Interfaces: From Soft Material Design to Energy Storage
6th, February 2019, Thursday, 12:00‐1:00 pm, ChE Seminar hall
Abstract Interfaces, by definition, occur due to heterogeneity in physical systems, and thus result in unique properties and interactions. For instance, liquid-liquid interfaces tend to minimize interfacial area due to surface tension; liquid-liquid-solid interfaces give rise to the wetting phenomena; and an electrical double layer develops near the surface when an electrolyte comes in contact with a charged surface. In this talk, I will discuss two systems dominated by interfaces: (i) oil in water droplets (or vice-versa) with average droplet size on the order of 100 nm, and (ii) electrical double layers in the presence of a valence asymmetric electrolyte. By invoking concepts from multiphase flows and transport phenomena, I will demonstrate an advanced understanding of these processes that span multiple length and time scales. Lastly, I will present how a better fundamental understanding of these systems can be applied for improved design of drug nanocrystals, nanohydrogels, and supercapacitors.
Bio Ankur Gupta is currently a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University where he is working with Prof. Howard Stone. Prior to his postdoctoral position, Ankur completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he worked with Profs. Patrick S. Doyle and T. Alan Hatton. During his PhD, he worked on the formation of nanoemulsions and interfacial micro-scale flow around obstacles. Currently, he is working in the broad area of electrokinetic. His research interests include interfacial phenomena, complex fluids, multiphase flows and electrokinetics. He is the recipient of Publons Peer-Review Award (2018), Hugh Hampton Young Fellowship (2017), Dow Travel Award (2016) and President’s Gold Medal at IIT Delhi (2012).