The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced more than $4.5 million in funding for two Monash University-led projects that will enable the discovery of new materials to drive the global transition to a sustainable energy future.

ARENA will contribute vital funding for Monash to establish a $7 million world-leading facility at the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication to accelerate the development of new materials through both vacuum and printing processes.

The facility, made available through the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP), will significantly bolster Australia’s competitiveness in the development of next-generation solar cells, solar fuels, as well as batteries and various other types of new energy technologies.

Monash University professor of chemical engineering and ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science investigator Udo Bach leads the team of researchers.

This materials discovery tool will bring together advanced robotics, automation and artificial intelligence concepts to rapidly synthesise, deposit and test the properties of new generations of printable and ‘paint on’ energy materials.

The new facility will be able to run autonomously for 24 hours, continuously making and characterising thin film coatings. This will allow future users to speed up their experimental throughput by at least 100-times compared to conventional research practices.

“Monash is a world leader in energy science and engineering. This facility will dramatically increase the rate of discovery in the energy materials space as Australia, and indeed other countries globally, prioritise a reduction in carbon emissions and a transition to sustainable energy sources,” Udo explains.

ARENA has also funded a number of projects across renewable energy fields. To find out more, visit https://www.acap.org.au/grants