Prof Peter Halley

Director
Centre for High Performance Polymers

Academic Background

• Group Leader, AIBN, UQ, 2006-present

• Director, Centre High Performance Polymers, UQ, 2003-present

• Professor, School of Engineering/AIBN, UQ, 2009-present

• Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering Division, UQ, 2004-present

• Senior Lecturer, Chemical Engineering Dept, UQ, 1999-2004

• Lecturer, Chemical Engineering Dept, UQ, 1995-1999

• Grad. Cert. Higher Education, 1996

• PhD, The University of Queensland, 1993

• BE (Chemical), The University of Queensland, 1987

Industrial Background

• Project Leader, CRC Polymers, 2004-present

• Project Leader/Deputy Program Leader, UQ/CRC Food Packaging, 1995-2002

• Postdoc/Research Engineer, UQ/Moldflow Pty Ltd, 1994-5

• Research Engineer, Sola International Holdings, Adelaide, 1993-4

• Chemical Engineer, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA, USA, 1989-1990
   

Research Interests

Pete Halley has research interests in biopolymers and biofluids, nanostructured polymers and applied rheology and engineering polymers specifically focusing on rheology, processing and product development skills. He is director of the Centre for High Performance Polymers (CHPP) in the School of Engineering and a Group Leader in the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN).

Biomaterials and biofluids

This work encapsulates very applied and fundamental work in biopolymers and biomedical polymers. This includes the development of biodegradable polymers for packaging and injection molding applications, fundamental research into improving the processing and properties of polyurethanes nanocomposites (with A/Prof Darren Martin), structure and properties of novel model starch polymers (with Prof Mike Gidley and Prof Bob Gilbert CNAFS, UQ), the rheology and properties of standardized swallowing fluids (with Dr Julie Cichero, Dr Leigh Ward, Dr Peter Sopade, Dr Tim Nicholson, Prof Bhesh Bhandari), the rheology of sputum (with Dr Nicholson and Dr Serieser -Mater Hospital), the development of novel lignin polymers and composites (with CRC Sugar Industry Innovation Biotechnology) and the development of novel biopolymer platforms (with AIBN, Pharmacy and AWMC).

Nanostructured polymers

Research in nanostructured polymers includes developing PE, TPU, epoxy, thermoset PU and biodegradable polymer nanocomposites systems (with A/Prof Darren Martin, A/Prof Rowan Truss, Queens University Belfast, ULP-Strasbourg); modeling kinetics and chemorheology of nanostructured thermoset polymers (with Dr Tim Nicholson, INSA-Lyon), and design of tough epoxy-hyperbranched polymer composites (with Dr Qipeng Guo, Deakin).

Applied Rheology and Engineering polymers

The main project work in this area includes the study of food processing (with Dr Peter Sopade, Dr Tim Nicholson), the high temperature extrusion cracking of plastics (with Prof Suresh Bhatia, UQ), the development of novel agricultural films (with Prof Graeme George, QUT, CRC Polymers), online characterization of reactive extrusion [with Prof Fredericks QUT] and the development of natural polymer composites (led by A/Prof Rowan Truss)

Selected Publications

2009 Melissa A.L. Russo, Cathryn O’Sullivan, Beth Rounsefell, Peter J. Halley, Rowan Truss and William P. Clarke, The anaerobic degradability of thermoplastic starch: Polyvinyl alcohol blends: Potential biodegradable food packaging materials, Bioresource Technology 100 (2009) 1705–1710

2008 Zainuddin, Tri T. Le, Yoosup Park, Traian V. Chirila, Peter J. Halley and Andrew K. Whittaker, The behavior of aged regenerated Bombyx mori silk fibroin solutions studied by 1H NMR and rheology, Biomaterials, Volume 29, Issue 32, November 2008, Pages 4268 - 4274

2008 A.L. Chaudhary, M. Miler, P.J. Torley, P.A. Sopade and P.J. Halley, Amylose content and chemical modification effects on the extrusion of thermoplastic starch from maize Carbohydrate Polymers, Volume 74, Issue 4, 21 November 2008, Pages 907 - 913

2008 Zhao RX, Torley P, Halley PJ, Emerging biodegradable materials: starch- and protein-based bio-nanocomposites, Journal of Materials Science, v43 n9 p3058-3071 (2008) C. M. Chaléat, G. Michel-Amadry, R. W. Truss, & P. J. Halley, Properties of a plasticised starch blend. Part 2: Influence of strain rate, temperature and relative humidity on the tensile yield behaviour. Carbohydrate Polymers v74 n 3 p 366-371 (2008).

