DFG Priority Program SPP 1164
Nano- & Microfluidics:
Bridging the Gap between
Molecular Motion and Continuum Flow
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Nano- und Microfluidics: Bridging the Gap between Molecular Motion and Continuum Flow
During the last decade, micro- and
nano-technology has become an
important industry. This development has been assisted by a
funding
policy supporting the design of miniaturized mechanical structures and
complex micro-machines through which fluids move. To date, however,
little attention has been paid to the actual transport of fluids in
these confined geometries, even though the fluid flow on increasingly
smaller scales cannot always be properly described by conventional
continuum equations: physical phenomena which can be neglected on the
macro scale become dominant as the length scale diminishes. On the
other hand, systems on scales on which micro effects become sensible
cannot yet be treated by molecular methods, owing to the lack of
computational power. Hence, there is a definite need for novel
theories, numerical methods, and measurement techniques devised to
properly describe the confined fluid flow on length scales in the range
from 10 and 1000 nm.
This priority program is aimed at bridging the gap between molecular motion and continuum flow by an interdisciplinary effort. Basic research proposals are invited from physics, engineering, chemistry, biology and medical technology. Interdisciplinary projects are particularly encouraged.
Priority will be given to the following topics.
This priority program is aimed at bridging the gap between molecular motion and continuum flow by an interdisciplinary effort. Basic research proposals are invited from physics, engineering, chemistry, biology and medical technology. Interdisciplinary projects are particularly encouraged.
Priority will be given to the following topics.
- How do solid walls or deformable boundaries influence the motion of liquids on small scales?
- How are soft objects (e.g. cells) affected by the flow around them, and how do they influence the fluid motion in a confined geometry?
- How are transport processes modified in the vicinity of a liquid/gas interface?
- What is the length-scale limit up to which intrinsic micro mechanisms are operative?
- How can micro- and nano-flows of liquids be driven and controlled by external means?
The main goal of this priority program is the investigation of
collective transport phenomena on the micro- and nano-scale. The
anticipated results should give a significant boost to the advancement
of micro- and nano-fluid technologies.
Dedicated geometries and components required for experiments are not part of this priority program and should be provided by partner institutes. Likewise, pure preparation techniques as well as pure technology developments will not be supported. Other areas beyond the scope of the present program are
Dedicated geometries and components required for experiments are not part of this priority program and should be provided by partner institutes. Likewise, pure preparation techniques as well as pure technology developments will not be supported. Other areas beyond the scope of the present program are
- pure gas flows,
- flows in micro systems which can savely be described by classical continuum theory, i.e. by the Navier-Stokes equations, and
- the
dynamics of individual atoms and molecules, except for the interaction
between very large molecules, such as DNA, and the liquid flow.
Experimental, theoretical, and numerical investigations are welcome alike and should complement each other.