Our research group aims at attracting postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows with an excellent academic record and with keen interest in physical chemistry of interfaces and materials science. I invite applications to carry out research projects in my group for a minimum duration of six months. Scholarship and fellowship opportunities are listed below.
Honours projects
Several Honours projects are available in the Neto group, as listed below. Please contact Professor Chiara Neto by e-mail if you would like to know more. For up-to-date projects, we have a page accessible by University of Sydney students (click here).
Please feel free to email me and members of my group for further information.
Topic 1: Slippery covalently attached liquid surfaces (SCALS)
Liquid repellence is important in many applications, such as self-cleaning, anti-fouling and anti-bacterial coatings. The ability for liquids to be repelled and slip over surfaces without leaving contamination behind can be enhanced if the surface has liquid-like properties. Slippery Covalently Attached Liquid (SCAL) surfaces are smooth surfaces coated in grafted layers that have liquid-like properties.
Project 1: Relating the liquid-like state of SCALS to chain polydispersity
This Honours project involves synthesising grafted polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layers with different chain polydispersity and relating this to the wettability properties of SCAL surfaces. Data from a homologous series of surfaces will result in the mapping of the properties that best achieve slippery properties.
Project 2: Understanding the antifouling properties of SCALS
This Honours project involves investigating two apparently contradicting aspects of SCAL surfaces, the ability to easily shed droplets and prevent fouling, while also easily collecting dust from the environment. In this project you will conduct controlled fouling studies to understand the mechanism behind the behaviour of these exceptional liquid-like surfaces.
Project 3: Making liquid-like microtextured surfaces
This Honours project involves the synthesis of grafted layers of polydimethylsiloxane on solid microtextured substrates, made with laser ablation by our collaborators in Germany. The project will combine experimental procedures already established in the lab to produce new textured surfaces which have anti-adhesive as well as superhydrophobic properties.
Project 4: Collecting water with micropatterned slippery surfaces
The collection of atmospheric water through condensation and fog harvesting is a viable resource that could one day alleviate the global scarcity of clean water resources. Increasing the efficiency of water collection is a surface science problem, and involves designing surface coatings that on a one hand facilitate the nucleation of water droplets from vapour and on the other hand allow for the easy roll-off of the condensed droplets to be collected. This Honours project will explore the fabrication of bioinspired micropatterned surfaces that contain hydrophilic patches on a hydrophobic background, both with slippery properties, the former enabling the nucleation of water droplets, the latter their easy roll-off.
Topic 2: Imaging of the nucleation bubbles
In 2022 we revealed that the nucleation of nanobubbles is a frequent phenomenon on structured hydrophobic surfaces immersed in water, including when the surfaces are infused with a lubricant. This effect has not been observed before, and there are many questions to be answered regarding the mechanism of nanobubble nucleation, the stability of the nanobubbles under flow, and the ability to generate them on demand.
Project 5: Imaging microbubbles om immersed surfaces under flow
This Honours project involves imaging microbubbles on wrinkled lubricant-infused surfaces under an applied flow, using confocal microscopy already used in our group. The affinity of the lubricant for the structured surface, the shear rate applied, and gas content in water will be varied to determine their effect on nanobubble stability.
Project 6:
Postgraduate projects
For postgraduate projects in the Neto group search for Neto on Research Supervisor Connect.
Examples of available projects are also listed below. Please contact Professor Chiara Neto by e-mail if you would like to know more.
- PhD Project in Microfluidics – Experimental
- PhD Project in Microfluidics – Computational
- Functional coatings for atmospheric water capture
- Anti-fouling properties of slippery coatings
The University of Sydney offers more than 600 research scholarships for students enrolling in a postgraduate research degree. For more information please visit both the Faculty of Science Scholarship page and the School of Chemistry Scholarship page.
Postdoctoral positions
Visit our Research Fellowship page or our Position Vacant page for available positions.
The University of Sydney is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to equity, diversity and social inclusion. Applications from equity target groups and women are encouraged. The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment for financial or other reasons.