Case studies

ANFF clients perform exciting and innovative research across a broad range of fields, from agriculture to healthcare to mining and electronics. The stories below showcase some of the amazing advances that ANFF-Qld has supported.

Case studies from the ANFF National network can be found on the ANFF website.

ANFF are interested in abstract submissions for the 2024 ANFF Casebook – ANFF Next 2024.

Please submit your abstract via their submission page.  The deadline for submission is Tuesday 30th April 2024. If you have any questions, please contact ANFF Communications Officer Janie Sue Brooks .  Writing assistance will be provided for the selected projects.

Dancing helium

University of Queensland researchers are using a fluid that never settles to create quantum tornadoes on a chip.

View Case Study

Super spinifex

UQ researchers are commercialising a class of reinforcing nanofibres that have the potential to create an entirely new industry in rural Queensland.

View Case Study

Personalising nutrition

A wearable smart patch could deliver precision data to help people personalise their diets and reduce their risk of developing lifestyle-related chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes.

View Case Study

Ecofriendly pesticides get an efficiency boost

Researchers from The University of Queensland have paved the way for wide use of high-performance ecofriendly pesticides by encasing them in nanoparticles, making them sturdier and stickier.

View Case Study

Skin-deep sensing

A new sensor from QLD-based company, WearOptimo, could provide medical professionals with a tool to forecast which COVID-19 patients are on the path to severe respiratory distress allowing earlier, more appropriate treatment.

View Case Study

Affordable SiC deposition at production scale

Through an advanced suite of tools and substantial expertise, ANFF-Q specialises in microfluidics, organic electronics and optoelectronics, biomaterials, novel semiconductor materials and characterisation.

View Case Study

Targeting brain tumours

Treating brain cancer is very complex and challenging. Treatment must target cancer tissue without damaging surrounding non-cancer tissue. Another challenge is to determine if the new drug is delivered to the tumour.

View Case Study

Counteracting Coronavirus with ANFF-Q and UQ infrastructure

Understanding a novel virus is the first step in developing effective diagnosis, prophylactic vaccines and therapeutics.

View Case Study

Expanding spinifex success

Traditionally used by Indigenous Australians for building materials, household goods and weapons, spinifex grass, a sacred symbol of resilience which embodies significant Indigenous traditional knowledge, has recently revealed exciting possibilities at the nano-scale.

View Case Study

Gold nanoparticles detect signals from cancer cells

A novel blood test that uses gold nanoparticles to detect cancer has also been shown to identify signals released by cancer cells which could result in earlier diagnosis and better treatment.

View Case Study

Solar technology breakthrough

The development of next generation solar power technology that has potential to be used as a flexible ‘skin’ over hard surfaces has moved a step closer, thanks to a significant breakthrough from ANFF-Q clients.

View Case Study

Growing kidneys from skin cells: new stem cell device to speed up discoveries

For patients with kidney failure, the ability to replace a damaged kidney with a healthy kidney grown from their own cells could be a life saver. Now, ANFF-Q clients from the University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) have developed a remarkable new research tool that could help make this a reality.

View Case Study

Ultrafast, portable solar‐rechargeable batteries for the smart energy era

A collaborative team of ANFF-Q clients has developed an ultrafast and portable solar‐rechargeable battery with high efficiency, which can simultaneously harvest and store solar energy. These solar-rechargeable electric energy storage systems (SEESSs) will provide renewable power sources for smart grids, electric vehicles, portable electronics and the internet of things (IoTs).

View Case Study

Enlightened cancer detection: responsive luminescence probe allows early cancer detection and treatment monitoring

An international collaborative research team, led by Dr Run Zhang, has developed a new responsive probe for visualisation and quantitative monitoring of formaldehyde biomarkers in cancer cells and tumours.

View Case Study

Which 3-layer is best? A study of ohmic contacts

Researchers from RMIT, La Trobe and Griffith Universities have worked together to create improved electrical contacts for high power devices using silicon carbide (SiC). The results of this close collaborative project have been published in Microelectronic Engineering.

View Case Study

Novel “smart” gene delivery system heals broken hearts

Cardiovascular disease kills one Australian every 12 minutes. Improved treatments are essential for tackling this major health problem. Researchers at The University of Queensland have developed a new gene therapy-based treatment to guide hearts to heal themselves.

View Case Study

A valuable new targeting system for human breast cancer diagnosis and therapy

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is very aggressive, and developing some effective target therapies is crucial for TNBC treatment. Professor Gordon Xu’s research team have developed a new delivery system based on lipid-coated calcium phosphate nanoparticles to significantly increase delivery efficiency of siRNA and therapeutic agents to TNBC tumour tissue.

View Case Study

Magnetic micromixer for non-magnetic samples

Contactless sample preparation for the lab-on-a-chip.

View Case Study

Patterning cell cultures using mechanical signals

A cell-stretching platform that can direct cell culture growth for more efficient drug screening.

View Case Study

Hand-powered cell separation device

A robust solution for processing fluid samples without the need for electric power.

View Case Study

The path to lightweight solar power

An international collaboration is leading the way to lightweight, flexible solar cells suitable for wearable solar power.

View Case Study

Plasmid DNA delivery: nanotopography matters

By altering the nanotopography of engineered plasmid DNA vectors, researchers from The University of Queensland have significantly improved transfection efficacy and reduced transfection decay.

View Case Study

Improved thermal energy storage for solar plants

Researchers at QUT are investigating nickel superalloys for improved performance in thermal energy storage (TES) systems.

