will be refurbished and fitted out with

appropriate equipment. It is expected that this

facility will be operational by the end of the third

quarter of 2009.

To support the anticipated work load

following installation and commissioning

of the QEMSCAN® and Microfluidics and

Nanofabrication Clean Room, a Mineralogist and

a second Nanofabrication Technologist will be

employed during the second half of 2009.

Scientific Services Manager: Mr Philip Moore

Client location as a percentage of total clients in 2008

SA Clients 58%

Interstate Clients 31%

International Clients 11%

Income by client location as a percentage of total income in 2008

SA Clients 72%

Interstate Clients 25%

International Clients 3%

Type of work in 2008 as a percentage of total income

Solve 52.81% Explore 3.62%

Consult 40.13%

AMMRF 1.16%

Advise 0.26%

Access 2.07%

Income from Industry Sectors 2008

Mining & Minerals 68%

Other 1%

Plastics 1%

Metals 1%

Health & Pharmaceuticals 3%

Energy 1%Electronics 2%

Education 5%

Consumer Products 16%

Biotech 2%

29

Dr Scott Abbott and Mrs Maria Provatas

Research Projects* Total funding over $50,000

BIO AND POLYMER INTERFACES

*A physicochemical approach for optimizing drug delivery from BioSilicon

Research Sponsors: Australian Research Council Linkage Grant and pSivida Ltd

Chief Investigators: C Prestidge, A Evans (Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, UniSA) and P Pendleton

(Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, UniSA)

*Advanced nanostructured biointerfaces for cell capture

Research Sponsor: Australian Research Council Discovery Grant

Chief Investigators: H Griesser, B Thierry, C Prestidge, M Brown (Royal Adelaide Hospital) and M Tabrizian

(University of Montreal)

*Biophysical analysis for determination of disease

Research Sponsor: Fermiscan Ltd

Chief Investigators: C Prestidge, W Skinner, T Barnes, B Thierry and I Kempson

*Development and evaluation of novel antibacterial coatings for the prevention of infection of biomedical

implants and devices

Research Sponsors: National Health and Medical Research Council and ITEK Pty Ltd

Chief Investigators: H Griesser, M Perkins (Flinders University) and S Semple (Sansom Institute, UniSA)

*Engineered nanotube membranes for molecular separation and biosensing

Research Sponsor: Australian Research Council Fellowship

Chief Investigator: D Losic

*Immunotargeted nanoparticles to improve tumour delivery of chemosensitising cytotoxic drugs and

b-radiation

Research Sponsor: National Health and Medical Research Council

Chief Investigators: H Griesser, B Thierry, P Majewski, M Brown (Royal Adelaide Hospital) and J Taylor

(Royal Adelaide Hospital)

Inducing bioactivity in three dimensional tissue engineering scaffolds

Research Sponsor: NED University

Chief Investigator: S Kumar

*Interfacial studies of nanoparticulate dendrimers for improved biopharmaceutical application

Research Sponsors: Australian Research Council Linkage Grant and Starpharma Holdings Ltd

Chief Investigators: C Prestidge and H Griesser

*Integrated approach to the development of advanced nanostructures as cancer diagnostics and

therapeutic agents

Research Sponsor: Cancer Council of South Australia

Chief Investigators: H Griesser, B Thierry, P Majewski and M Brown (Royal Adelaide Hospital)

Molecular level structural mapping of proteins adsorbed onto well defined nanopatterned surfaces

relevant to designing next generation orthopaedic implants

Research Sponsor: UniSA – ARC Discovery Project Development Scheme

Chief Investigator: S Kumar

Nano encapsulation systems for improving stability and delivery of protein therapeutics

Research Sponsor: UniSA – ARC Discovery Project Development Scheme

Chief Investigator: C Prestidge

*Surface for tissue engineering

Research Sponsor: CRC for Polymers

Chief Investigator: H Griesser

30

*Test systems for microstreak equipment

Research Sponsor: LabTech Systems Ltd

Chief Investigator: H Griesser

Up conversion energy transfer for nanoparticulate triggered photodynamic therapy

Research Sponsors: Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council and

Fluorescence Applications in Biotechnology and Life Sciences Network

Chief Investigator: B Thierry

COLLOIDS AND NANOSTRUCTURES

*Control of aggregate structure settling and dewatering in mineral tailings processing

Research Sponsors: Australian Research Council Linkage Grant and Rio Tinto Ltd

Chief Investigators: R Smart (ACeSSS, UniSA), M Zbik and G Morris (Victoria University)

Controlled particle attachment at fluid interfaces

Research Sponsor: Fluorescence Applications in Biotechnology and Life Sciences Network

Chief Investigator: C Whitby

Effect of aging of MIBC on coal flotation

Research Sponsor: BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance

Chief Investigators: K Quast, P Moore and D Fornasiero

*Electrical double layer and electron transfer in ionic liquids

Research Sponsor: CSIRO Minerals

Chief Investigators: J Ralston, R Sedev and M Horne (CSIRO Minerals)

*Enhanced depression and dispersion of minerals in flotation (P498C)

Research Sponsor: AMIRA International Ltd

Chief Investigators: D Beattie, D Fornasiero, J Addai-Mensah and J Ralston

*Fluid flow and lubrication on the nanometre scale

Research Sponsor: Australia India Strategic Research Fund Grant

Chief Investigators: R Horn, J Ralston, R Sedev and C Priest

*Impact of recycled and low quality water on sustainable mineral processing practices

Research Sponsor: AMIRA International Ltd

Chief Investigators: D Fornasiero, C Moran (University of Queensland) and J Ralston

*Model studies of the wettability of reservoir and seal rocks as recovered and after treatments to alter

surface properties

Research Sponsors: Australian Research Council Linkage Grant and CSIRO Petroleum

Chief Investigators: R Sedev, J Ralston and J Kaldi (University of Adelaide)

*Particle-bubble interactions

Research Sponsor: CSIRO Minerals

Chief Investigators: J Ralston, D Fornasiero and P Koh (CSIRO Minerals)

Physics and chemistry of the electrified solid/room temperature ionic liquids interface

Research Sponsor: UniSA – ARC Discovery Development Scheme

Chief Investigators: R Sedev and J Ralston

*Polymers at mineral interfaces (P498B)

Research Sponsors: Australian Research Council Linkage Grant and AMIRA International Ltd

Chief Investigators: D Beattie, D Fornasiero, J Addai-Mensah and J Ralston

MATERIALS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SURFACE SCIENCE

*Characterization of metal contaminants in Antarctic sediments

Research Sponsor: Australian Antarctic Program

Chief Investigator: I Kempson

31

32 Classification of reactive and non-reactive rock

Research Sponsor: Orica Australia Pty Ltd

Chief Investigators: W Skinner and P Moore

*Development of novel nanostructured electro-optical systems

Research Sponsors: Australian Research Council Linkage Grant and Visiocorp Australia Pty Ltd

Chief Investigators: H Griesser, P Murphy, G Wallace (University of Wollongong), P Innis (University of

Wollongong) and S Edwards (Visiocorp Australia Pty Ltd)

*Gradient index optical coatings by plasma polymerisation

Research Sponsor: CRC for Advanced Automotive Technology

Chief Investigators: H Griesser, P Murphy and R Short (Mawson Institute, UniSA)

*Improved fouling mitigation: The properties and mechanisms of action of sodium aluminosilicate scale

inhibition polymers

Research Sponsor: Cytec Australia Holdings Pty Ltd

Chief Investigator: J Addai-Mensah

*Improving aqueous processing and control of copper-uranium leach tails behaviour

Research Sponsors: Australian Research Council Linkage Grant and BHP Billiton Ltd

Chief Investigators: J Addai-Mensah and W Skinner

*Materials research and engineering facility for conducting polymer devices

Research Sponsors: Premier’s Science & Research Fund, Visiocorp Australia Pty Ltd

and Carl Zeiss Vision Australia

Chief Investigators: P Murphy and R Short (Mawson Institute, UniSA)

Multichip module processing: Structure performance understanding

Research Sponsor: Defence Science and Technology Organisation

Chief Investigator: N Roy Choudhury

*Novel nanostructured polymeric membranes for energy storage applications

Research Sponsor: ZBB Technologies Ltd

Chief Investigators: N Roy Choudhury and W Skinner

*Optimisation of pigment coating surface treatments

Research Sponsor: Tiwest Joint Venture

Chief Investigators: W Skinner and J Addai-Mensah

*Plastic mirror development

Research Sponsor: CRC for Advanced Automotive Technology

Chief Investigators: P Murphy, H Griesser and R Short (Mawson Institute, UniSA)

MINERAL PROCESSING

*Characterizing and controlling the surface properties of fine mineral particles generated during grinding

and the effect on flotation properties

Research Sponsor: Magotteaux Australia Pty Ltd

Chief Investigators: S Grano and S Gredelj

*Distinguishing and quantifying the relative contributions of oxidized iron from grinding media and

mineral sources

Research Sponsor: Magotteaux Australia Pty Ltd

Chief Investigators: S Grano and S Gredelj

*Gangue recovery fundamental studies – Flotation

Research Sponsor: BHP Billiton Ltd

Chief Investigators: J Addai-Mensah and S Grano

*Gangue recovery fundamental studies – Leach and Surface Chemistry

Research Sponsor: BHP Billiton Ltd

Chief Investigators: J Addai-Mensah and S Grano

*Improving sulphide mineral flotation (P260E)

