FlexNanoFlow

2D nanomaterials hold immense technological promise thanks to extraordinary intrinsic properties such as ultra-high conductivity, strength and unusual semiconducting properties. Our understanding of how these extremely thin and flexible objects are processed in flow is however inadequate, and this is hindering progress towards true market applications. When processed in liquid ...

Novel Methods to Evaluate Wetting of Fibrous Arrays

Predicting and Controlling Fracture Fluidisation

FlowMat Marie Curie (CIG)

Rheology of plant-derived materials

The development of renewable energy sources relying on the biochemical conversion of biomass materials has spurred substantial interest in the rheology and fluid mechanics of hyper-concentrated suspensions of lignocellulosic fibers; these suspensions behave effectively as viscoplastic fluids, and show a dramatic dependence of…

Mathematical modelling of cortex-membrane adhesive failure: viscoelastic deformation of cells

In an cell aspiration experiment, a cell is partially sucked in a micropipette by applying a suction pressure. If the applied pressure is larger than a threshold - which depends sensitive on the cell type - the cell membrane detaches from the underlying cortex, leading to the formation of a bleb that protrudes into the pipette.…

Finite-inertia effects in colloidal and non-colloidal systems

Flows containing solid particles underpin a huge variety of technologies, from microfluidics to fluidized beds. In the vast majority of simulations of particulate materials, forces and torques on the particles are either modelled ad-hoc, or treated neglecting non-linearities in the Navier-Stokes equation. Physalis, a numerical…

Dynamic simulation of flocculation: fractal particles in a polymer matrix

The structure of a colloidal dispersion depends sensitively on the amount of shear used during processing, on the shearing time, on the particle size, on the particle structure, and on the surface chemistry of the particles. In this project, we will explore these parameters numerically, with the specific goal of understanding filler dispersion in rubber composites.

Directed Molecular Self-Assembly into Dynamic Hierarchical Biomaterials

This project aims at designing and utilizing peptide self-assembly to guide the hierarchical assembly of proteins and biopolymers at the molecular, nano, micro, and macroscale into functional materials and devices. Our objective is to use this hybrid strategy to enable materials that exhibit dynamic behaviour, improved mechanical properties, self-healing properties, ...

Anisotropic colloids at fluid-fluid interfaces

The irreversible entrapment of anisotropic colloidal particles at fluid-fluid interfaces can be exploited to make permeable capsules, to stabilize foams and emulsions, and to make two-dimensional functional materials by assembling colloidal building blocks. In collaboration with Prof. Stebe (Dept. of Chem. Eng, University of…