Numerical and physical modelling and characterization of nanofluids and fibrous medium flow

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The proposed research program addresses three different areas, which are closely related to each other in what concerns the fundamental principles and methodologies to be applied. The objectives for each area are: i) to further develop and experimentally verify a refined numerical tool to investigate liquid composite molding processes to manufacture net-shape parts of polymer matrix composites, which are new space-age materials. At the end of this research, better understanding of the intervening phenomena is expected, which will lead to improved parts by contributing enhanced information concerning properties, such as permeability and tortuosity, to designers removing uncertainty and consequent "trial-and-error"; ii) to investigate experimentally and numerically the possibility of controlling and steering a nanofluid - a "base" fluid with dispersed nanoparticles. The nanoparticles to be used are "doped" multi-walled carbon tubes. This research, if successful, will lead to unique opportunities in a wide range of processes including microfabrication, dynamic control and enhanced material properties. At a macroscale, it can be envisioned the use of nanofluids using polymers as the "base" fluid and carbon nanotubes as the nanoparticles in the liquid composite processes; and iii) to study the microflows including the deposition of nanoparticles around a biochip that emulates the atherosclerosis of a diseased artery. The biochip will be designed to take into account the most recent findings in cell culture, bio-nanotechnology, medical informatics and micro-visualization technology, and its primary focus will be on the role played by blood cells in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic lesions. The fluid dynamics results are expected to elucidate about the difference in flow patterns between healthy and diseased artery wall, helping in this way the enhancement of currently available diagnostic strategies and tools. The proposed program, in addition to the benefits just described, has the major advantage of providing for high caliber inter-disciplinary scientific collaboration at national and international levels, and excellent channels of dissemination of results, while facilitating the training of highly qualified personnel.