Research Sponsors: Australian Research Council Linkage Grant and AMIRA International Ltd

Chief Investigators: S Grano, D Fornasiero and W Skinner

*Increasing copper and molybdenum recovery from low recovery ores

Research Sponsor: Rio Tinto Kennecott Utah Copper

Chief Investigators: M Zanin and S Grano

*Increasing PGM recovery in the Western Limb tailings retreatment plant deslime circuit

Research Sponsor: Anglo Platinum Ltd

Chief Investigators: S Grano and H Manouchehri

Investigation of a novel method to study microbial adhesion to mineral surfaces

Research Sponsor: CSIRO Minerals

Chief Investigator: R Horn

*Mineral flotation – Integrating science and practice

Research Sponsor: Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre

Chief Investigators: P Moore and W Skinner

*Optimisation of flotation systems for tantalum recovery from pegmatite core and plant tailings

Research Sponsor: Talison Minerals Pty Ltd

Chief Investigators: R Newell, K Quast, T Tichy, P Moore and A Kaplun

* Optimising froth zone performance in mineral flotation (P541B)

Research Sponsors: Australian Research Council Linkage Grant and AMIRA International Ltd

Chief Investigators: S Grano, R Horn and JP Franzidis (University of Queensland)

* Optimising the recovery of fine and coarse particles in mineral flotation

Research Sponsors: Australian Research Council Linkage Grant and AMIRA International Ltd

Chief Investigators: S Grano and D Fornasiero

*Separation of enargite from Frieda River-Nena final concentrate

Research Sponsor: Xstrata Qld Ltd

Chief Investigators: S Grano, P Moore and K Quast

*Separation of minerals in final concentrate at Olympic Dam

Research Sponsor: BHP Billiton Ltd

Chief Investigators: S Grano and I Ametov

SCIENTIFIC SERVICES

*Quantitative mineralogy facility

Research Sponsors: UniSA, BHP Billiton Ltd, OZ Minerals Ltd and Department of Primary Industries &

Resources

Chief Investigators: S Grano, W Skinner and P Moore

CORPORATE

*Australian Mineral Science Research Institute

Research Sponsors: AMIRA International Ltd, Australian Research Council Linkage Grant, South Australian

Government and UniSA

Chief Investigator: J Ralston

*Special Research Centre for Particle and Material Interfaces

Research Sponsor: Australian Research Council

Chief Investigator: J Ralston

*Fabrication of advanced materials

Research Sponsors: National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy, UniSA and South Australian

Government

Chief Investigator: J Ralston

*SA Regional facility for microscopy

Research Sponsors: National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy, UniSA and South Australian

Government

Chief Investigator: H Griesser

33

Ms Audrey Beaussart (below) UniSA International Travel Grant – Student

Mobility

Audrey used this grant to help fund an eight

week internship at the Department of Chemistry,

University of Otago, New Zealand where she

worked on ATR-FTIR experiments with Prof Jim

McQuillan. Audrey’s area of research is mineral

processing with the principal goal of her project

to characterise the adsorption of polymeric

depressants on hydrophobic minerals (talc,

graphite, molybdenite), to understand how the

adsorbed polymer layer affects the flotation

recovery of these minerals. She is in the third

year of her PhD and her principal supervisor is Dr

David Beattie.

Dr Renate FetzerBest dissertation for priority program, “Nano

and Microfluidics” German Science Foundation

(DFG). AKF Dissertation Prize for 2008 of the

German Physical Society (GPS), Condensed

Matter Division.

A/Prof Sunil KumarEditorial Board Member, Journal of the Australian

Ceramic Society.

34

Honours and Awards

Mr Srinivas Parimi (opposite left)Joint winner - Best Wark Student Seminar

– Dendrimer transport across lipid bilayers:

Liposome leakage and cell death.

Srinivas is in the third year of his PhD and is

working in the area of nanopharmaceutical drug

delivery. His principal supervisor is Prof Clive

Prestidge.

Mr Luke Parkinson (opposite right)Joint winner - Best Wark Student Seminar

– The interaction of a rising microbubble and a

hydrophilic, titania surface.

Luke is in the third year of his PhD and is working

in the area of bubble-particle interactions and

attachment processes (thin liquid films, drainage,

rupture mechanisms and dynamic dewetting). His

principal supervisor is Laureate Prof John Ralston.

Mr Luke ParkinsonHealy-Hunter Medal, 26th Australian Colloid

and Surface Science Student Conference,

Warrnambool, Australia, 4-8 February 2008.

Laureate Prof John RalstonOfficer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2008

Queen’s Birthday Honours.

John received the honour “for service to science

and to scientific research, particularly in the field

of physical chemistry and minerals processing,

to education and the creation and application of

new scientific knowledge to industry”.

Prof Namita Roy Choudhury and Dr Surya SubiantoAINSE Award 2008 – SAXS characterization

of proton exchange membrane nanostructure

modified by conductive and non conductive

inclusions.

Namita and Surya were awarded $5890 by

the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and

Engineering. This allowed them to access the

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology

Organisation’s (ANSTO) state-of-the-art SAXS

facility.

Dr Spomenka SimovicInaugural recipient of the UniSA Hypatia

Postdoctoral Fellowship for Women.

These Fellowships are awarded to female early

career researchers with outstanding potential to

undertake research in the science, technology,

engineering, mathematics or medical/health

areas. Spomenka completed her PhD in 2004

at UniSA and is currently working in the area

of physical chemistry and drug delivery with

particular emphasis on nanoparticle stabilised

emulsions, microencapsulations, enhancing

bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs and dermo/

cosmetic applications

A/Prof Bill SkinnerElected to the Australian Synchrotron User

Advisory Committee.

Ms Angel Tan (left)Best poster presentation prize, Australasian

Pharmaceutical Science Association (APSA),

Canberra, Australia, 6-9 December 2008.

This prize was presented by the Australian

Chapter of the Controlled Release Society.

Angel’s co-supervisors are Prof Clive Prestidge,

Dr Spomenka Simovic and Dr Andrew Davey

(Pharmacy and Medical Sciences).

The Wark HDR Student Travel GrantsThese grants are for the purpose of attending

conferences held at locations either in Australia

or internationally. In 2008, the following

students were recipients:

Mr Ivan Djordjevic

Mr Mingzhao He

Mr Srinivas Parimi

Ms Iliana Sedeva

Ms Sin Ying Tan

Mr Frank Wang

Ms Kai Ying Yeap

2008 Ian Wark Research Institute MedalDr Jingfang Zhou was awarded the Ian Wark

Research Institute Medal for 2008. Jingfang’s

thesis was titled, “Thymine-functionalized gold

nanoparticles: Synthesis, surface structure and

colloid stability” and her principal supervisor was

Laureate Prof John Ralston. After completing her

thesis, Jingfang took up a position within The

Wark as a Research Associate.

The Ian Wark Research Institute Medal is awarded

annually to the graduate or graduand from The

Wark with the most outstanding thesis.

The Medal is based on the creativity

and originality of the research, the

student’somprehension of the field and the

significance and utility of the research as

a contribution to, or as an application of

knowledge.

35

36

Graduates

Vic AbsolonAssociateship Met Kalgoorlie School of Mines MSc Imperial College London, UK

MBA Melbourne PhD UniSA

A comparison of biological and chemically induced leaching mechanisms of chalcopyrite

A study of the dissolution mechanism

which governs the leaching of copper

from chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) in acidic media

at atmospheric pressure. Conditions for

rapid, sustained and completed release of

copper from CuFeS2 concentrate at 75oC

have been established for both chemical

leaching and bioleaching with the archaea

Acidianus brierleyi, Metallosphaera prunea,

Metallosphaera sedula and Sulfolbus

metallicus and YS3 consortium.

Graduate Position: Absol Pty Ltd,

Metallurgical Consultancy, Adelaide, Australia

Gary HanlyBSc(Hons) Newcastle PhD UniSA

The wetting of a titania surface: Surface charge and thin liquid films

Titania surface wetting is influenced by

its surface charge. Thin liquid films on a

titania surface are also influenced by surface

charge, which affects their thickness and

rupture mechanisms. Altering the pH, salt

concentration and hydrophobicity changes

the amount of surface charge. These effects

are examined in this thesis.

Graduate Position: Defence Science and

Technology Organisation, Adelaide, Australia

Melanie McGuireBSc(Hons) Adelaide PhD UniSA

Improved dewatering of iron oxide dispersions

Improving the dewatering efficiency of

iron oxide dispersions with polyacrylamide

polymers and metal salts was investigated.

Effects of flocculant structure type and

concentration, metal salt type and pH

on the surface chemistry, pulp rheology

and dewaterability of dispersions were

considered. Surface chemistry and

application of shear had the greatest impact.

Graduate Position: Technical Assistant,

Mining, Minerals and Metals Technology

Group, Griffith Hack, Melbourne, Australia

37

Kinnari ShelatBSc MSc Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India PhD UniSA

Tailoring polymer blends and nanocomposites to tune the barrier properties

High performance flexible polymer packing

is an integral part in the supply of a wide

range of products and it plays a critical

role in protection, preservation, material

handling, food safety, human health and

efficient delivery. However, for the polymer

materials to function as an efficient barrier,

packing must be engineered at a molecular

level to inhibit the permeants. Polymer

blends, nanostructured polymers and

nanocomposites represent novel classes

of materials for barrier applications with

enormous advantage relative to the existing

materials. In polymer blends, composites

and nanocomposites can be tuned to

specific application over a broad range by

proper selection and control of the structure,

interfacial interaction, morphology and

processing. To date, several approaches have

been developed in these fields that range

from application of high shear or stress field,

spontaneous mixing, electric or magnetic field

to make high performance barrier material.