View Case Study

One step micro-moulding method for the integration of complex 3D structures in microfluidic devices

We’ve optimised Nanoscribe fabrication parameters for SU8 and developed a protocol to integrate these complex Nanoscribe-fabricated features into microfluidic devices in a single resist layer.

View Case Study

Adding nanomaterials to improve lubricants

The quest for an environmentally friendly substitute to oil-based lubricants has led a University of Queensland team to investigate nano-additive water-based alternatives.

View Case Study

A new technique for direct writing of arbitrary 3D micro-hollow structures

The use of ANFF-Q’s Nanoscribe has enabled Caizhi Liao, a University of Queensland PhD student, to create a series of elegantly designed micro-hollow structures, including the volcanic-shape micro-pore, micro-needle, micro-valve, micro-electrode and micro-robot.

View Case Study

Australia has taken the lead in producing SiC sensors

Griffith University’s Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre (QMNC) is combining high-quality silicon carbide (SiC) nanofilms with MEMS devices to produce robust sensors for harsh environments.

View Case Study

Running 10 000 experiments in parallel

Having successfully spun out of The University of Queensland in 2016, US-based Scaled Biolabs has begun unlocking new cell therapies using its miniaturised cell culture lab that runs nearly 10,000 experiments in parallel.

View Case Study

Storing solid hydrogen for energy applications

Hydrogen is naturally abundant, volatile gas at room temperatures – but when used as a fuel source it produces no pollution, making it a favourite of those investigating a clean energy future.

View Case Study

Grow-your-own miniature hearts

Dr James Hudson and a team from The University of Queensland have created a device that provides researchers with easy-access to tissue that models cardiovascular diseases and could help discover new therapies for patients.

View Case Study

One-step microfluidic device for assembling tumour-targeting liposomes

Dr Chun-Xia Zhao’s team from The University of Queensland have developed a new one-step microfluidic self-assembly method for manufacturing multifunctional targeted liposomes with precisely controlled properties.

View Case Study
A laser field was used to draw energy from waves traveling on the superfluid’s surface. Credit: Christopher Baker.

Revolutionising navigational systems

When helium gets cold, it starts to get really cool. At temperatures close to absolute zero, it becomes a liquid that never rests.

View Case Study

Dip-and-drag: a new way to test inter-fibre forces

University of Queensland researchers have found a new way to measure inter-fibre forces, allowing for the creation of stronger and more durable materials.

View Case Study

Optical sensing networks for hazardous environments

Modern technology allows information to be transmitted in many forms, but most of them aren’t suited to hazardous environments. In parts of the resources industries any potential ignition source could cause catastrophic damage but data still needs to be collected and reported.

View Case Study

A step towards mass production of graphene devices

Development of new deposition and sublimation techniques to create device-quality graphene for large-scale manufacturing.

View Case Study

New approaches to MRI

Researchers at the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology engineer a new class of imaging agents that promise to allow much clearer definition and mapping of diseased tissue.

View Case Study

Microfluidic devices for molecular and cellular targets

A team at the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have discovered a new physical phenomenon that could lead to a new generation of ultra-sensitive point-of-care diagnostic devices.

View Case Study

Global Innovation Award for Graphene-on-Silicon Carbide MEMS technology

Using ANFF-Q’s Australian-first SiC epitaxial reactor, researchers from Griffith University have developed a substantially cheaper way to obtain high-quality patterned graphene at the wafer-level, enabling creation of extraordinarily sensitive and versatile chemical micro-sensors.

View Case Study

Sustainable building materials for a global market

ANFF-Q enables Queensland SME to create new sustainable building materials for a world market by providing easy access to world-class R&D infrastructure.

View Case Study

Better sensors for mining environments

Researchers at Griffith University have developed world-first silicon carbide nanowires for use in nanoscale sensors that are suitable for harsh environments.

View Case Study

A world first for graphene-based energy storage

World-first fabrication of graphene-based micro-devices using silicon carbide films on silicon wafers.

View Case Study

Directing the self-assembly of transistor components

A team of researchers from The University of Queensland and Intel Corporation have combined light-based techniques with self-assembly to print nanoscale features approximately 5 000 times narrower than the width of a human hair.

View Case Study

Understanding the hydrogen release mechanism

Unprecedented discovery in bulk MgH2 dehydriding will contribute significantly towards the development of large scale commercial hydrogen storage systems, and efficient and safe hydrogen filling stations for fuel cell vehicles in modern transport systems.

View Case Study

Development of high performance and environmentally friendly solder materials

Collaborating with ANFF-Q, researchers from The Nihon Superior Centre for the Manufacture of Electronic Materials have developed a process to stabilise Cu6Sn5 and prevent failure of soldered interconnects in electronic devices.

View Case Study

Streamlining the Bayer process

Researchers at The University of Queensland have found a new way to immobilise gibbsite fine particles during alumina production, providing new insight into the Bayer process—a technology of high economic importance to the Australian resources industry.

View Case Study

Vaxxas’ Nanopatch™ development supported by ANFF-Q

Vaxxas' proprietary Nanopatch™ technology aims to provide an optimized, differentiated needle-free vaccine delivery solution that safely and cost effectively amplifies vaccine efficacy.

View Case Study

Delivering drugs directly to cells using nanoparticles

Professor Michael Yu’s research team, with support from ANFF-Q, have developed a novel method for preparing nanoparticles to improve biomolecule loading capacity and cell delivery.

View Case Study