The Physics of Complex Fluids (PCF) group is interested in the fundamental understanding of complex physical phenomena in the areas nanofluidics, (electro)wetting & microfluidics and soft matter mechanics and their impact for technological applications. PCF is part of the MESA+ institute for nanotechnology.
De uitdaging / The challenge
Within the group, there two vacancies for a PhD positions on 3D-microfluidics: concepts and architectures for flexible actuation of liquids in three dimensions based on electrowetting and Morphology and wetting transitions in complex geometries.
Liquid drops are ubiquitous in nature and technology. In contact with solid surfaces their behavior is largely determined by the geometry and the wettability of the solid. Wetting fluids preferentially fill close spaces, non-wetting ones are repelled from them. The ability to control geometry and wettability of surfaces offers unique possibilities to manipulate the fluid. Project 1 focuses on exploiting these ideas for microfluidics extending current state-of-the-art two-dimensional concepts of drop-based microfluidics to truly three-dimensional manipulation of liquid drops.
The key approach is to combine microfabricated 3D architectures with variable wettability controlled by electrowetting. Previous work on reversibly switchable drop morphologies on superhydrophobic surfaces [1] and on functionalized fibers [2] has demonstrated important the basic steps on which the present project will build. Project 2 focuses on the consequences of changes of wettability on the entrapment and release of drops in two-phase (oil-water) microfluidic systems with complex geometries. Being motivated by applications in enhanced oil recovery, it is the ultimate goal of this project to identify and demonstrate conditions and geometries that optimize the release of entrapped oil under such conditions.
2 PhD positions Physics of Complex Fluids group
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Burse
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2012-07-31, 00:00
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2025-09-29, 17:00
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Maria Dumitru
