Project overview

Polymers are ubiquitous in nature (e.g. DNA, cellulose) or as plastics. When dissolved, flexible polymer molecules can behave as nanosprings and make the fluid viscoelastic. Even a small amount of polymeric additives can dramatically change the flow behaviour of their Newtonian solvents. These additives can also reduce turbulent friction by as much as 40%. They can suppress micro-droplet (or mist) formation in pesticide spraying.

On the other hand, if they are not chosen correctly, they can cause toxic mist formation in roll-coating of paper and other products. We aim to develop advanced microstructure-based rheological models and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations that connect the nanoscale fluid mechanics of polymer molecules with the macroscale flow behaviour of their solutions. These can be used to design flow applications such as spraying, surface coatings, ink-jet printing, turbulence control, etc.

PhD projects in this research area provide training for careers in microstructure-based computational rheology and CFD of viscoelastic fluids.