However, a fundamental understanding

of co-relation of structured morphology-

properties and barrier performance relation

is lacking in respect to the interfacial

interaction, interphase formation or state of

ordering. This thesis represents the structure-

property relationship of barrier polymers in

their blends and nanocomposites to achieve

tunable barrier characteristics.

Graduate Position: Research Associate,

Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences,

University of Queensland, Australia

Yoo Hyun (Daniel) SungBSc MSc Korea PhD UniSA

The nature of gold mineralization in the multistage Archean Sunrise Dam gold deposit, Eastern Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia

The mineralization in the Sunrise Dam gold

deposit consists of five hydrothermal stages,

and the major gold deposition occurred

during the later mineralizing events (D3,

D4a and D4b) which are characterized

by more diverse mineralogy derived from

compositionally evolving hydrothermal fluids.

The enrichment of invisible gold in pyrite

resulted from a small-scale remobilization

during dissolution-reprecipitation and

recrystallization processes, whereas higher

enrichment of gold in arsenopyrite reflects

primary co-precipitation without post-

deposition processes.

Graduate Position: Senior Researcher,

Korea Resources Corporation, South Korea

Jingfang ZhouBSc Xiamen, PR China MSc Henan, PR China

PhD UniSA

Thymine-functionalized gold nanoparticles: Synthesis, surface structure and colloid stability

Thymine-functionalized self-assembled

monolayer protected gold nanoparticles were

synthesized. Their morphology and surface

structure were characterized using TEM,

UV-vis, FTIR, DSC-TGA and XPS techniques.

The colloid stability of thymine-capped gold

nanoparticle dispersions as a function of

the type and concentration of monovalent

salt, pH and particle size in alkaline aqueous

solution were investigated. The manipulation

of colloid stability with light was further

explored.

Graduate Position: Research Associate, Ian

Wark Research Institute, University of South

Australia

38

Seminars

Prof Colin BainDepartment of Chemistry, University of Durham,

United Kingdom

How do micelles break down?

Dr Pavel BedrikovetskiAustralian School of Petroleum Engineering,

University of Adelaide, Australia

Suspension/colloid transport in porous media

Prof Ana BrettDepartment of Chemistry, Universidade de

Coimbra, Portugal

Nanobioelectrochemistry: AFM characterization of DNA-modified electrodes and applications

Prof Christopher MA BrettDepartment of Chemistry, Universidade de

Coimbra, Portugal

New materials and applications for electrochemical sensors and biosensors

Dr Iko BurgarCSIRO Materials Science and Engineering,

Australia

NMR spectroscopy from liquids to solids, essential knowledge and practice

Prof Nigel J CookNatural History Museum, University of Oslo,

Norway

Trace element geochemistry of sphalerite

Prof Hans GL CosterSchool of Chemical and Biomolecular

Engineering, University of Sydney, Australia

Characterisation of bio-mimetic nanostructures using low frequency impedance spectroscopy

A/Prof Vincent CraigDepartment of Applied Mathematics, Australian

National University, Australia

The complex influence of electrolytes on bubble coalescence

Dr Raymond DagastineDepartment of Chemical and Biomolecular

Engineering, University of Melbourne, Australia

Dynamic forces between particles, bubbles and drops

Dr Alvaro Dominquez Department of Theoretical Physics, University of

Seville, Spain

Two-dimensional structures of colloids at fluid interfaces

Dr Andrea GambassiMPI for Metals Research, Stuttgart, Germany

Measuring and tailoring femto-newton critical Casimiar forces

Prof Horst HahnResearch Laboratory Nanomaterials, Technische

Universitat Darmstadt, Germany

Electronically tunable nanomaterials

Dr Shaun HendyThe MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials

and Nanotechnology, Victoria University of

Wellington, New Zealand

Effective slip boundary conditions for heterogenous surfaces in fluid dynamics

Prof Luuk KoopalLaboratory of Physical Chemistry and Colloid

Science, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Seminar and lecture series - Adsorption from solution

Heading

H39

Prof Deborah LeckbandDepartment of Chemistry, University of Illinois,

Urbana Champaign, USA

Cell adhesion and directed migration in engineered microenvironments

A/Prof Enzo PalomboEnvironment and Biotechnology Centre,

Swinburne University of Technology, Australia

Antimicrobial properties of traditional medicine plants

Dr Sally PlushPharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of

South Australia

Nanoassembled capsules as molecular imaging agents

Dr Markus RauscherMPI for Metals Research, Stuttgart, Germany

Dynamics of colloids in polymer solutions

Ms Yvonne SchmittDepartment of Experimental Physics, Saarland

University, Germany

Protein films: dynamics and morphology

Prof Francois Schue Laboratoire Organisation Moleculaire, University

of Montpellier 2, France

Seminar series - Advanced polymer biomaterials

Dr Paul StevensonSchool of Engineering, University of Newcastle,

Australia

On columns of gas-liquid foam

Dr Mykola TaskinkevychMPI for Metals Research, Stuttgart, Germany

Complete wetting of geometrically patterned substrates

Prof John WeckertCentre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics,

Charles Sturt University, Australia

I don’t care what you do so much as long as you worry about it: Some considerations on responsibility

Dr Shelley WiederhornNational Institute of Standards and Technology,

USA

Cell adhesion

Left to right: Dr Surya Subianto, Prof Namita Roy Choudhury and PhD candidate Ms My-Yung Troung

Visitors to the Institute

Extended Visits

Prof Luuk Koopal

Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Colloid

Science, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Dr Nataliya Mishchuk

Institute of Colloid and Water Chemistry, National

Academy of Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine

Dr Marisa Monte

Centre for Mineral Technology, Brazil

Prof Francois Schue

Laboratoire Organisation Moleculaire, University

of Montpellier 2, France

Prof John Weckert

Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics,

Charles Sturt University, Australia

Short Term Visits

Dr Arata Aota, Prof Takehiko Kitamori, Dr

Kasuma Mawata, Mr Kyojiro Morikawa, Mr

Hisashi Shimizu, A/Prof Yo Tanaka and A/Prof

Manabu Tokeshi

Department of Applied Chemistry, University of

Tokyo, Japan

Dr Ganapathy Ayappa, Dr Sanjay Biswas and Dr

Raghuraman Govardhan

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian

Institute of Science Bangalore, India

Prof Colin Bain

Department of Chemistry, University of Durham,

United Kingdom

Dr Pavel Bedrikovetski

Australian School of Petroleum Engineering,

University of Adelaide, Australia

Dr Terry Blake

Surface Science Kodak (retired), United Kingdom

Mr Dave Bojcevski and Ms Jacqui McGill

BHP Billiton Olympic Dam Operations, Adelaide,

Australia

Prof Ana Brett and Prof Christopher MA Brett

Department of Chemistry, Universidade de

Coimbra, Portugal

Dr Iko Burgar

CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering,

Melbourne, Australia

Dr Steven Carnie

Department of Mathematics and Statistics,

University of Melbourne, Australia

Prof Miao Chen

CSIRO Minerals, Melbourne, Australia

Prof Nigel J Cook

Natural History Museum, University of Oslo,

Norway

Prof Hans GL Coster

School of Chemical and Biomolecular

Engineering, University of Sydney, Australia

A/Prof Vincent Craig

Department of Applied Mathematics, Australian

National University, Australia

Dr Raymond Dagastine

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular

Engineering, University of Melbourne, Australia

Prof Siegfried Dietrich, Dr Andrea Gambassi, Dr

Markus Rauscher and Dr Mykola Taskinkevych

MPI for Metals Research, Stuttgart, Germany

Dr Alvaro Dominquez

Department of Theoretical Physics, University of

Seville, Spain

Prof Fraser Forbes and Prof Zhenghe Xu

Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of

Alberta, Canada

Dr Thomas Glinsner

EVGroup, Austria

Prof Horst Hahn

Research Laboratory Nanomaterials, Technische

Universitat Darmstadt, Germany

Dr Shaun Hendy

The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials

and Nanotechnology, Victoria University of

Wellington, New Zealand

Ms Christine Henry

Department of Applied Mathematics, ANU,

Australia

Mr Bill Johnson and Ms Helen Johnston and Mr

David Way

Xstrata Copper, Brisbane, Australia

Prof Deborah Leckband

Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois

Urbana Champaign, USA

40

Dr Peter Lilly

Minerals Down Under - National Research

Flagship, Australian Resources Research Centre,

Perth, Australia

Prof Tim Napier-Munn

Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre

(JKMRC), University of Queensland, Australia

Mr Toshikazu Obata and Dr Koukou Suu

Institute for Semiconductor Technologies, Japan

Mr Kevin O’Keefe

Talison Minerals Pty Ltd, Perth, Australia

A/Prof Enzo Palombo

Environment and Biotechnology Centre,

Swinburne University of Technology, Australia

Dr Sally Plush

Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of

South Australia

Mr Brian Power

Realtek Technologies Australia Pty Ltd

Ms Yvonne Schmitt

Department of Experimental Physics, Saarland

University, Germany

Mr Jim Siemon

Nyrstar, Melbourne, Australia

Dr Paul Stevenson

School of Engineering, University of Newcastle,

Australia

Dr Shelley Wiederhorn

National Institute of Standards and Technology,

USA

Dr Ian Wright

Surface Technology Systems, United Kingdom

Overseas Student Visits

Ms Sara Zavala Betancourt

Instituto Tecnologico de Durango, Mexico

Ms Camila Conegundes de Jesus

Escola Polytecnica da Universidade de Sao Paulo,

Brazil

Mr Holger Fiedler

Freiberg Technical University of Mining and

Technology, Germany

Mr Henrik Grenman

Abo Akademi University, Finland

Ms Qiushi Huang

Dalian University of Technology, PR China

Ms Sara Joyce-Ermoli and Mr Mikael Lilo

Ecole Superieure D’Ingennieur de Recherché en

Materiaux, France

Mr Krishna Kant and Ms Charu Vashisth

Amity University, India

Mr Stefan Klink

Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany

Ms Christina Knobel

Technical University of Vienna, Austria

Ms Denise Mantovani and Mr Paulo Sousa

Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais Escola De

Engenharia, Brazil

Ms Monica Marinescu

Max Planck Institute for Metallforschung,

Germany

Mr Petr Martinek

Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, Czech

Republic

Mr Jan Metje

Clausthal University of Technology, Germany

Ms Suvasree Mukherjee

Behala College, Kolkata, India

Mr Michael Muller

ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Mr Manoel Nogueira de Abreu Filho

