SGER: Microfluidics as a Platform to Study Confinement of Complex Fluid Microstructures at Intermediate Length Scales

提案编号： CTS-0527909主要制造商：SHELLEY ANNA机构： 卡内基梅隆大学Microfluidics作为一个平台来研究复杂的流体微观结构在中等长度尺度的约束这是一个探索性的研究计划，以调查液晶材料的结构时，限制在中等长度尺度，远高于分子长度尺度，但小到足以显着影响缺陷的微观结构。 最近的实验研究表明，在具有良好定义的表面锚定条件的微流体通道中的中程限制可以导致形成有序阵列的缺陷。 这种产生受控缺陷结构的新方法为研究近晶材料的流体动力学，以及利用限制、表面锚定和流动之间的竞争来合成新材料提供了独特的机会。这项工作有可能深刻影响复杂液体动力学的研究，因为它将使定量观察系统中的缺陷动力学与精确定义的初始条件。这些研究的结果有可能影响从显示器到制药的广泛的新的和成熟的应用，以及推进对自组织材料的流体动力学的基本理解。初步的研究将集中在小分子热致液晶，它表现出随温度的相变，并得出其结构完全从包装和各向异性分散力。 这项工作的智力价值是液晶自组织的物理学和流动的几何尺寸比分子尺寸大得多，但小到足以强烈影响缺陷的微观结构的力学之间的耦合。对这种耦合的详细理解将导致对自组织材料的动力学影响的更好理解。 这项工作的更广泛影响在于通过开发用于研究和教育的微流体工具来加强科学和工程基础设施。 修改这些工具的推广活动将有助于将流体力学教育带到K-12学生和教师以及公众。

PROPOSAL NO.: CTS-0527909PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: SHELLEY ANNAINSTITUTION: CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY SGER: MICROFLUIDICS AS A PLATFORM TO STUDY CONFINEMENT OF COMPLEX FLUIDMICROSTRUCTURES AT INTERMEDIATE LENGTH SCALESThis is an exploratory research program to investigate the structure of liquid crystalline materials when confined at intermediate length scales, well above the molecular length scale, but small enough to significantly impact the defect microstructure. Recent experimental studies suggest that medium range confinement in microfluidic channels with well-defined surface anchoring conditions can lead to the formation of ordered arrays of defects. This new method for generating controlled defect structures offers a unique opportunity for studying the hydrodynamics of smectic materials, and for exploiting the competition between confinement, surface anchoring, and flow to synthesize new materials. This work has the potential to profoundly impact the study of the dynamics of complex liquids, as it will enable quantitative observations of defect dynamics in systems with precisely defined initial conditions. The results of these studies have the potential to impact a very wide range of new and mature applications from displays to pharmaceuticals, as well as to advance a fundamental understanding of the fluid dynamics of self-organizing materials. Preliminary studies will focus on small molecule thermotropic liquid crystals, which exhibit phase changes with temperature and derive their structures solely from packing and anisotropic dispersion forces. The intellectual merit of this work is the coupling between the physics of liquid crystalline self-organization and the mechanics of flow in geometries with dimensions much larger than molecular dimensions, but small enough to strongly influence the defect microstructure. A detailed understanding of this coupling will lead to a greater understanding of the impact of dynamics on self-organizing materials. The broader impact of this work lies in the enhancement of science and engineering infrastructure through development of microfluidics tools for research and education. Modifying these tools for outreach activities will help bring fluid mechanics education to K-12 students and teachers, and the public.