Polyelectrolyte Transport in Nanoporous Matrices

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From the fractionation of nanolitre DNA samples in micro devices to the injection of synthetic polymers into giant oil reservoirs, polyelectrolyte transport through nanoporous matrices is present in a wide range of length scales and a variety of chemical processes. Polyelectrolytes are polymers whose repeating units bear several charges in aqueous environments. Many biological molecules such as polypeptides (proteins) and DNA are polyelectrolytes. Synthesized polyelectrolytes are used in a wide range of technological and industrial fields such as enhanced oil recovery. However, most of the prior work on polyelectrolyte transport through nanoporous matrices has been done under simple and specific experimental conditions with few components, and thus lacks practical complexities. The proposed research program focuses on understanding polyelectrolyte migration mechanisms and quantifying transport parameters such as mobility, diffusion, and dispersion under a wide range of operational conditions using different experimental and numerical techniques. The objectives of the proposed research are: i) to develop, design, and fabricate micro/nanofluidic devices as an experimental platform to study polyelectrolyte transport with a focus on exploring designs and materials that can endure hostile operational conditions present in most energy production related processes, and ii) to extract and develop generalized functions and non-dimensional parameters to predict and subsequently control the mobility and dispersion of polyelectrolytes under different operational conditions.