University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Ms Muireann O’Loughlin

National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

Ms Melanie Ramiasa

Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chemie de

Rennes, France

Mr Robert Roskamp

Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research,

Germany

Ms Anke Schimmer

University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim,

Germany

Mr Gurvinder Singh

University of Aarhus, Denmark

Ms Malgorzata Sobczak

Technical University of Lodz, Poland

Ms Marietta Stadlin

Ecole Polytecnique Federale de Lausanne,

Switzerland

Ms Roya Talari

Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and Health

Services, Iran

Mr Kamil Zuber

AGH University of Science and Technology,

Poland

41

H42

Conference Attendance and Invited Lectures*Oral/†Poster

Dr Scott Abbott

2nd AMMRF Strategic Planning Workshop,

Sydney, Australia, 14-15 May 2008

Dr Scott Abbott

French-Australia Solid-State NMR Workshop,

University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia, 13-

17 December 2008

*A/Prof Jonas Addai-Mensah, *A/Prof Daniel

Fornasiero, *Prof Roger Horn, *A/Prof Sunil

Kumar, *Laureate Prof John Ralston, *Prof

Namita Roy Choudhury, *Dr Rossen Sedev and

*Dr Benjamin Thierry

Australia China International Workshop, Tianjin

University, PR China, 17-23 September 2008

*A/Prof Jonas Addai-Mensah, *Dr Igor

Ametov, *A/Prof Daniel Fornasiero, *Dr Hamid

Manouchehri and Laureate Prof John Ralston

(plenary lecture)

XXIV International Mineral Processing Congress,

Beijing, China, 24-28 September 2008

Dr Tim Barnes, *Ms Audrey Beaussart, †Ms

Lorena Del Castillo, Mr Jairo Garnica Rodriguez,

*Ms Karyn Jarvis, * Mr Mani Paneru, *Mr Luke

Parkinson (academic coordinator), Prof Clive

Prestidge, Dr Rossen Sedev, †Ms Sin Ying Tan and

*Ms Diana Tran

26th Australian Colloid and Surface Science

Student Conference, Warrnambool, Australia,

4-8 February 2008

*Dr Tim Barnes, *Ms Nasrin Ghouchi Eskandar,

*Ms Karyn Jarvis, *Mr Srinivas Parimi, Prof Clive

Prestidge, †Dr Spomenka Simovic, *†Ms Angel

Tan, Dr Benjamin Thierry (invited lecture), †Mr

Mohanraj Vellore Janarthanan and †Mr Frank

Wang

Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association

(APSA) Conference and Australian Controlled

Release Society Meeting, Canberra, 6-9

December 2008

†Dr Artem Borysenko

9th International Conference on Magnetic

Resonance in Porous Media, Cambridge, USA,

13-17 July 2008

*Dr Artem Borysenko

Conference of Australian and New Zealand

Society for Magnetic Resonance (ANZMAG),

Couran Cove, Australia, 7-11 December 2008

*Dr Artem Borysenko, *Dr Mihail Popescu, Dr

Craig Priest and Laureate Prof John Ralston

Australia-India Strategic Research Fund First

Workshop - Microfluidic Design and Device

Fabrication, Ian Wark Research Institute,

Australia, 22-24 October 2008

†Mr Martin Cole, Prof Hans Griesser (invited

speaker) and A/Prof Sunil Kumar

8th World Biomaterials Congress, Amsterdam,

The Netherlands, 28 May - 1 June 2008

†Mr Martin Cole, *Dr Naba Dutta and *Prof

Namita Roy Choudhury

SPIE Smart Materials, Nano+Micro-Smart

Systems, Melbourne, Australia, 9-12 December

2008

Dr Naba Dutta

CSIRO Fibrous Proteins, Mt Eliza, Australia, 1-3

April 2008

*Dr Naba Dutta

NSTI Nanotech 2008, Boston, USA, 1-5 June

2008

*Dr Naba Dutta, *Prof Namita Roy Choudhury

and *Dr Surya Subianto

RACI Polymer Division 30th Australian Polymer

Symposium, Melbourne, Australia, 30 November

- 4 December 2008

Dr Renate Fetzer (invited lecture)

DPG Spring Meeting of the Condensed Matter

Division, Berlin, Germany, 25-29 February 2008

†Dr Renate Fetzer

7th Liquid Matter Conference, Lund, Sweden, 27

June - 1 July 2008

*A/Prof Daniel Fornasiero, Mr Solomon

Muganda, *Mr Ataollah Nosrati, *Mr Keith

Quast, *Ms Sin Ying Tan and Mr Xiangfei Ye

CHEMECA 2008, Newcastle, Australia, 1-5

October 2008

43Mr Jairo Garnica Rodriguez

6th International Symposium on Contact Angle,

Wettability and Adhesion, Maine University

Orono, USA, 14-16 July 2008

Mr Jairo Garnica Rodriguez and *Dr Rossen

Sedev

82nd ACS Colloid and Surface Science

Symposium, Raleigh, USA, 15-18 June 2008

*Ms Nasrin Ghouchi Eskandar and *Prof Clive

Prestidge

Controlled Release Society Meeting, New York,

USA, 13-18 July, 2008

Prof Hans Griesser (invited speaker)

20th Australian Conference on Microscopy and

Microanalysis

Perth, Australia, 10-15 February 2008

Prof Hans Griesser (invited speaker)

Analytical Methods for Biomaterials, Tissue

Engineering and Nanotechnology

Canberra, Australia, 22 February 2008

Prof Hans Griesser (invited speaker)

25 Years of Biointerface Science, Washington DC,

USA, 24-27 August 2008

Prof Hans Griesser (invited speaker)

Gordon Research Conference, Aussois, France,

14-19 September 2008

Prof Hans Griesser (invited speaker)

Nano-molecular Analysis for Emerging

Technologies, Teddington, UK, 5-6 November

2008

Prof Hans Griesser (invited speaker), Prof Roger

Horn, †Dr Dusan Losic, *†Dr Mihail Popescu and

†Dr Eric Tavenner

International Conference on Nanoscience and

Nanotechnology (ICONN 2008), Melbourne,

Australia, 26-29 February 2008

Prof Roger Horn

International Workshop on Mechanics – Based

on Design Materials, Perth, Australia, 14-16 July

2008

Prof Roger Horn and *Dr Eric Tavenner

IUMRS-International Conference on Electronic

Materials 2008, Sydney, Australia, 27 July - 1

August 2008

Prof Roger Horn

Forum on Invisible Water, Adelaide, Australia, 21

August 2008

Prof Roger Horn, †Dr Satomi Onishi and †Dr

Mihail Popescu

22nd International Congress of Theoretical and

Applied Mechanics (ICTAM 2008), Adelaide,

Australia, 24-30 August 2008

Prof Roger Horn

The Great Energy Debate, Adelaide, Australia,

8-9 October 2008

Prof Roger Horn (invited speaker)

6th International Conference Industry Tribology,

New Delhi, India, 6-8 November 2008

Prof Roger Horn (invited speaker)

NanoSikkim III, Pelling, West Sikkim, India, 10-14

November 2008

*Ms Karyn Jarvis

Porous Semiconductors Science and Technology

(PSST) Conference, Majorca, Spain, 10-14 March

2008

†Mr Marek Jasieniak

11th International Conference on Plasma Surface

Engineering (PSE 2008), Garmisch-Partenkirchen,

Germany, 15-19 September 2008

*Dr Marta Krasowska, *Mr Luke Parkinson,

*Dr Mihail Popescu, Laureate Prof John Ralston

(invited plenary lecture) and *Dr Rossen Sedev

17th International Symposium on Surfactants in

Solution, Berlin, Germany, 17-22 August 2008

*Dr Marta Krasowska, †Mr Luke Parkinson and

*Dr Rossen Sedev

22nd Conference of the European Colloid and

Interface Society (ECIS 2008), Cracow, Poland, 31

August - 5 September 2008

A/Prof Sunil Kumar

35th International Conference on Metallurgical

Coatings and Thin Films, San Diego, USA, 28

April - 2 May 2008

A/Prof Sunil Kumar

International Symposium on Biomechanics and

Biology of Bone Healing, Berlin, Germany, 15-17

May 2008

*†Dr Vera Lockett, *Laureate Prof John Ralston

and Dr Rossen Sedev

3rd Australasian Symposium on Ionic Liquids,

Melbourne, Australia, 15-16 May 2008

*Dr Vera Lockett, *Dr Mihail Popescu, A/Prof

Bill Skinner (Special Topic Committee Chair -

Condensed Matter, Materials and Surface Physics)

and †Dr Eric Tavenner

18th National Congress Australian Institute of

Physics, Adelaide, Australia, 30 November - 5

December 2008

Dr Hamid Manouchehri

MetPlant 2008, Perth, Australia, 15-19 August

2008

Mr Ray Newell

AusIMM International Uranium Conference,

Adelaide, Australia, 18-19 June 2008

44

Dr Satomi Onishi (invited lecture)

