Cosmos
Cosmos is a quarterly science magazine. We aim to inspire curiosity in ‘The Science of Everything’ and make the world of science accessible to everyone.
By Cosmos
Written by Dr Kelly Wade in partnership with RMIT University (School of Science)
From tiny biosensors to greener mining and energy-harvesting materials, applied chemistry is unlocking innovations that can transform health, industry, and the environment.
Picture this: a farmer sweeps a handheld device over a crop and, within seconds, knows whether an invisible pathogen is at work. Underground, wastewater flows through a carefully engineered pathway, emerging free of its valuable metals — reclaimed without releasing carbon into the air. On a rooftop, a wafer-thin film stirs in the breeze, drawing power from nothing more than the moving air.
Compact enough to rest in your palm, yet engineered with atomic precision, these innovations are not scenes from science fiction but milestones in applied chemistry.
Across Australia, researchers are pushing the boundaries of how we detect threats, reclaim resources, and capture energy from the world around us. Together, their work reveals a future where chemistry not only explains our world but helps restore it.
Seeing the invisible: biosensors transforming global biosecurity
In healthcare, agriculture, and environmental protection, timing is everything. Detecting a threat early can mean the difference between containment and crisis. Yet many dangers spread silently. From bacteria that endanger newborns, to agricultural pests that threaten food supplies, to microplastics and chemical residues that infiltrate ecosystems, hazards often go unnoticed until the damage is widespread and lasting.
For more than a decade, Professor Vipul Bansal and his team at RMIT’s Ian Potter NanoBiosensing Facility have been working to tip the balance in our favour.
“The RMIT team is developing low-cost nanosensor technologies that have started to approach the ultrasensitivity of molecular assays in a point-of-use environment, without the need for laboratory infrastructure or expertise,” says Professor Bansal.
In simpler terms, their nanosensors can detect trace amounts of a target substance without specialised labs or equipment. Designed for portable, low-cost devices, these tests could be deployed anywhere — from clinics to farm gates.
The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how even modestly sensitive rapid tests could help manage a global crisis. Professor Bansal’s goal is to push this further: creating pocket-sized tests with laboratory accuracy. Already, the team is working with industry and government partners to translate their technology into real-world applications.
In healthcare, a new test for Group B Streptococcus in pregnant women’ — developed by Bansal’s team — is being manufactured by Nexsen Limited and trialled at Northern Health in Victoria. In agriculture and biosecurity, Dr Pabudi Weerathunge is developing nanosensors to detect plant pathogens with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, while Dr Satya Sarker is collaborating with CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness to enable in-field diagnosis of African Swine Fever.
From the patient bedside to the quarantine checkpoint, these nanosensors promise a future where threats are spotted long before they become disasters.
Mining a greener future with sustainable mineral processing
We rely on mining to support society, provide raw materials for green technologies, and enable the shift to sustainable energy. Recycling is vital but cannot meet demand. The mining industry, however, faces growing challenges: declining ore grades, increasingly complex deposits, and rising impurities like arsenic. Meanwhile, energy and fresh water costs are climbing, and the pressure to reduce environmental impact is intensifying. Extracting metals from low-grade ores and waste streams, while keeping operations economically viable and environmentally responsible, has become one of the sector’s defining tests.
CSIRO (Professor Miao Chen) and RMIT (Professor Kim Dowling) and their teams are leading work in low-carbon extractive metallurgy. Their research explores cleaner ways to recover metals from sources once considered too difficult or uneconomic, from complex ore bodies to industrial byproducts. Techniques such as bioleaching harness naturally occurring microorganisms to dissolve and separate minerals, offering an energy-efficient alternative to traditional, high-temperature methods.
The team is also developing sensing tools for real-time mineral processing and environmental monitoring. One initiative tackles arsenic contamination in copper processing by finding pathways to lock the toxin safely away while maximising recovery.
RMIT’s expertise also feeds into major international projects, such as the €6 million DIAMETER project, which is building digital tools to boost the circularity and sustainability of metal production. By combining advanced chemistry, process engineering, and data-driven modelling, the project aims to reduce waste, cut emissions, and extend the lifecycle of metals.
This work aligns with RMIT’s Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry (CAMIC), which brings multidisciplinary researchers together to address global challenges with industry. In a sector often seen as part of the problem, this research shows that mining can also be part of the solution, helping create a future where metals have a lighter footprint and a longer life.
Small energy, big impact
Renewable energy often conjures images of vast solar farms or towering wind turbines, but some of the most transformative advances are happening at the smallest scales. At RMIT’s Applied Chemistry and Environmental Science (ACES) group, Dr Peter Sherrell, Dr Joseph Olorunyomi, Dr Derek Hao and colleagues are developing ways to capture and use energy exactly where it’s needed — no grid connection or bulky battery required.
Their work explores how materials can convert ambient sources of energy — like the movement of water molecules, small temperature differences, or even the vibration of surfaces — into usable power. Imagine wearable electronics powered by moisture in the air, sensors that run indefinitely from tiny changes in heat, or devices that make industrial chemical reactions more efficient by harvesting mechanical motion. Dr Sherrell is also exploring carbon capture, asking “can we make a material that pulls CO₂ out of the atmosphere just from wind blowing?”
The team has already shown that they can harvest freshwater from air using sunlight, capture waste heat through environmentally friendly alternatives to forever chemicals, and even upcycle polystyrene into membranes that can split water, remediate pollution, and generate energy.
“It’s amazing how much energy we can make just by changing how material interfaces interact with each other under motion, and it’s exciting to explore what we can use it for!” — Dr Peter Sherrell.
Individually, these energy gains may seem modest, but at scale they could make industries more sustainable, extend the life of devices in the field, and open new ways of powering the essential systems.
Their work tackling energy challenges has been increasing in scale.
Headlined by the Centre for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing (CAN), Professors Baohua Jia and Tianyi Ma lead large teams through initiatives such as the ARC Research Hub for Intelligent Energy Efficiency in Future Protected Cropping, and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Optical Microcombs for Breakthrough Science.
Meanwhile, Professor Rachel Caruso leads the RMIT node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Green Electrochemical Transformation of Carbon Dioxide, tackling one of the planet’s biggest energy and emissions challenges.
Applied chemistry at the heart of change
From detecting threats before they strike, to recovering metals with a lighter footprint, to drawing power from the subtlest movements of air and water, applied chemistry is reshaping what’s possible. These breakthroughs show that solutions to our most urgent challenges may come not from grand gestures, but from precise innovations — each one engineered to make a measurable difference. And in the hands of researchers pushing boundaries every day, that difference can be world-changing.
Want to delve into more of this world-leading applied chemistry research, partner with RMIT to bring new technologies to market, or join the next generation of scientists driving innovation in applied chemistry? Get in touch with our team here.
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