ANFF gives researchers the means and know-how to control materials precisely.
Across Australian universities and research institutes, that work plays out at the micro- and nanoscale. Small shifts in structure lead to measurable changes in how a device or material behaves. Performance is determined at the microscopic level, not added later.
ANFF enables that level of control. Its facilities give researchers access to fabrication methods they can apply with consistency and accuracy. With that capability in place, they can push designs further and test technical limits that would otherwise stall progress.
Researchers across the network are applying these capabilities to improve performance in real systems.
Waste to Wonder: What if fibres from old clothes or agricultural waste could become the raw material for advanced products? Deakin University’s Rangam Rajkhowa is making that possible by producing micro- and nanofibrils from waste natural fibres and textiles. Using only water and mechanical force, his fibre-splitting technology transforms cotton, hemp and silk fibres into tiny fibrils for advanced applications. With support from ANFF, which enabled high-pressure processing, the team is refining the fibrillation methods and scaling up production. This sustainable input material is opening new possibilities in filtration, biomedical products and more.
Keeping your Sensors Clean: A major challenge in biosensing is reliable detection in complex biological environments, such as real-time monitoring of live cells. Adelaide University’s Bin Guan addresses this by using 3D printing to build precise micro- and nanostructures on electrochemical sensors. With fabrication support from ANFF-SA, her team created an array of micropillars and nanomesh that supports cell growth while shielding electrodes from direct contact. This design preserves accuracy by preventing fouling by the cells, offering a powerful strategy for improving real-time sensing in diagnostics, drug testing and biomedical research.
Spring-loaded Plaque Buster: Cardiovascular disease remains Australia’s leading cause of death, often triggered by ruptured atherosclerotic plaques. However, no current device can effectively deliver drugs locally to treat them. To address this challenge, RMIT and WSU researchers are developing a nitinol microneedle spring/balloon catheter capable of delivering targeted therapy directly into vulnerable plaques. ANFF-OptoFab Macquarie and ANFF-VIC Swinburne supported the design of 100 µm hollow microneedles on a nitinol straight tube. The next step is adapting this design to a spring, enabling drug delivery around the entire inner surface of the diseased vessel.
Bottom-Up Brightness: Conventional methods to make nanoscale lasers rely on etching, which damages surfaces, reduces efficiency and limits reliability. With support from ANFF-ACT, the Australian National University’s Wei Wen Wong is growing arrays of atomically smooth indium phosphide nanosheets. These nanosheets self-assemble into precise shapes and sizes with nanoscale accuracy and act both as light-emitting material and as optical cavities that shape the light into a laser. This bottom-up approach avoids fabrication damage. By harnessing nanoscale crystal design, the method offers a scalable path to high-performance light sources for future photonic chips.
Smart Healing for Her: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) affects half of women over 50, often linked to childbirth injuries. Unfortunately, surgical mesh treatments were non-degradable and caused serious complications, prompting their ban. With no ideal alternatives available, Shayanti Mukherjee of the Hudson Institute, working with ANFF-VIC Swinburne’s Biointerface Engineering Hub, is developing degradable scaffolds made from 3D-printed and electrospun materials to support the healing of pelvic tissues. Plasma polymerisation coats these scaffolds with thin films that improve immune compatibility. This innovation could transform POP care, restoring quality of life for millions of women.
Tuning Light with a Gap: Scientists at the University of Western Australia have developed a new infrared filter that could make thermal imaging devices smaller, cheaper and more energy efficient. The compact design uses two ultra-thin layers, gold and silicon, separated by a tiny adjustable air gap. By changing this gap, the filter tunes which infrared wavelengths pass through. This innovation opens the door to smaller, smarter infrared sensors for environmental monitoring, remote sensing and medical diagnostics. Supported by ANFF-WA, the work marks a major step toward chip-integrated infrared optics.
Practical innovation now sits directly in the hands of the people building what comes next. With ANFF’s support, the people who are inventing tomorrow have the tools today to work at levels of incredible precision. In turn, their discoveries will underpin Australian’s manufacturing prosperity.
This article is republished with adaptation from the 2025 ANFF Casebook.
Posted 19 May 2026