5th International Symposium on Surface Science

and Nanotechnology (ISSS5), Tokyo, Japan, 9-13

November 2008

Dr Satomi Onishi (invited lecture)

23rd Seminar of Advanced Particle Handling

Science, Kyoto, Japan, 17 November 2008

Mr Luke Parkinson (invited lecture)

Institute for Surface Chemistry (YKI), Stockholm,

Sweden, 14 August 2008

Dr Mihail Popescu (invited lecture)

Biodynamics and Related Areas Workshop,

Bucharest, Romania, 17-19 September 2008

*Dr Mihail Popescu, Dr Craig Priest and Laureate

Prof John Ralston

Australia-Tokyo Joint Seminar Program, Adelaide,

21 November 2008

Prof Clive Prestidge (invited lecture)

Scan Probe Microscopy Workshop, Intelligent

Polymer Research Institute, University of

Wollongong, Australia, 28-29 August 2008

Prof Clive Prestidge (invited lecture)

Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School

of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, University

of Adelaide, Australia, 17 October 2008

Dr Craig Priest

Complex Fluids and Microfluidics Workshop,

Melbourne, Australia, 1-2 September, 2008

†Dr Craig Priest

12th International Conference on Miniaturized

Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences

(MicroTAS2008), San Diego, USA, 12-16 October

2008

45

Laureate Prof John Ralston (plenary lecture)

Beneficiation of Phosphates Conference, Rio de

Janeiro, Brazil, 11-16 February 2008

Laureate Prof John Ralston

Farewell Symposium for Brian Vincent, Royal

Society of Chemistry, Lords Cricket Ground, UK,

2 April 2008

*Prof Namita Roy Choudhury

International Conference on Polymeric Materials

(IUPAC MACRO 2008), Taipei, 29 June-4 July

2008

*Dr Eric Tavenner and †Mr Yang Yu

Australian Research Network for Advanced

Materials Annual Workshop, Deakin University

Geelong, Australia, 15-18 December 2008

*Dr Massimiliano Zanin

V International Mineral Processing Seminar

(PROCEMIN 2008), Santiago, Chile, 22-24

October 2008

Left to right: Mr Simon Field (Visiocorp Australia), Mr Colin Hall, Mr Kamil Zuber (Mawson Institute) and Dr Rick Fabretto

Publications

46

Book Chapters

Choudhury, N, Govindaraj Kannan, A & Dutta,

N, (2008), ‘Novel nanocomposites and hybrids

for lubricating coating applications’, Tribology of Polymeric Nanocompsites, Elsevier, UK, 501-542,

(9-7804-4453-1551), (B.J. Briscoe Eds), 2008

Costa, F R, Dutta, N, Choudhury, N & Bhowmick,

A K, (2008), ‘Thermoplastic elastomers’, Current Topics in Elastomers Research, CRC Press Taylor

and Francis Group, Boca Ratan, FL 33487-

2742, 101-164, (9-7808-4937-3176), (Anil K.

Bhowmick Eds), 2008

Dutta, N & Choudhury, N, (2008), ‘Self-Assembly

and supramolecular assembly in nanophase

separated polymers and thin films’, Functional Nanostructures: Processing, Characterization and Application, Springer, NY, 220-304, (9-7803-

8735-4637), (Sudipta Seal Eds), 2008

Prestidge, C, (2008), ‘From Novel Monodisperse

‘Silicone oil/water emulsions to drug delivery’,

New Frontiers in Colloid Science, RSC Publishing,

London, 70-89, (9-7808-5404-1138), (Simon

Biggs, Terence Cosgrove, Peter Dowding Eds),

2008

Ralston, J, (2008), ‘Nanobubbles, dissolved gas,

boundary layers and related mysterious effects

in colloid stability’, New Frontiers in Colloid Science, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK, 122-

147, (9-7808-5404-1138), (Simon Biggs, Terence

Cosgrove, Peter Dowding Eds), 2008

Refereed Journal Articles

Addai-Mensah, J, Bal, H M & Yeap, K Y, (2008),

‘Polyelectrolyte enhanced flocculation, particle

interactions and dewaterability of fine gibbsite

dispersions’, Asia-Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering, 3, 4-12, (1932-2135), 2008

Al-Bataineh, S, Jasieniak, M, Britcher, L &

Griesser, H, (2008), ‘TOF-SIMS and principal

component analysis characterization of the

multilayer surface grafting of small molecules:

Antibacterial furanones’, Analytical Chemistry,

80, 430-436, (0003-2700), 2008

Barnes, T, Ametov, I & Prestidge, C, (2008),

‘Dendrimer adsorption on charged particulate

surfaces’, Asia-Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering, 3, 13-17, (1932-2135), 2008

Barnes, T, Ametov, I & Prestidge, C, (2008),

‘Naphthalene sulphonate functionalized

dendrimers at the solid-liquid interface: influence

of core type, ionic strength and competitive ionic

adsorbates’, Langmuir, 24, 12398-12404, (0743-

7463), 2008

Beattie, D, Chapelet, J, Grafe, M, Skinner, W &

Smith, E, (2008), ‘In situ particle film ATR-FTIR

studies of SO4 adsorption on goethite in the

presence of copper ions’, Environmental Science and Technology, 42, 9191-9196, (1382-3124),

2008

Britcher, L, Barnes, T, Griesser, H & Prestidge,

C, (2008), ‘PEGylation of porous silicon using

click chemistry’, Langmuir, 24, (15), 7625-7627,

(0743-7463), 2008

Chan, D Y, Manor, O, Connor, J & Horn, R,

(2008), ‘Soft matter: from shapes to forces on

the nanoscale’, Soft Matter, 4, (3), 471-474,

(1744-683X), 2008

Cheng, X-M, Nie, B-m & Kumar, S, (2008),

‘Preparation and bioactivity of SiO2 functional

films on titanium by PACVD’, Nonferrous Metals Society of China. Transactions, 18, (3), 627-630,

(1003-6326), 2008

Chiem, L T, Huynh, L, Ralston, J & Beattie,

D, (2008), ‘In Situ particle film ATR-FTIR

spectroscopy of Carboxymethyl cellulose

adsorption on talc: Binding mechanism, pH

effects, and adsorption kinetics’, Langmuir, 24,

(15), 8036-8044, (0743-7463), 2008

Chiem, L T, Huynh, L, Ralston, J & Beattie, D,

(2008), ‘In Situ particle film ATR-FTIR studies

of CMC adsorption on talc: The effect of ionic

strength and multivalent metal ions’, Minerals Engineering, 21, 1013-1019, (0892-6875), 2008

47

Cloud, A N, Kumar, S, Kavdia, M, Abu-Safe, H H

& Gordon, M H, (2008), ‘Protein adsorption on

low temperature alpha alumina films for surgical

instruments’, Surface and Coatings Technology,

203, 913-917, (0257-8972), 2008

Coumbaros, J, Denman, J A, Kirkbride, K, Walker,

G & Skinner, W, (2008), ‘An investigation into

the spatial elemental distribution within a pane

of glass by Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass

Spectrometry’, Journal of Forensic Sciences, 53,

(2), 312-320, (0022-1198), 2008

Denman, J A, Kempson, I, Skinner, W &

Kirkbride, K P, (2008), ‘Discrimination of pencil

markings on paper using elemental analysis:

An initial investigation’, Forensic Science International, 175, 123-129, (0379-0738), 2008

Djordjevic, I, Britcher, L & Kumar, S, (2008),

‘Morphological and surface compositional

changes in poly(lactide-co-glycolide) tissue

engineering scaffolds upon radio frequency glow

discharge plasma treatment’, Applied Surface Science, 254, 1929-1935, (0169-4332), 2008

Fabretto, M, Hall, C, Vaithianathan, T,

Mazurkiewicz, J, Innis, P C, Wallace, G G

& Murphy, P, (2008), ‘The mechanism of

conductivity enhancement in poly (3,4-

ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonic)

acid using linear-diol additives: Its effect on

electrochromic performance’, Thin Solid Films, 516, 7828-7835, (0040-6090), 2008

Fabretto, M, Vaithianathan, T, Hall, C,

Mazurkiewicz, J, Innis, P C, Wallace, G G &

Murphy, P, (2008), ‘Faradaic charge corrected

colouration efficiency measurements for

electrochromic devices’, Electrochimica Acta, 53,

2250-2257, (0013-4686), 2008

Fabretto, M, Zuber, K, Hall, C & Murphy, P,

(2008), ‘High conductivity PEDOT using humidity

facilitated vacuum vapour phase polymerisation’,

Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 29,

1403-1409, (1022-1336), 2008

Gafe, M, Beattie, D, Smith, E, Skinner, W &

Singh, B, (2008), ‘Copper and arsenate co-

sorption at the mineral-water interfaces of

goethite and jarosite’, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 322, (2), 399-413, (0021-

