| NSF Org: |
CBET Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 22, 2020 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 22, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 2025453 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Shahab Shojaei-Zadeh
sshojaei@nsf.gov (703)292-8045 CBET Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems ENG Directorate for Engineering |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2020 |
| End Date: | February 28, 2025 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $261,704.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $261,704.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
360 HUNTINGTON AVE BOSTON MA US 02115-5005 (617)373-5600 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
360 Huntington Ave Boston MA US 02115-5005 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
PMP-Particul&MultiphaseProcess, Special Initiatives |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.041 |
ABSTRACT
A wide range of natural and artificial materials are composed of different components - such as particles and polymer molecules - dispersed in a fluid. Examples are personal care products, food, and inks. Physical properties and function of these products, along with their shelf-life and consumer perception, depend on the behavior of these components. Designing materials with specific desired properties, therefore, requires a better understanding of how these particles and polymers interact under different conditions. Of particular interest are gel-like systems where particle size variations can lead to product failure. This award will combine computer simulations and terrestrial experiments, along with experiments onboard the International Space Station. The goal is to examine the effect of gravity on these gels and to investigate the size variation effects on final properties of such materials. Such findings could benefit several industries and will also help opening new avenues of fundamental research. A series of outreach activities are proposed to enhance the participation of traditionally underrepresented groups in STEM fields.
In this project, we will study the physics of colloidal gelation, coarsening and phase-separation in bimodal attractive colloidal suspensions, in which the size difference between the two particle populations is appreciable. This size disparity can cause selective gravitational settling in one hand, and heterogeneous clustering where large particles serve as nuclei for aggregation of small colloids in another hand, leading to coarsening and failure of the gels. The role of particle size difference in coarsening and eventual failure of colloidal gels will be probed by decoupling the role of gravitational forces and inter-particle interactions. The ultimate goal is to explore the role of particle composition (ratio of small to large particles) as well as the range of interactions between the particles in mediating gelation, coarsening, and [gravitational] failure. An integrated effort, with detailed study of the physical phenomena through computational/theoretical platforms in conjunction with control ground experiments in addition to essential micro-gravity experiments will be performed. The cohesive integration of theory, computation and experiments with and without gravity will enable us to systematically decouple the roles of gravity and particle size disparity in mediating gelation, coarsening, and failure, paving the way for the development of a theoretical framework to better understand attractive colloidal systems in real-world applications.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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