Statement of Research Interest

I have several research interests in the general field of thermal/fluid sciences:

· Capillary phenomena and micro-fluidics

This subject concerns the capillary flow in micro-channels, complex capillary passages, porous structures, and fuel cells where the flow is affected by geometry, contact angle, and surface condition, etc. It also concerns the interface stability in different geometries.

· Large-length-scale capillary driven flow in microgravity

This subject concerns the mass transport processes in space systems such as liquid fuel tanks and the life support system. More specifically, it concerns problems such as capillary driven flow along interior corners and passages of different geometric settings. Such problems are also of great interest in terrestrial environment for problems such as flow imbibitions and thin film drainage in fields of oil recovery, Lab on A Chip, and so forth.

· Self-assembly of structures on surfaces

This subject concerns the roles played by capillary forces and geometric configurations in the self-assembly of macro/meso/micro-scale surface-active particles and particle arrays.

The goal of my research is to understand the essential physical processes using experimental approach with the aids of theoretical analysis by applying exact, asymptotic and numerical methods to simplified mathematical models for different problems.

The research areas listed above are vibrant with great funding potential. At PSU, I have supported the submissions of one multi-institutional NSF proposal on self-assembly and one NSF proposal on porous structures for thermal transport and multiphase processes. I am also preparing another NSF proposal on self-assembly with emphasis on studying 3-D complex capillary menisci.

During my Ph.D. research, I designed and constructed a novel 1.2-second high test-rate drop tower. This facility is unique in the US and enables the study of low-gravity fluid phenomena in a highly economic and efficient way. Since my graduation from Purdue in 2003, the drop tower has continued to be utilized by research teams at Purdue and has served as a springboard for new funded research contracts. I then used the drop tower to conduct experimental study on large-length-scale capillary flow in certain vane-wall gap geometry typical in the liquid propellant management system for spacecraft. In my study, an analytical method was applied to determine the critical wetting conditions, which have been confirmed with both numerical computations using Surface Evolver algorithm and drop tower experiments. The experiments also provided a database for developing models of the flow. My work has lead to an improved understanding of the performance of passive vane-type propellant management devices.

At PSU I have been conducting both experimental and analytical research on capillary driven flow in containers of increasing complexity. The goal of our work is to obtain closed-form solutions for a variety of flow problems relating to the flows that arise due to the geometry of the system. Such geometry can be cleverly exploited for a variety of applications both in space and on earth.

I am also using Surface Evolver in the numerical study of the shape and stability of complex capillary surfaces. Current applications include the investigation of the self-assembly of surface-active particles as a function of particle geometry and wetting distribution, and the determination of optimum pore geometry for complex porous structures. In addition, I have assisted the research in Pulsed Thermal Loop cooling system that is being reduced to microscale. During the summer of 2004, we initiated the development of a user-friendly interface prototype for the Evolver in order to expand its application in both academia and industry.

In the course of my research, I have been benefited from exchanging ideas with my Ph.D. advisor Steven Collicott at Purdue, my mentor Mark Weislogel at PSU, and some other researchers in the field. I hope to continue these exchanges and to develop similar collaborations in the future.