9797), 2008

Griesser, H, Ys, H, Ndi, C, Britcher, L, Vasilev, K,

Jasieniak, M, Griesser, S & Semple, S, (2008),

‘Combating infections at biomedical implants

and devices by antibacterial coatings’, Chemistry in Australia, 75, (11), 5-8, (0314-4240), 2008

Harmer-Bassell, S, Mierczynska-Vasilev, A, Beattie,

D & Shapter, J, (2008), ‘The effect of bulk iron

concentration and heterogeneities on the copper

activation of sphalerite’, Minerals Engineering,

21, 1005-1012, (0892-6875), 2008

Henry, C, Parkinson, L A, Ralston, J & Craig,

V J, (2008), ‘A mobile gas-water interface in

electrolyte solutions’, The Journal of Physical

Chemistry Part C: Nanomaterials and Interfaces, 112, (39), 15094-15097, (1932-7447), 2008

Jarvis, K L, Barnes, T, Badalyan, A, Pendleton, P &

Prestidge, C, (2008), ‘Impact of thermal oxidation

on the adsorptive properties and structure of

porous silicon particles’, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part C: Nanomaterials and Interfaces, 112, (26), 9717-9722, (1932-7447), 2008

Jarvis, K L, Barnes, T & Prestidge, C, (2008),

‘Aqueous and thermal oxidation of porous

silicon microparticles: Implications on molecular

interactions’, Langmuir, 24, (24), 14222-14226,

(0743-7463), 2008

Kolasinska, M, Zembala, M, Krasowska, M &

Warszynski, P, (2008), ‘Probing of polyelectrolyte

monolayers by zeta potential and wettability

measurements’, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 326, (1), 301-304, (0021-9797), 2008

Lockett, V, Rukavishnikova, I V & Stepanov, V P,

(2008), ‘Interface formation energy in lithium

fluoride-alkali metal iodide systems’, Rasplavy (Melts), 3, 40-44, (0235-0106), 2008

Lockett, V, Rukavishnikova, I V & Stephanov, V

P, (2008), ‘The density of fluoride-iodide melts

with a limited mutual solubility of components’,

Russian Journal of Physical Chemistry, 82, (2),

177-180, (0036-0244), 2008

Lockett, V, Sedev, R, Bassell, C A & Ralston, J,

(2008), ‘Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron

spectroscopy of the surface of imidazolium ionic

liquids’, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 10,

1330-1335, (1463-9076), 2008

Lockett, V, Sedev, R, Ralston, J, Horne, M &

Rodopoulos, T, (2008), ‘Differential capacitance

of the electrical double layer in imidazolium-

based ionic liquids: Influence of potential, cation

size, and temperature’, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part C: Nanomaterials and Interfaces, 112, (19), 7486-7495, (1932-7447), 2008

Lopez-Galindo, A, Hach-Ali, P, Pushkarev, A V,

Lytovchenko, A S, Baker, J H & Pushkarova, R,

(2008), ‘Tritium redistribution between water and

clay minerals’, Applied Clay Science, 39, (3), 151-

159, (0169-1317), 2008

48 Losic, D, (2008), ‘Microstructured surfaces

engineered using biological templates: a facile

approach for fabrication of superhydrophobic

surfaces’, Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society, 73, (11), 1123-1135, (0352-5139), 2008

Losic, D, Cole, M A, Dollmann, B C, Vasilev, K

& Griesser, H, (2008), ‘Surface modification of

nanoporous alumina membranes by plasma

polymerization’, Nanotechnology, 19, (24), 1-7,

(0957-4484), 2008

Majewski, P & Chan, C P, (2008), ‘Removal of

cryptosporidium parvum by silica coated with

functionalized self-assembled monolayers’,

Journal of Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, 8,

1-4, (1533-4880), 2008

Majewski, P & Chan, C P, (2008), ‘Water

purification by self-assembled monolayers

on silica particles’, International Journal of Nanotechnology, 5, 291-298, (1475-7435), 2008

Majewski, P & Thierry, B, (2008),

‘Superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles for

bio-applications’, Recent Patents on Materials Science, 1, (2), 116-127, (1874-4648), 2008

Manica, R, Connor, J, Clasohm, L Y, Carnie, S L,

Horn, R & Chan, D Y, (2008), ‘Transient responses

of a wetting film to mechanical and electrical

perturbations’, Langmuir, 24, (16), 8726-8734,

(0743-7463), 2008

Manica, R, Connor, J, Dagastine, R R, Carnie, S

L, Horn, R & Chan, D Y, (2008), ‘Hydrodynamic

forces involving deformable interfaces at

nanometer separations’, Physics of Fluids, 20, (3),

032101-1-032101-12, (1070-6631), 2008

Mayavan, S, Choudhury, N & Dutta, N, (2008),

‘Platinum catalyst nanoparticles from directed

deposition in functional block copolymers’,

Advanced Materials, 20, (10), 1819-1824, (0935-

9648), 2008

McFarlane, A J, Yeap, K Y, Bremmell, K & Addai-

Mensah, J, (2008), ‘The influence of flocculant

adsorption kinetics on the dewaterability of

kaolinite and smectite clay minerals dispersions’,

Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 31, (7), 39-48, (0927-

7757), 2008

McGuire, M J, Addai-Mensah, J & Bremmell, K,

(2008), ‘Improved dewaterability of iron oxide

dispersions: The role of polymeric flocculant type,

pH and shear’, Asia-Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering, 3, 18-23, (1932-2135), 2008

Mezger, M, Schroder, H, Reichert, H, Schramm,

S, Okasinki, J, Schoder, S, Honkimaki, V, Deutsch,

M, Ocko, B M, Ralston, J, Rohwerder, M,

Stratmann, M & Dosch, H, (2008), ‘Molecular

layering of fluorinated ionic liquids at a charged

sapphire (0001) Surface’, Science, 322, 424-428,

(1095-9203), 2008

Mezger, M, Schoder, S, Reichert, H, Schroder, H,

Okasinski, J, Honkimaki, V, Ralston, J, Bilgram,

J, Roth, R & Dosch, H, (2008), ‘Water and

ice in contact with octadecyl-tricholorosilane

functionalized surfaces: A high resolution x-ray

relectivity study’, Journal of Chemical Physics, 128, (244705), 1-13, (0021-9606), 2008

Mierczynska-Vasilev, A, Ralston, J & Beattie, D,

(2008), ‘Adsorption of modified dextrins on talc:

Effect of surface coverage and hydration water

on hydrophobicity reduction’, Langmuir, 24, (12),

6121-6127, (0743-7463), 2008

Mistry, M K, Choudhury, N, Dutta, N, Knott, R,

Shi, Z & Holdcroft, S, (2008), ‘Novel organic-

inorganic hybrids with increased water retention

for elevated temperature proton exchange

membrane application’, Chemistry of Materials, 20, 6857-6870, (0897-4756), 2008

Pan, W R, Rozen, W M, Stretch, J, Thierry, B,

Ashton, M W & Corlett, R J, (2008), ‘Advanced

imaging technologies for mapping cadaveruc

lymphatic anatomy: Magnetic resonance and

computed tomography lymphangiography’,

Lymphology, 41, (NA), 126-130, (0024-7766),

2008

Parimi, S, Barnes, T & Prestidge, C, (2008),

‘PAMAM dendrimer interactions with supported

lipid bilayers: A kinetic and mechanistic

investigation’, Langmuir, 24, 13532-13539,

(0743-7463), 2008

Parkinson, L A, Sedev, R, Fornasiero, D & Ralston,

J, (2008), ‘The terminal rise velocity of 10-100

[mu]m diameter bubbles in water’, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 322, (1), 168-172,

(0021-9797), 2008

Peng, P, Voelcker, N H, Kumar, S & Griesser, H,

(2008), ‘Concurrent elution of calcium phosphate

and macromolecules from alginate/chitosan

hydrogel coatings’, Biointerphases, 3, (4), 105-

116, (1559-4106), 2008

Popescu, M, Ralston, J & Sedev, R, (2008),

‘Capillary rise with velocity-dependent dynamic

contact angle’, Langmuir, 24, 12710-12716,

(0743-7463), 2008

Prestidge, C, Barnes, T, Mierczynska-Vasilev,

A, Kempson, I, Peddie, F & Barnett, C, (2008),

‘Peptide and protein loading into porous silicon

wafers’, Physica Status Solidi. A: Applications and Materials Science, 205, (2), 311-315, (1862-

6300), 2008

49Priest, C, Quinn, A, Postma, A, Zelikin, A N,

Ralston, J & Caruso, F, (2008), ‘Microfluidic

polymer multilayer adsorption on liquid crystal

droplets for microcapsule synthesis’, Lab On a Chip, 8, 2182-2187, (1473-0197), 2008

Priest, C, Stevens, N I, Sedev, R, Skinner, W

& Ralston, J, (2008), ‘Inferring wettability of

heterogeneous surfaces by ToF-SIMS’, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 320, 563-567,

