A Fundamental Study of Electrokinetic Instabilities to Manipulate and Self-Assemble Nano- and Microparticles

Abstract

The objective of this research is to identify mechanisms involved in the assembly of particles into bands aligned within a combined Poiseuille and electroosmotic flow, guided by the hypothesis that the band formation is due to an electro-kinetic instability. This collaborative effort will be led by Dr. Yoda at the Georgia Institute of Technology and also involves Dr. Shaurya Prakash at The Ohio State University. Dr. Yoda s group will experimentally characterize the near-wall dynamics of suspended colloidal particles over a wide variety of flow conditions and particle properties. Dr. Prakash s group will fabricate microfluidic channels and devices with different surface properties and geometries in order to provide (or suppress) various mechanisms that might give rise to the hypothesized instability mechanism. The effort will systematically investigate the guiding hypothesis by characterizing and quantifying how band formation near solid surfaces depends upon a variety of parameters expected to affect the initiation and growth of the electro-kinetic instability. In the long term, a fundamental understanding of particle assembly could lead to novel ways to manufacture nanomaterials and manipulate particles near wall-mounted sensors and actuators in microfluidic devices.

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Jul 14, 2016
Source ID
W911NF1610278

Entities

People

  • Minami Yoda

Organizations

  • Army Contracting Command
  • Georgia Tech Research Corporation
  • United States Army

Tags

Readers

  • Nanocomposite Materials Science
  • Plasma Physics / Magnetohydrodynamics
  • Research Science/Academic Research