News | General
Briefs Auto Aftermarket Show for Melbourne
The Australian Auto Aftermarket Expo, co-located with the Collision Repair Expo is the nation’s only comprehensive exhibition for Australia’s $25 billion aftermarket industry. The show will showcase more than 250 of the country’s leading brands. Hosted by the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), the Expo is run by the industry, for the industry and will take place 7 – 9 April 2022, at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. With the theme ’The Workshop of the Future is Here’ the Expo will showcase the latest vehicle repair and servicing equipment, parts, tools and accessories, new technology and trends. More information at: www.autoaftermarketexpo.com.au Australian Manufacturing Week goes to Sydney Australian Manufacturing Week is scheduled to take place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney on 7 – 10 June 2022. Admission is free to trade personnel. More information is at www.australianmanufacturingweek.com.au Self-repairing tyres
STEM gender equality investments An additional $6.7 million in federal government funding has been secured for Science & Technology Australia’s Superstars of STEM program and is backing the Women in STEM ambassador initiative, including its Future You campaign. Making the announcement on International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the investments aim to support gender equity in STEM, building on $147 million of related investments. The federal government will invest $2 million in the Superstars of STEM program, allowing it to develop an additional 120 women Superstars into future leaders. An additional $2.4 million will support the Women in STEM ambassador initiative. Only 20 percent of girls reported being interested in STEM jobs before 2018, but now upwards of 68 percent of girls are now interested in a STEM career. In addition to the funding announced in February, the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) has been named the sole implementing partner for the federal government’s 7-year $41.2 million “Boosting the Next Generation of Women in STEM” fund, through a transformational program named Elevate.
Elevate will award up to 500 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships to women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The program aims to address gender inequities in STEM through fostering more women-led industry academia collaborations in applied research and business, growing skills of women in STEM and by propelling women into senior leadership. ATSE and its partners will co-design a highquality program spanning industry, academia and government to upskill women with STEM qualifications, research and business expertise, so they can lead and shape a dynamic and impactful Australian STEM sector. The program will help create a diverse, inclusive and vibrant STEM ecosystem that can attract, retain and progress girls and women into STEM education and careers.
New Monash lithium-sulphur battery improves performance and lifespan Researchers from Monash University have taken another step towards the holy grail of renewable energy: the ability to store it cheaply. The team has created a new lithium-sulphur battery interlayer that promotes exceptionally fast lithium transfer, also improving the performance and lifetime of the batteries.
Michelin Selfseal seals a hole in the tyre tread at the very moment it is made. At the heart of this technology is a thin layer, which is a few millimetres thick, of tough sealant based on natural rubber which is applied to the inside surface of the tread. If a nail or screw punctures the tyre and the sealant, the pressure inside the tyre immediately forces this tough mass against the foreign object as it penetrates. This stops air escaping from the tyre, and the tyre pressure stays constant. If the nail or other object falls out as the vehicle drives on, or if it is removed, the sealant is immediately forced after it, reliably sealing the tyre. Selfseal tyres will plug around 90 percent of all tread punctures with a diameter of up to six millimetres that have been caused by nails and screws. 16 | March 2022
This cheaper, greener and faster lithiumsulfur battery enables the charge and discharge of batteries and discharge of energy at a much faster rate than previously offered and can be made in Australia. This latest breakthrough into lithium battery development by a team from Monash University’s Faculty of Engineering is led by Professor Matthew Hill, Dr Mahdokht Shaibani and Professor Mainak Majumber, in partnership with the CSIRO. “A lithium battery interlayer sits in the middle of the battery and keeps the electrodes apart, it helps lithium get from one side of the battery to the other faster. The new interlayer overcomes the slower charge and discharge rates of previous generation lithium-sulfur batteries,” said Professor Hill. Lithium-sulphur batteries offer higher energy density and reduced costs compared with the
previous generation of lithium-ion batteries; they can store two-to-five times as much energy by weight than the current generation of lithium-ion batteries. This means a car with one of these batteries might only need to be charged once a week. However, previously, the electrodes in lithium-sulphur batteries deteriorated rapidly and the batteries broke down. The new interlayer delivers high capacity and long-life. “The interlayer stops polysulfides, a chemical that forms inside this type of battery, from moving across the battery; polysulfides interfere with the anode and shorten the battery life. It means the battery can be charged and discharged as many as 2000 times without failing,” said lead author, PhD candidate Ehsan Ghasemiestabanati. Additionally, lithium-sulfur batteries do not rely on metals like cobalt, nickel and manganese, which are critical minerals found in lithium-ion batteries.
