INTERFACIAL PHENOMENA

Thin liquid films flowing down vertical strings spontaneously develop flow instability, creating wavy profiles and/or traveling liquid beads. This microscale interfacial phenomenon can be used in a wide variety of applications, including direct-contact heat and mass exchangers.

One challenge lies in predicting the flow behavior as a function of the relevant physical parameters, such as the flow rate, nozzle geometry, fluid properties, and their temperature or concentration dependence.

In collaboration with our colleagues at Mathematics Department (Professor A. Bertozzi), we are conducting systematic experimental and theoretical studies to improve our fundamental understanding of interfacial phenomena and explore their applications.