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

这项赠款是为了响应纳米科学和工程倡议，NSF 01-157，类别NIRT。 微米级粉末材料的流化和输送是许多行业（如石油、化工、农业、食品、制药和陶瓷）中各种颗粒产品的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受益于纳米结构材料的独特性能，但很少有人关注纳米颗粒的流化和输送。在这个提议中，解决了理解纳米颗粒的流化和运输的物理学的挑战性问题，以便能够处理它们以制造具有定制特性的纳米复合材料。通常，纳米颗粒不能流化，因为它们之间存在非常大的颗粒间力。然而，最近的研究表明，纳米颗粒可以在远高于初级颗粒的最小流化速度的气体速度下流化而不被淘析，因为它们形成大的稳定团聚体。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研究计划包括实验，以研究纳米粒子在传统的，旋转和循环流化床中的流动行为。理论建模和计算机模拟，使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尺寸和结构以及纳米颗粒在湍流中的流动行为。还将进行实验，通过用聚合物涂覆“流化”纳米颗粒或混合两种不同种类的纳米颗粒来制造具有定制特性的纳米复合材料。建模和计算机模拟将提供预测能力，这也将有助于优化和扩大规模。在NJIT/IIT的调查将通过对流体在纳米通道/空腔中的流动的研究来补充，由伍斯特理工学院（WPI）的NIRT小组进行。该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，这是一个相对被忽视的工程教育领域，但具有极端的技术，经济和环境重要性。这将部分通过一个新的纳米技术课程来实现，该课程将纳入研究成果，这也将有助于传播研究成果。此外，由于NJIT和IIT学生群体的多样性，这两个机构的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。还将与参与纳米颗粒流动和加工的学术机构、工业和政府机构开展研究和教育合作。除了与WPI的学术合作外，还与法国阿尔比矿业学院和日本大坂府立大学进行了学术合作。

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.