Kazuhiro Nogita

In 2002 I became aware, through following international literature, that the Mg-Ni system was a suitable candidate for hydrogen storage applications. I applied my experience in solidification, control and characterisation of eutectic microstructures to investigate bulk casting as means of producing a suitable alloy from this system. The research was novel in the field of hydrogen storage alloys as it resulted in a commercially viable product that could be economically cast, in bulk, to produce a nano-scale microstructure with acceptable kinetics of hydrogen absorption and desorption. The alloy that was developed also displayed a spontaneous protective oxidation reaction preventing the release of hydrogen from the alloy in a compromised storage system. This research resulted in many papers, 3 patent, 3 awards and the development of a spin-off company, Hydrexia Pty. Ltd. To date, Hydrexia has attracted over $20m from investors including Air Liquide, and employed many full time staff in Queensland.

Concurrent to my research in hydrogen storage alloys, I was approached to perform some consulting for a major international manufacturer, Nihon Superior Co. Ltd, involving the characterisation of lead-free solder alloys. This consultancy was highly valued by the company and the work expanded into 5 major research funds with a total investment of over $4.3m at UQ over the past 10 years. Our work was critical to Nihon in protecting its IP (in both the US patent court and Japanese supreme court), and as a result, the company was presented an award from the Japanese Emperor for the creation of significant IP at a ceremony marking the 125 year anniversary of the Japanese patent system in 2010. The research has expanded and resulted in the establishment of the Nihon Superior Centre for the Manufacture of Electronic Materials (NS CMEM) at UQ in 2012 and is associated with over 60 peer-reviewed papers, 5 patents and 3 awards. The NS CMEM has a strong focus on commercially relevant and environmentally sustainable research with the purpose of bringing world-class research capability to the manufacture of electronic materials at the University of Queensland. The Centre has a diverse range of projects and has attracted requests for consulting work from Australian manufacturers in the electronics sector. The research relating to NS CMEM and lead-free solder development was selected for assessment in the ATN Go8 EIA Trial and was recognised in the National Report, 28th November 2012, as having considerable impacts in terms of “reach and significance” and it was stated that “Adoption of the research has produced new policies, products, attitudes, behaviours and /or outlooks in the end-user community”.

I have engaged communities beyond academia by participating in media coverage on my research and endeavouring to communicate the content and potential of research projects to a broader audience. My research has been used to assist in the manufacture of an electric vehicle that participated in the Global Green Challenge in Oct 2009, a 3000km race through outback Australia. Highlights of this race were shared at a seminar with Australian embassy representatives from Austrade, Queensland Government Trade and Export Department representatives, and private industries and academic institutions. I had participated in the coming World Solar Challenge 2013 as a team member of the “Team Arrow” solar car racing team (http://www.teamarrow.com.au/), which consists of a consortium of four Australian engineering companies (Integral Pty. Ltd., Meshlogic Pty. Ltd., Rinstrum Pty. Ltd. and Tritium Pty. Ltd.).