(0021-9797), 2008

Pushkarova, R & Horn, R, (2008), ‘Bubble-solid

interactions in water and electrolyte solutions’,

Langmuir, 24, (16), 8726-8734, (0743-7463),

2008

Rahman, A B, Kumar, S & Gerson, A, (2008), ‘The

speciation of Si and other alloying elements in

the oxide surface film of galvanically corroded

weld fusion zone of laser welded AA6061

aluminium alloy’, Corrosion Science, 50, 1267-

1273, (0010-938X), 2008

Ralston, J, Popescu, M & Sedev, R, (2008),

‘Dynamics of wetting from an experimental point

of view’, Annual Review of Materials Research,

38, 23-43, (1531-7331), 2008

Ray, S, Sedev, R, Priest, C & Ralston, J, (2008),

‘Influence of the work of adhesion on the

dynamic wetting of chemically heterogeneous

surfaces’, Langmuir, 24, 13007-13012, (0743-

7463), 2008

Saiki, Y, Horn, R & Prestidge, C, (2008), ‘Droplet

structure instability in concentrated emulsions’,

Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 320, (2),

569-574, (0021-9797), 2008

Saiki, Y, Horn, R & Prestidge, C, (2008),

‘Rheological transition of concentrated emulsions

during successive shearing cycles’, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 327, (2), 440-445,

(0021-9797), 2008

Shelat, K J, Dutta, N & Choudhury, N, (2008),

‘Interfacial interaction and morphology of

EVOH and ionomer blends by scanning thermal

microscopy and its correlation with barrier

characteristics’, Langmuir, 24, (10), 5464-5473,

(0743-7463), 2008

Simovic, S & Prestidge, C, (2008), ‘Colloidosomes

from the controlled interaction of submicrometer

triglyceride droplets and hydrophilic silica

nanoparticles’, Langmuir, 24, 7131-7137, (0743-

7463), 2008

Subianto, S, Choudhury, N & Dutta, N, (2008),

‘Palladium-catalyzed phosphonation of SEBS

block copolymer’, Journal of Polymer Science. Part A, Polymer Chemistry, 46, 5431-5441,

(0887-624X), 2008

Szili, E, Kumar, S, Smart, R, Lowe, R, Siaz, E

& Voelcker, N H, (2008), ‘Plasma enhanced

chemical vapour deposition of silica onto

titanium: Analysis of surface chemistry,

morphology and hydroxylation’, Surface Science,

602, 2402-2411, (0039-6028), 2008

Tarasova, A, Griesser, H & Meagher, L, (2008),

‘AFM study of the stability of a dense affinity-

bound liposome layer’, Langmuir, 24, 7371-

7377, (0743-7463), 2008

Tarasova, A, Hamilton-Brown, P, Gengenbach,

T R, Griesser, H & Meagher, L, (2008), ‘Colloid

probe AFM and XPS study of time-dependent

aging of amine plasma polymer coatings in

aqueous media’, Plasma Processes and Polymers, 5, 175-185, (1612-8850), 2008

Terpilowski, K, Krasowska, M, Chibowski, E &

Malysa, K, (2008), ‘Influence of teflon surface

roughness on the contact angle and the bubble

attachment in water’, Polish Journal of Chemistry, 82, 11-16, (0137-5083), 2008

Thierry, B, Jasieniak, M, de Smet, L, Vasilev,

K & Griesser, H, (2008), ‘Reactive epoxy-

functionalized thin films by a pulsed plasma

polymerization process’, Langmuir, 24, (18),

10187-10195, (0743-7463), 2008

Thierry, B, Winnik, F, Merhi, Y, Griesser,

H & Tabrizian, M, (2008), ‘Biomimetic

hemocompatible coatings through

immobilization of hyaluronan derivatives on

metal surfaces’, Langmuir, 24, 11834-11841,

(0743-7463), 2008

Thierry, B, Zimmer, L, McNiven, S, Finnie, K,

Griesser, H & Barbe, C, (2008), ‘Electrostatic self-

assembly of PEG copolymers onto porous silica

nanoparticles’, Langmuir, 24, (NA), 8143-8150,

(0743-7463), 2008

Trinh, M-U, Ralston, J & Fornasiero, D, (2008),

‘Characterisation and stability of lipid-

DNA complexes’, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 67, 85-91, (0927-7765), 2008

Vasilev, K, Britcher, L, Casanal, A S & Griesser,

H, (2008), ‘Solvent induced porosity in ultrathin

amine plasma polymer coatings’, The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part B: Condensed Matter, Materials, Surfaces, Interfaces & Biophy, 112,

(35), 10915-10921, (1520-6106), 2008

50 Whitby, C, Fornasiero, D & Ralston, J, (2008),

‘Effect of oil soluble surfactant in emulsions

stabilised by clay particles’, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 323, 410-419, (0021-9797),

2008

Zbik, M, Smart, R & Morris, G, (2008), ‘Kaolinite

flocculation structure’, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 328, (1), 73-80, (0021-9797),

2008

Zhou, J, Sedev, R, Beattie, D & Ralston, J, (2008),

‘Light-induced aggregation of colloidal gold

nanoparticles capped by thymine derivatives’,

Langmuir, 24, 4506-4511, (0743-7463), 2008

Zhu, H, Kumar, A, Ozkan, J, Bandara, R, Ding, A,

Perera, I, Steinberg, P, Kumar, N, Lao, W, Griesser,

S, Britcher, L, Griesser, H & Willcox, M, (2008),

‘Firmbrolide-coated antimicrobial lenses: Their in

vitro and in vivo effects’, Optometry and Vision Science, 85, (5), 292-300, (1040-5488), 2008

Zuber, K, Fabretto, M, Hall, C & Murphy, P,

(2008), ‘Improved PEDOT conductivity via

suppression of crystallite formation in Fe(III)

Tosylate during vapor phase polymerization’,

Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 29, (18),

1503-1508, (1022-1336), 2008

Refereed Conference Papers

Addai-Mensah, J & Ralston, J, (2008),

‘Polyelectrolyte mediated dewatering of mixed

mineral dispersions’, XXIV International Mineral Processing Congress, Science Press, China, 2087-

2096, Beijing China, XXIV Int Mineral Processing

Congress, (Geng Jianye Eds), 2008

Ametov, I, Grano, S, Zanin, M, Gredelj, S,

Magnuson, R, Bolles, T & Triffet, B, (2008),

‘Copper and molybdenite recovery in plant and

batch laboratory cells in porphyry copper rougher

flotation’, Proceedings of XXIV International Mineral Processing Congress, Science Press,

1129-1137, Beijing, China, XXIV IMPC, (Duo,

Yao, Liang, Long Eds), 2008

Ciccarelli, J M, Li, J, Smart, R, Schumann, R &

Miller, S, (2008), ‘Estimation of acid neutralisation

rate of silicate minerals using kinetic dissolution

cell method’, Proceedings of the Sixth Australian Workshop on Acid and Metalliferous Drainage,

ACMER, 377-380, Burnie, Tasmania, Sixth

Australian Workshop on Acid and Metalliferous

Drainage, (L.C. Bell, B.M.D. Barrie, B. Braddock &

R.W. McLean Eds), 2008

Fornasiero, D & He, S, (2008), ‘Minimising

copper activation of iron sulfide minerals during

grinding’, Proceedings of the 24th International Mineral Processing Congress, Science Press,

1048-1053, Beijing, China, 24th International

Mineral Processing Congress, (Wang Dian Duo,

Sun Chuan Yao, Wang Fu Liang, Zhang Li Cheng,

Han Long Eds), 2008

Gerson, A & Jasieniak, M, (2008), ‘The effect

of surface oxidation on the Cu activation of

entlandite and pyrrhotite’, International Minerals Processing Congress, Science Press, 1054-1063,

Beijing, China, XXIV International Minerals

Processing Congress, (WD Guo, SC Yao, WF

Liang, ZL Cheng, H Long Eds), 2008

Gontijo, C D, Miettinen, T I, Fornasiero, D &

Ralston, J, (2008), ‘Extreme flotation: How

particle size, contact angle and hydrodynamics

influence flotation limits’, Proceedings of the 24th International Mineral Processing Congress, Science Press, 1038-1047, Beijing, China, 24th

International Mineral Processing Congress, (W. D

Duo, S.C. Yao, W.F. Liang, Z.L. Cheng, H. Long

Eds), 2008

He, M, Beattie, D & Addai-Mensah, J, (2008),

‘Sericite-chalcocite particle sliming mechanism

and mitigation’, XXIV International Mineral Processing Congress Proceedings, Science Press,

2159-2168, Beijing, China, XXIV International

Mineral Processing Congress China, (Geng Jiange

Eds), 2008

He, S, Grano, S, Manouchehri, H-R, Fordham,

M & Curral, J, (2008), ‘The detrimental impact

of high pulp temperature on sphalerite flotation

after zinc regrinding in the zinc plant of

Somincor, Lundin Mining Corporation, Neves

Corvo, Portugal’, MetPlant 2008, The Australian

Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 305-324,

Perth, Western Australia, Metallurgical Plant

Design and Operating Strategies, (Dunlop &

Pollard (Conference Convenors) Eds), 2008

He, S, Grano, S, Manoucheri, H-R, Taylor, A &

Lawson, V, (2008), ‘The critical influence of pulp

oxygen content on the separation of pentlandite

from pyrrhotite in two process streams of the

Clarabelle Mill of Vale Inco, Sudbury, Canada’,

Proceedings of XXIV International Mineral Processing Congress, Science Press, 1028-1037,

