Dynamic of active fluid flow

这项建议侧重于以跨学科的方法研究活性流体的动态。活性流体是生命物质的一种自我维持的状态，它展示了惊人的丰富的物理学和在环境和能源应用方面的前景。近年来，它在物理和工程学科中引起了极大的关注。申请者的长期研究计划就是建立在这个新的流体流动领域上的。在传统的流体流动中，需要压力、速度和温度的梯度来打破平衡并驱动流动，与之相反，在活跃的流体中，细胞作为流体的微结构元素，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。这一发现计划的长期目标将是：-为活跃流体流动的新兴科学奠定基础，并支持它们的应用和技术转让，以便在可持续、环境弹性强的经济中实施。-以该计划的科学成果为后盾，建设世界级的城市弹性和环境政策变化研究中心。在短期内(未来五年)，这项研究的重点是发现活动流体的基本规律和一些新兴的工程应用。具体目标包括：1.实验发现和建立微生物在流体介质中的扩散动力学和定植模型2.实验发现和建立流体流动对微生物运动影响的模型3.基于目标1和2的结果，设计并建造一个将城市二氧化碳排放光合作用转化为增值化学成分的有效装置，该发现计划提供了一个世界级的大型跨学科平台，由几个高科技实验设备和数字平台组成，可以在受控环境中研究微生物。它加强了西部大学的跨学科研究协同，提升了加拿大在世界领先研究和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.