NIRT - Collaborative Research: Experimental and Computational Investigations of Fluid Interactions/Transport in Nanodomains and Around Nanoparticles

这项资助是响应纳米尺度科学与工程计划，NSF 01-157，类别NIRT。微米级粉体物料的流态化和输送是石油、化工、农业、食品、制药和陶瓷等许多行业中各种颗粒产品大规模制造和加工的常规单元操作。虽然许多这些行业可以从纳米结构材料的独特性能中受益，但很少有人关注纳米颗粒的流化和传输。在本提案中，解决了理解纳米颗粒流化和传输物理的挑战性问题，以便能够加工它们以制造具有定制性能的纳米复合材料。通常，纳米颗粒不能流化，因为它们之间存在非常大的粒子间力。然而，最近的研究表明，纳米颗粒可以在远高于初级颗粒最小流化速度的气速下流化而不被洗脱，因为它们形成了大而稳定的团聚体。这些团聚体非常多孔，允许利用纳米颗粒的极大表面积进行各种物理和化学表面处理。NJIT/IIT的研究项目包括实验研究纳米颗粒在常规、旋转和循环流化床中的流动行为。理论建模和计算机模拟，利用动力学理论在不同的长度尺度，也提出了。这些模型将用于预测纳米颗粒团聚体的大小和结构以及纳米颗粒在立管中的流动行为。还将进行实验，通过在“流态化”纳米颗粒上涂覆聚合物或混合两种不同种类的纳米颗粒，来制造具有定制性能的纳米复合材料。建模和计算机模拟将提供预测能力，也将有助于优化和扩大规模。NJIT/IIT的研究将由伍斯特理工学院（WPI）的NIRT小组进行的纳米级通道/腔中的流体流动研究补充。这项研究的另一个积极成果将是粒子技术领域的本科生和研究生的教育和培训，这是工程教育中一个相对被忽视的领域，但在技术、经济和环境方面具有极其重要的意义。这将部分通过纳米技术的新课程来完成，该课程将纳入研究结果，这也将有助于传播结果。此外，由于新泽西理工大学和印度理工学院学生群体的多样性，这两所大学粒子技术项目的许多学生，以及将参与拟议研究的学生，都是女性和代表性不足的少数民族。与纳米颗粒的流动和加工有关的学术机构、工业和政府机构也将启动研究和教育合作与伙伴关系。除了与WPI的学术合作外，还包括法国阿尔比矿业学院和日本大阪府立大学。

This grant is funded in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 01-157, category NIRT. Fluidization and transport of micron-sized powder materials are routine unit operations for large-scale manufacturing and processing of a variety of particulate products in many industries, such as petroleum, chemical, agricultural, food, pharmaceutical and ceramics. While many of these industries can benefit from the unique properties of nanostructured materials, little attention has been paid to the fluidization and transport of nanoparticles. In this proposal, the challenging problem of understanding the physics of fluidization and transport of nanoparticles, in order to be able to process them to manufacture nanocomposites with tailored properties, is addressed. Normally, nanoparticles cannot be fluidized because of the very large interparticle forces that exist between them. Recent research, however, indicates that nanoparticles can be fluidized at gas velocities well above the minimum fluidization velocity of the primary particles without being elutriated, because they form large stable agglomerates. These agglomerates are very porous, allowing for a variety of physical and chemical surface treatments that take advantage of the extremely large surface area of the nanoparticles. The NJIT/IIT research program includes experiments to study the flow behavior of nanoparticles in conventional, rotating and circulating fluidized beds. Theoretical modeling and computer simulations, using kinetic theory at various length scales, are also proposed. These models will be used to predict the size and structure of agglomerates of nanoparticles and the flow behavior of nanoparticles in risers. Experiments will also be performed to manufacture nanocomposites with tailored properties by coating "fluidized" nanoparticles with polymer or by mixing two different species of nanoparticles. The modeling and computer simulations will provide predictive capabilities that will also help in optimization and scale-up. The investigations at NJIT/IIT will be complemented by research on the flow of fluids in nanoscale channels/cavities, performed by the NIRT group at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).Another positive outcome of the research will be the education and training of undergraduate and graduate students in the area of particle technology, a relatively neglected area in engineering education but of extreme technological, economic and environmental importance. This will be accomplished in part by a new course in nanotechnology incorporating the results of the research which will also help in disseminating the results. Moreover, because of the large diversity of NJIT's and IIT's student body, many of the students in the particle technology programs at both institutions, and who will be involved with the proposed research, are women and underrepresented minorities. Research and education collaborations and partnerships will also be initiated with academic institutions, industry and government agencies involved with the flow and processing of nanoparticles. Academic collaborations, in addition to that with (WPI) include the Ecole des Mines in Albi, France and Osaka Prefecture University in Japan.