Computational fluid dynamics of Complex Interfaces: applications to the study of emulsions and the Micromechanics of biological membranes

Abstract

The main research topic considered here is that of the finite element modeling of complex phenomena on moving microfluidic interfaces with both, Eulerian and Lagrangian methods, based on variational formulations. Among the physical phenomena of interest in this project, we consider the capillarity and surface tension effects, interfacial viscous effects, surfactant transport, elastic forces on cellular membranes and surface inextensibility restrictions. The idea is to better understand the individual and collective behavior of immersed interfaces. The focus will be on the improvement of the discrete variational formulations, the finite element spaces, the coupling schemes to account for the interactions with the inner and outer fluids and the interface geometrical representation. The results and computational tools developed during the project are relevant to the study of emulsions or colloidal mixtures present in several separation processes used in industry, and also to the study of the micro-mechanical behavior of living cells and synthetic vesicles made of phospholipidic bilayers of importance to the biological sciences and pharmacological applications. The aim is at developing robust numerical schemes so as to complement experimental studies meeting the expectations of the existing technologies. This project and the activities are a natural continuation of ongoing research by the proposer and other efforts in collaboration with researchers in the same institution. (AU)