Beijing, China, XXIV IMPC, (Duo, Yao, Liang,

Long Eds), 2008

Jani, A M, Zhou, J, Nussio, M R, Lowe, R, Losic,

D, Shapter, J & Voelcker, N H, (2008), ‘Pore

spanning lipid bilayers on silanised nanoporous

alumina membranes’, Smart Materials, Nano and Micro-Smart Systems, 2008, SPIE, 72670T- 1-

72670T-10, Melbourne, Australia, Proc of SPIE,

(N.H Viekxker and H.W. Thissen Eds), 2008

Kannan, A G, McInnes, S, Choudhury,

N, Dutta, N & Voelcker, N H, (2008),

‘Designing superhydrophobic surfaces using

fluorosilsesquioxane-urethane hybrid and porous

silicon gradients’, SPIE, Smart Materials, Nano & Micro Smart System, SPIE, 1-10, Melbourne, SPIE,

Smart Materials, Nano & Micro Smart System,

(SPIE Eds), 2008

51

Li, J, Schumann, R, Kawashima, N, Stewart, W

A & Miller, S, (2008), ‘Methodology for sulfur

speciation and more accurate acid potential

assessment of acid rock drainage wastes’,

Proceedings of the Joint Conference of the 6th International Acid Sulfate Soil Conference & the Acid Rock Drainage Symposium, Guangdon

Press Group, 103-107, Guangzhou, China, 6th

International Acid Sulfate Soil Conference & the

Acid Rock Drainage Symposium, (Chuxia Lin,

Shaoewi Huang, Yongtao Li Eds), 2008

Losic, D, Mitchell, J G & Voelcker, N H, (2008),

‘Diatom culture media contain extracellular silica

nanoparticles which form opalescent films’,

Smart Materials, Nano and Micro-Smart Systems, 2008, SPIE, 1-8, Melbourne, Australia, Proc of

SPIE, (N.H Voelcker and H.W. Thissen Eds), 2008

Manouchehri, H-R, (2008), ‘Mapping and

development of shredding plant stream to

improve quality of recycled materials and protect

environment’, Proceedings of XXIV International Mineral Processing Congress, Science Press,

3513-3521, Beijing, China, XXIV IMPC, (Duo,

Yao, Liang, Long Eds), 2008

Mayavan, S, Choudhury, N & Dutta, N, (2008),

‘Polymer stabilized noble metal colloids for

catalytic and biomedical applications’, SPIE Smart Materials, Nano+Micro-Smart Systems, SPIE, 1-9,

Melbourne, Australia, SPIE- SMART MATERIALS,

Nano+Micro Smart Systems, (SPIE Eds), 2008

Muganda, S, Zanin, M & Grano, S, (2008),

‘Flotation behaviour of sulphide mineral size

fractions with controlled contact angle’, Chemeca 2008 Conference, Engineers Australia, 142-151,

Newcastle, NSW, Chemeca 2008, (GJ Jameson

(Chairman) Eds), 2008

Nosrati, A, Addai-Mensah, J & Skinner, W,

(2008), ‘Interfacial chemistry and particle

interactions in clay mineral dispersions’, Chemeca 2008 Conference Proceedings, Inst of Chemical

Engineering Australia, 670-679, Newcastle,

Australia, Chemeca 2008 Conference Newcastle

NSW Australia, (Graeme Jameson Eds), 2008

Quast, K, Ding, L, Fornasiero, D & Ralston, J,

(2008), ‘Effect of slime clay particles on coal

flotation’, Proceedings of the CHEMECA 2008 Conference, Engineers Australia, 130-139,

Newcastle, NSW, CHEMECA 2008, (CMS

Australia Eds), 2008

Schumann, R, Miller, S, Rusdinar, Y, Smart,

R, Kawashima, N & Weissmann, D, (2008),

‘Towards understanding the chemistry of

limestone mitigation of acid and metalliferous

drainage in waste rock dumps - from laboratory

to field experiments’, Proceedings of the Sixth Australian Workshop on Acid and Metalliferous Drainage, ACMER, 63-76, Burnie, Tasmania, Sixth

Australian Workshop on Acid and Metalliferous

Drainage, (L.C. Bell, B.M.D. Barrie, B. Braddock &

R.W. McLean Eds), 2008

Tan, S Y, Whitby, C, Fornasiero, D & Ralston, J,

(2008), ‘Brownian diffusion of ultrafine particles

to gas bubbles’, Proceedings of the CHEMECA 2008 Conference, Engineers Australia, 823-

832, Newcastle, NSW, CHEMECA 2008, (CMS

Australasia Eds), 2008

Velleman, L, Shapter, J & Losic, D, (2008),

‘Atomic layer deposition of SiO2 on porous

alumina membranes: Controlling the pore size

and transport properties’, Smart Materials, Nano

and Micro-Smart Systems, 2008, SPIE, 7267OS

1-7267OS 8, Melbourne, Australia, Proc of SPIE,

(Nicholas H. Voelcker, Helmut W. Thissen Eds),

2008

Velleman, L, Shapter, J & Losic, D, (2008),

‘Engineered gold nanotube membranes for

molecular separations’, International Conference on Nanoscience and Nanotechonology, IEEE,

86-89, Melbourne, Australia, ICONN 2008, (ieee

Eds), 2008

Ye, X, Gredelj, S & Grano, S, (2008), ‘Optimising

regrinding chemistry for pyrrhotite flotation’,

Chemeca 2008 Conference, Engineers Australia,

98-107, Newcastle, NSW, Chemeca 2008, (GJ

Jameson (Chairman) Eds), 2008

Yeap, K Y, Addai-Mensah, J & Beattie, D, (2008),

‘Shear responsive flocculation and improved

dewaterability of talc suspensions’, Chemeca Conference 2008 Proceedings, Inst Chem

Eng Australia, 660-669, Newcastle, Australia,

Chemeca 2008 Conference, Newcastle, NSW

Australia, (Graeme Jameson Eds), 2008

Zanin, M, Gredelj, S & Grano, S, (2008), ‘Factors

affecting froth stability in mineral flotation

and implications on minerals recovery: A case

study’, Procemin 2008 V International Mineral Processing Seminar, GECAMIN Ltd, 197-206,

Santiago Chile, Procemin 2008, (Kuyvenhoven,

Gomez, Casali Eds), 2008

International Collaborators

52

USA Bechtel National IncCytec Industries IncFreeport McMoRan Copper and Gold IncNewcrest Resources IncRio Tinto Kennecott Utah CopperUniversity of ChicagoUniversity of Florida University of Utah

Brazil Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul University of Sao PauloVale

Canada COREM Lundin Mining Corporation Teck Cominco Ltd McGill University Phelps Dodge Mining CompanySimon Fraser University University of Alberta University of Western Ontario Vale Inco Ltd

Chile BHP Billiton (Base Metals)

United Kingdom University of Bristol pSi Medica Limited University of Leeds

Australia

South Australia Amdel LtdBHP Billiton (Olympic Dam Corporation) Pty Ltd BioInnovation SA Cancer Council of South Australia Carl Zeiss Vision Australia Citech Research Pty LtdDepartment of Primary Industries & Resources – South Australian GovernmentFlinders UniversityITEK Pty LtdLabTech Systems Ltd Premier’s Science & Research Fund – South Australian Government Research Laboratories of AustraliaRoyal Adelaide HospitalSouth Australian Museum

Heading

H

Belgium University of Mons-Hainaut

Finland Abo Akademi UniversityCP Kelco OyMetso Minerals OyOutotec

France CPE LyonUniversity of MontpellierUniversity Pierre and Marie Curie

Germany Max-Planck Institute for Colloid and Interface Science Max-Planck Institute for Metals Research Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research

India Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

PR China Shanghai Institute of Microsystems & Information TechnologyTianjin University

Portugal Somincor S.A

South Africa Anglo Platinum Ltd University of Cape Town

Sweden Boliden Minerals AB Lulea University of Technology KTH - Royal Institute of Technology

Switzerland ETH Zurich

UkraineInstitute of Colloid Chemistry & Water Chemistry

Japan University of Tokyo

Papua New Guinea Ok Tedi Mining Ltd

New Zealand University of Otago

University of AdelaideVisiocorp Australia Pty Ltd

ACT Australia-India Strategic Research Fund – Australian GovernmentAustralian Research Council National Health and Medical Research Council – Australian GovernmentNational Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy – Australian Government

Victoria AMIRA International LtdAustralian Antarctic Program – Australian GovernmentAustralian Synchrotron Company LtdCRC for Advanced Automotive TechnologyCRC for Polymers

CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering CSIRO Minerals Huntsman Corporation Australia Pty Ltd MHE Technologies LtdMonash UniversityNyrstarOrica Australia Pty LtdOZ Minerals LtdRio Tinto Ltd Starpharma Holdings LtdUniversity of Melbourne

New South Wales Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation BHP Billiton Ltd Fermiscan LtdUniversity of NewcastleUniversity of Wollongong

Western Australia BHP Billiton Nickel West Ltd CSIRO Petroleum Cytec Australia Holdings Pty Ltd Magotteaux Australia Pty Ltd Norilsk Process Technology Pty LtdPenford Australia LtdpSivida LtdTalison Minerals Pty LtdTeck Cominco LtdTiwest Joint VentureZBB Technologies Ltd

Queensland BHP Billiton Mitsubishi AllianceCSIRO Livestock Industries Intellection Pty Ltd University of QueenslandXstrata CopperXstrata Technology