Deakin University home to Australia’s first world-class Nuclear Magnetic Resonance facility

Deakin University is to have the only world-class Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) imaging facility in Australia following the announcement of $1.294 million of Federal Government support for the infrastructure in Geelong today.

The Australian Research Council Linkage Infrastructure Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) funding was announced by Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

Deakin University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Lee Astheimer, thanked Senator Carr for the funding saying it provided excellent support for what is an exciting addition to the University's growing research facilities at the Waurn Ponds Campus in Geelong.

"This facility will support important high impact research that will enhance not just Deakin's, but Australia's reputation as a centre of research excellence, particularly in research that is responsive to community needs," Professor Astheimer said.

The NMR facility, one of just a handful around the world, will create a unique capability in Australia for in-situ imaging of processes in devices such as batteries, fuel cells and gas adsorption/separation membranes.

The NMR's accurate chemical detection capabilities will help in developing more efficient batteries, for instance, that will potentially lead to better ways in which to power the bionic ear, an area in which Deakin University's Professor Maria Forsyth has already provided global leadership.

"The facility will support and enhance high quality research in the areas of electromaterials and nanotechnology, light metal alloys, biotechnology and energy related devices," Professor Astheimer said.

"This research will lead to new materials and new technologies in clean energy, carbon dioxide capture and health care – all issues we can relate to at both the local and global levels.

"As well as thanking Senator Carr, I also want to congratulate Professor Forsyth from Deakin who led this collaborative bid that also includes Monash University, University of Wollongong and the CSIRO Divisions of Energy Technology and Materials Science and Engineering."

In addition to this Federal Government grant, the $2.6 million facility will be funded by $1 million from Deakin University with the remainder to be provided by the collaborating institutions.

Deakin University also received an additional $430,000 worth of funding under the ARC LIEF scheme to help establish Australia's only large scale, research-dedicated extrusion facility.

This will support fundamental research into the development of new light metal alloys and structures like those used in the University's highly successful Smart Bike project.