MRI: Acquisition of a Rheometer for Research and Research Training in Science and Engineering at CSULA

California State L A University Auxiliary Services Inc., Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award from the Major Research Instrumentation program supports California State University Los Angeles with the acquisition of Rheometer. The instrument supports studies of the rheological properties of fluidic substances in five different areas. These are (1) the study of the molecular mechanism of mucoadhesion of the sol-gel two-phase co-hydrogel system for potential biomedical applications; (2) the study of the Ice Binding protein enhanced deicing/anti-icing fluids for aviation and other industrial applications; (3) the characterization of the dynamics of partially saturated and heterogeneous granular materials; (4) the study of the rheological properties of chitosan-methyl cellulose composite film forming solutions; and (5) the study of the rheological properties of non-starch polysaccharides from dry bean seeds. The rheometer is also used for research training of a diverse STEM workforce through laboratory experiments. The acquisition of a Rheometer enables research, education and training on the rheological properties of fluidic substances across three colleges at California State University Los Angeles. The research includes the study of the molecular mechanism of mucoadhesion of the sol-gel two-phase co-hydrogel system for potential biomedical applications. Using the combined methods of rheometry and rheological Nuclear Magnetic Resonance(Rheo-NMR) to correlate the viscoelastic property of the co-hydrogel and mucus system with the molecular information including molecular dynamics, interaction and orientation. A second project combines methods of rheometer and Rheo-NMR to study the Ice Binding Protein (IBP) in enhanced deicing/anti-icing fluids for aviation and other industrial applications. The third project combines rheological experiment, modeling, and simulation to characterize the mechanics of anisotropic and cohesive granular materials for off-road mobility. The fourth project studies the rheological properties of chitosan-methyl cellulose composite film forming solutions. The fifth project investigates the rheological properties of non-starch polysaccharides from dry bean seeds. This instrument is also used for research and training of a divers student population through laboratory experiments.