We are delighted to introduce the next contribution to our New Principal Investigators collection.
Read the paper
Diffusiophoresis in porous media saturated with a mixture of electrolytes
Siddharth Sambamoorthy and Henry C. W. Chu
In the article, we have developed a mathematical model that predicts the diffusiophoretic motion of a colloidal particle driven by a concentration gradient of a mixture of electrolytes in porous media. We report three key findings. First, in the same electrolyte concentration gradient, lowering the permeability of the porous medium can significantly weaken the colloid diffusiophoretic motion. Second, surprisingly, by using a valence asymmetric electrolyte the colloid diffusiophoretic motion in a denser porous medium can be stronger than that in a less dense porous medium saturated with a valence symmetric electrolyte. Third, varying the composition of an electrolyte mixture does not only change the strength of the colloid diffusiophoretic motion drastically, but also qualitatively its direction. We believe that our model will motivate and benchmark future theories and experiments. Our model can be used to understand and predict natural phenomena such as intracellular transport, as well as design technological applications such as enhanced oil recovery, nanoparticle drug delivery, and colloidal species separation.
Meet the Principal Investigator
Henry Chu is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at University of Florida (UF). He obtained a M.Phil. from The University of Hong Kong and a Ph.D. from Cornell University. The theme of his research is heterogeneous soft matter transport and design, covering topics such as complex fluid dynamics, colloid and interface science, electrokinetics, porous media, and rheology. His research group develops predictive computational tools and fundamental theories to address National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges, collaborating with experimental groups to translate knowledge into applications. His work has been recognized through several awards, including the RSC Advances / Soft Matter / Nanoscale Emerging Investigator by The Royal Society of Chemistry, UF Global Faculty Fellowship, ACS PRF Doctoral New Investigator Grants, and U.S. DOE Geosciences Research Grants. He welcomes collaboration with academia, government agencies, and industry sponsors.
Website: http://www.chugroup.site/
You’ve recently started your own group, what are the big research question/s your group will be focussing on?
I think one promising future direction is diffusiophoresis in porous media, which is the theme of our article. To date, many excellent theories and experiments have been done on diffusiophoresis in free electrolyte solutions, but little have been done on diffusiophoresis in porous media. Many novel applications, however, involve diffusiophoresis in porous media. I believe that the huge potential of diffusiophoresis will start a new wave of research that addresses both the fundamental and application aspect of the topic.
What inspired you to get into science?
As a computation group focusing on soft matter transport and design, we are excited about leveraging our discoveries to develop practical applications and to explain novel transport phenomena. Our strategy is always to develop models which are as simple as possible but can capture the key physics of a system. Although these are no easy tasks, I enjoy tackling these challenges with my students and collaborators!
What advice would you give to those who are seeking their first group leader position?
I would share the advice that I gladly received from my respected research advisors 🙂 Work on things that you are passionate about. Enjoy your work with your students and collaborators.
I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my research advisors, colleagues, and friends, who have given me great support in my early career, thank you!
