Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering
Zachary Di Pietro, a PhD candidate at the University of Newcastle and Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE ) Postgraduate Research Award recipient, has received the 2025 Ezio Rizzardo Polymer Scholarship from the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering (ATSE) for his innovative work on synthesising and characterising polymer brushes for ultra-low friction surface applications.
An integrated multi-year research program, led by Prof Grant Webber and Prof Erica Wanless at the University of Newcastle, Prof Stuart Prescott at UNSW, and Instrument Group Manager Dr Andrew Nelson at the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, is examining and fully characterising the convoluted behaviour and properties of polymer brushes in complex environments, mixed electrolytes and non-aqueous solutions.
