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Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
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NANOSCIENCE AND MICRO- AND NANOENGINEERING FOR ENERGY, WATER, AND BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

  • Title of project: NANOSCIENCE AND MICRO- AND NANOENGINEERING FOR ENERGY, WATER, AND BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS
  • Funding agency (Optional): DOE, NSF, NIH
  • Description: We study and exploit unique transport,
    thermodynamics and phase equilibria of advanced materials (homogeneous
    and heterogeneous 2D and ultra-thin materials, thermoresponsive
    nanofluids, and ionic liquids) and micro- and nanostructures to enable
    technologies and devices with new functionalities and improved
    efficiency with applications in energy, water, micro- and nanofluidic
    platforms, separation and sensing technologies, and biomedical domains.
    Three research areas currently active are described below.
    • Enhanced separation using 2D materials laminates Due to their
      intrinsic characteristics, such as a unique single-atom thick structure,
      outstanding mechanical strength, as well as facile and large-scale
      production, two-dimensional (2D) materials are regarded as an ideal
      membrane material for ultrafast molecular separation. This has provided a
      unique opportunity to develop nearly perfect molecular-level separation
      membranes with ultrafast and selective permeation. Recently, we have
      shown that physicochemical properties of 2D materials and their
      laminates can be tailored to enable unique transport properties.
      Currently, we are studying transport characteristics of only a few
      nanometer thick laminates of 2D materials for energy-efficient
      separation of micro-pollutants from water resources and plasma clearance
      of water soluble and albumin bound toxins for kidney and liver support
      systems.
    • Thermoresponsive nanofluids for energy efficient compression and
      separation Despite nearly two centuries of research, the fundamental
      operating principle (i.e. thermodynamics) of cooling systems are still
      the same as what was developed by Willis Carrier in 1902 and Ferdinand
      Carre in 1858. Major advancements in our understanding of the
      intermolecular forces and synthesis of new molecules in recent years
      have provided an opportunity to fundamentally change the thermodynamics
      of the cooling cycles to substantially enhance their energy efficiency.
      Currently, we are working on new classes of nanofluids and
      thermodynamics cycles to achieve this objective.
    • Impact of hierarchical micro/nanostructures on physics of transport
      in microchannels phase change process New sensing and enhancement
      approaches are being developed and utilized to understand the physics of
      different microscale heat transfer mechanisms involved in flow boiling
      in microchannels and to measure their relative contributions to the
      overall surface heat transfer. Such knowledge is essential to advancing
      the science and technology of compact and high performance two-phase
      flow heat sinks for applications such as cooling high performance
      electronics.
  • Restrictions/Constraints:
  • Knowledge and skills needed: Students with prior
    background or great interest in multi-scale transport, molecular
    thermodynamics of complex systems and fluid-phase equilibria, surface
    science and interfacial phenomena are strongly encouraged to apply.
  • How to apply: Send your resume to Dr. Moghaddam
  • Faculty contact/webpage: Dr. Saeed Moghaddam, saeedmog@ufl.edu, https://neslabs.mae.ufl.edu/