Physics Research
Physics Research
May 2018 - May 2019
Study on Polydispersed Emulsion Systems Using Microfluidic Techniques
Kenny Nguyen
An emulsion is a mixture of two immiscible liquids, where one liquid is dispersed in the form of small drops in another liquid that forms a continuous phase. The property of emulsions, especially polydispersed systems, are widely applied in pharmacy, drug delivery and food industry.
We will fabricate and study the fluid dynamics of polydispersed emulsion system using
microfluidic techniques.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Xin Du
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant
May 2017 - May 2018
Mechanics of metamaterial involving 3-D printer
Levi Milan
Metamaterials are bulk objects with special mechanism properties defined by their repetitive inner structures, rather than the materials they are made of. One of the special mechanisms is “auxetic behavior”: when the materials are stretched in one direction, unlike conventional materials, they will also expand in the lateral direction. In this project we studied the dependence of Poisson’s Ratio on the geometric parameters of auxetic structures. We used 3-D printer to efficiently design and produce honeycomb auxetic structures. With an innovative experimental setup and image analysis techniques, we are able to study the pulling force and the corresponding lateral expansion of auxetic structures with various geometric parameters. Also, we found a linear relationship between the Poisson’s Ratio and the geometric parameter of the honeycomb auxetic structure. Our result is consistent with theoretical analysis.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Xin Du
Funded by: Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant