Phosphorus compounds are unavoidable and unwanted bi-products of many industrial and agricultural enterprises. This project will investigate chemical means of removal and analysis of phosphate using novel synthetic advanced materials.

This project, in collaboration with the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, University of Wollongong, aims to develop a conducting polymer based air quality monitor. Various conducting polymer compositions (with an initial focus on polypyrrole) will be investigated for use in an array based electronic nose suitable for monitoring volatile organics released from carpets, paints, furniture etc.

Currently nitrates in environmental water samples are analysed by a range of techniques, many of which are laboratory based and/or suffer from significant interferences. This project will study the use of electrospun fibres in a new nitrate sensor employing one of the most important conducting polymers, polyaniline, as the active component.

This project involves the design of suitable metal chelating resins that are inexpensive, self-indicating (i.e. exhibiting a colour change when metal binding occurs), and are selective for metals such as Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd. These metal chelating resins will be used as the receiving phase in DGT samplers to enable in-filed quatification of metal concentrations from environmental samples.