Dynamic of active fluid flow

本建议侧重于主动流体动力学的跨学科方法。活性流体是生物物质的一种自我维持的阶段，在环境和能源应用中表现出惊人的丰富的物理学和前景。近年来，它在物理和工程学科中引起了广泛的关注。申请人的长期研究计划是建立在这个流体流动的新领域。传统的流体流动需要压力、速度和温度梯度来打破平衡并驱动流动，而在活性流体中，细胞作为流体的微观结构元素，将营养物质转化为机械能来驱动流动。因此，通过使用它们的分子马达，活性流体中的微生物可以在没有外部梯度的情况下发展复杂的自发流体运动。这一发现项目的长期目标是：-为活跃流体流动这一新兴科学奠定基础，并支持其应用和技术转让，以便在可持续的、具有环境弹性的经济中实施。-以该项目的科学成果为依托，建设世界一流的城市弹性和环境政策变化研究中心。在短期内（未来五年），本研究的重点是发现活性流体的基本规律和一些新兴的工程应用。具体目标包括：1。实验发现并构建微生物在流体介质中的扩散动态和定植模型实验发现并建立流体流动对微生物运动的影响模型。基于Aims 1和2的结果，设计并构建了一个有效的装置，将城市二氧化碳排放转化为增值化学成分。该发现项目提供了一个世界级的大型跨学科平台，由多个高科技实验装置和数值工作台组成，可以在受控环境下研究微生物。它增强了西部大学跨学科研究的协同作用，巩固了加拿大在世界领先的研究和HQP培训方面的声誉，并创建了一个世界级的城市弹性和环境政策变化研究中心。这一发现的目标3将为正能量建筑提供双重解决方案：空气净化和节能。加拿大的世界级城市可以从这项技术中受益。

This proposal focuses on an interdisciplinary approach to the dynamic of active fluids. Active fluid, a self-sustained phase of living matter, has exhibited astonishingly rich physics and promising solicitations in environment and energy applications. In recent years, it has attracted much attention in the physics and engineering disciplines. The applicant's long-term research program is constructed on this new domain of fluid flow. Contrary to the conventional fluid flows where gradients of pressure, velocity and temperature are needed to break equilibrium and drive the flow, in active fluids, cells as microstructural elements of the fluid, convert nutrients into mechanical energy for driving the flow. Therefore, by using their molecular motors microorganisms in active fluids can develop complex spontaneous fluid motions in the absence of external gradients. The long-term goal of this discovery program will be: - Establish foundations of the emerging science of active fluid flow, and support their application and technology transfer for implementation in a sustainable, environmentally resilient economy. - Build a world-class research center for urban resiliency and environmental policy change backed by scientific findings of this program. In short term (next five years), this research focuses on discovering the fundamental laws of active fluids and some emerging engineering applications. The specific objectives include: 1.Discover experimentally and construct models for microorganism diffusion dynamic and colonization in fluid media 2.Discover experimentally and construct models for the effects of fluid flow on the microorganism motility 3.Based on the results of Aims 1 & 2 devise and construct an impactful device for photosynthetic transformation of urban CO2 emissions into value-added chemical components This discovery program provides a world-class large and cross-disciplinary platform composed of several high technology experimental apparatus and numerical benches that allow studying microorganisms in controlled environment. It enhances the cross-disciplinary research synergy at Western University, bolsters Canada's reputation for world leading research and HQP training and creates a world-class research center for urban resiliency and environmental policy change. Aim 3 of this discovery will provide a two-fold solution for positive energy buildings: air depollution and energy saving. Canadian world-class cities can benefit from this technology.