CAREER: Micro-structured Colloidal Suspensions: Nano-scale Hydrodynamics and Macroscopic Rheology and Thermal Conductivity

职业：微结构胶体悬浮液：纳米尺度流体力学和宏观流变学和热导率拟议研究的中心原理是悬浮液中的颗粒或纳米管可以精确地调节，以在电场或磁场下旋转和/或自组装。PI建议使用这个基本概念来1）研究碳纳米管的纳米级流体动力学，该纳米级流体动力学在由外部电场引起的仔细控制的扭矩下被迫旋转，2）研究碳纳米管的稀悬浮液在电场下的流变特性的可逆和显著变化，3）研究了微结构悬浮体在外场作用下导热系数的显著增加和各向异性。后两个项目的基本主题尤其相关，即可以通过在胶体中诱导微观结构来制造具有可调热和流动特性的“智能”流体。这种智能流体可以作为用于微处理器冷却和其他工业应用的先进传热流体，以及离合器，阻尼器和汽车减震器等设备中的实际应用。 这项研究工作将被纳入一个针对女性学生的推广，教育和指导计划，这些学生在工程领域的代表性历来不足。PI将与道格拉斯项目（女子学院的一个既定STEM外展项目）合作，提供：1）通过“周末学院”向9年级和10年级的女孩提供工程学实践介绍，以及2）深入的实验室经验和指导本科女生。为周末学院开发的侧重于工程的材料将通过互动网页提供给其他学生。拟议的研究，微结构纳米管和纳米粒子悬浮液的一般主题，应该是有效的吸引和留住新的学生工程，因为它是新颖的，热门的兴趣，本质上是多学科的。

CAREER: Micro-structured Colloidal Suspensions: Nano-scaleHydrodynamics and Macroscopic Rheology and Thermal ConductivityThe central principle of the proposed research is that particles or nanotubes in suspension can be precisely tuned to rotate and/or self-assemble under electric or magnetic fields. The PI proposes to use this basic concept to 1) study the nanoscale hydrodynamics of carbon nanotubes forced to rotate under carefully controlled torques induced by an external electric field, 2) investigate the reversible and dramatic changes in the rheological properties of dilute suspensions of carbon nanotubes under electric fields, and 3) study the dramatically increased and anisotropic thermal conductivity of microstructured suspensions under external fields. The latter two projects in particular are related by the underlying theme that "smart" fluids with tunable thermal and flow properties can be made by inducing microstructure in colloids. Such smart fluids could have practical applications as advanced heat-transfer fluids for micro-processor cooling and other industrial applications, as well as in such devices as clutches, dampers, and automotive shock absorbers. The research effort will be integrated into an outreach, educational, and mentoring program aimed at female students, who are historically under-represented in engineering. In collaboration with the Douglass Project, an established STEM outreach program at a women's college, the PI will provide: 1) a hands-on introduction to engineering to 9th-and 10th-grade girls through "Weekend Academies," and 2) in-depth laboratory experiences and mentoring for undergraduate women. The material that is developed for the Weekend Academies focusing on engineering will be made available to other students through an interactive web page. The general theme of the proposed research, micro-structured nanotube and nanoparticle suspensions, should be effective at attracting and retaining new students to engineering, because it is novel, of topical interest, and inherently multidisciplinary in nature.