S10 Symposium KK: Micro- and Nanofluidic Systems for Material Synthesis, Device Assembly and Bio-analysis

Materials Research Society, Warrendale PA

Investigators

Abstract

1002600 DeVincent Wolf Intellectual Merit: Fluidic based techniques at the micro and nano scales offer distinct advantages over traditional methods in manipulation, analysis, and synthesis of complex materials and structures. The key and versatility of these fluidic techniques rest on the particular behavior of fluids in small channels at low Reynolds numbers, and in contact with multiple interfaces. Microfluidic architectures that harness this behavior are becoming an important an emerging tool in materials manipulation and synthesis. This is a multi disciplinary field that encompasses aspects of chemistry/chemical engineering, physics, biomedicine/biomaterials and materials science. To expand this emerging field it is critical to foster interaction between researchers from these diverse disciplines and the larger materials community. There is no better opportunity to achieve this than on the Symposium KK on Micro and Nanofluidic Systems for Material Synthesis, Device Assembly, and Bioanalysis that will be held at the Spring 2010 MRS meeting. This symposium will bring together researchers, students, and industrial scientists from multiple disciplines to share their results and insight. While the theme of this symposium is materials centric we plan to devote a considerable portion of the program to fundamental aspects of drops and bubbles generation, advances in flow focusing, synthesis of particles and capsules, and the physics of complex fluidflow at the micro and nanoscale. This symposium fits well with your program interest in multiphase flow phenomena (particle/bubble/droplet dynamics), structured fluids (colloids, ferrofluids), and self and directed assembly of particles into functional devices. We request support from the NSF to partially cover travel and registration costs for oral and poster presenters, with particular emphasis in supporting young faculty and students. Broader Impacts: We believe that being able to partially support travel, and to cover the costs of attending the meeting will allow a wider, more representative population to attend and participate in the symposium and eventually, to strengthen representation in the area of materials development using micro and nano microfluidic systems. We will particularly, encourage research groups across the country to support participation of graduate and undergraduate students in the poster sessions, as a means of exposing students to a high level of research at an early age, and through these means, enhancing accessibility to research.