2008 Peter J. Halley, Rowan W. Truss, Martin G. Markotsis, Celine Chaleat, Melissa Russo, Anna Lisa Sargent, Ihwa Tan, Peter A. Sopade, A Review of Biodegradable Themoplastic Starch Polymers in Polymer Durability and Radiation Effects, MC Celina and RA Assink (eds), ACS Symposium Series 978 Washington DC USA (2008)

2008 Ihwa Tan, P.J. Torley, P.J. Halley, Combined rheological and optical investigation of maize, barley and wheat starch gelatinisation Carbohydrate Polymers, Volume 72, Issue 2, 5 May 2008, Pages 272-286.

2008 Céline M. Chaléat, Peter J. Halley and Rowan W. Truss, Properties of a plasticised starch blend. Part 1: Influence of moisture content on fracture properties, Carbohydrate Polymers, Volume 71, Issue 4, 7 March 2008, Pages 535-543

2007 Konik-Rose, JThistleton, HChanvrier, ITan, PHalley, MGidley, BKosar-Hashemi, HWang, OLarroque, J Ikea1, S McMaugh, ARegina, SRahman, M Morell, Z Li, Effects of starch synthase IIa gene dosage on starch structure and properties in wheat endosperm, Theoretical and Applied Genetics 115 (8): 1053-1065 (2007).

2007 Doherty W, Halley P, Edye L, Rogers D, Cardona F, Park Y, Woo T, Studies on polymers and composites from lignin and fiber derived from sugar cane Polymers for Advanced Technologies 18 (8), p673-678 (2007)

2007 Russo, M, Strounina E, Waret M, Nicholson T, Truss R, Halley PJ, A study of water diffusion into a high amylose starch blend: The effect of moisture content and temperature, Biomacromolecules 8 (1): 296-301 2007.

2007 Tan, I, Flanagan, B M., Halley, P J., Whittaker, A K., Gidley, M J. A method for estimating the nature and relative proportions of amorphous, single, and double-helical components in starch granules by C-13 CP/MAS NMR, Biomacromolecules 8 (3): (2007) p885-891

2006 L.Moghaddam, L.Rintoul, PJ Halley, PM Fredericks, Infrared microspectroscopic mapping of the homogeneity of extruded blends: applications to starch/polyester blends, Polymer Testing 25 (2006) p16-21.

2005 Finnigan B, Jack K, Campbell K, Halley P, Truss R, Casey P, Cookson D, King S, Martin D, Segmented polyurethane nanocomposites: Impact of controlled particle size nanofillers on the morphological response to uniaxial deformation, Macromolecules 38 (17), p7386-7396 (2005)

2005 Finnigan B, Martin D, Halley P, Truss R, Campbell K, Morphology and properties of thermoplastic polyurethane composites incorporating hydrophobic layered silicates, Journal Applied Polymer Science 97 (1) p300-309 (2005)

2005 G Edwards, P Halley, G Kurven and D Martin, “Thermal Stability and Degradation Behaviour of Organically-modified Layered Silicates”, Thermochimica ACTA, 429, p13-18 (2005)

2005 Halley, P, Thermoplastic starch polymers, in “Biodegradable polymers for industrial applications” R.Smith (ed), Woodhead Pub. , London, UK (2005).

2004 Tan I, Wee CC, Sopade PA, Halley PJ, Investigation of the starch gelatinisation phenomena in water-glycerol systems: application of modulated temperature differential scanning calorimetry Carbohydrate Polymers 58 (2): p191-204 (2004)

2004 Guo QP, Slavov S, Halley PJ, Phase behavior, crystallization, and morphology in thermosetting blends of a biodegradable poly(ethylene glycol)-type epoxy resin and poly(epsilon-caprolactone), Journal of Polymer Science Part B-Polymer Physics 42 (15): p2833-2843 (2004)

2003 J.E. Coons, P.J. Halley, S.A. McGlashan, T. Tran-Cong, “A Review of Drainage and Spontaneous Rupture in Free Standing Thin Films with Tangentially Immobile Interfaces” Advances in Colloid and Interface Science v105, p3-62 (2003)

1997 J.A.Y. Cichero, B.E. Murdoch, P.J. Halley and G. Hay, ‘Fluids used during videofluoroscopy are more viscous and dense than meal-time counterparts’ J. Med. Speech Lang. Path.,v5,3(1997), p203.

1996 P.J. Halley and M.E. Mackay, "Chemorheology of Thermosets - an overview", Polymer Engineering and Science, March v36, n5, (1996) p 593.