Dripping, Jetting, Drops and Wetting: The Magic of Microfludics

Dave Weitz
ICI Distinguished Lecture Part 1

3:30pm & 2:30pm - March 9, 2016 & March 10, 2016
CCIS L2 - 190 & ETLC 1-001

Faculty Host: Dr. Neda Nazemifard

Abstract:

This talk will discuss the use of microfluidic devices to precisely control the flow and mixing of fluids to make drops, and will explore a variety of uses of these drops. These drops can be used to create new materials that are difficult to synthesize with any other method. These materials have great potential for use for encapsulation and release. I will also show how the exquisite control afforded by microfluidic devices provides enabling technology to use droplets as microreactors to perform reactions at remarkably high rates using very small quantities of fluids.

Multiphase Fluid flow through Porous Media

ICI Distinguished Lecture Part 2:

Abstract:

This talk will describe a micromodel made of glass beads that allows visualization of the flow of multiple fluids through the pores. The indices of refraction of all the fluids are matched to that of the glass, enabling optical microscopy to be used to visualize the fluid flow. This provides new insights into multiphase fluid flow in porous media.

Biography:

Weitz received his BSc in Physics at the University of Waterloo, and his PhD in physics from Harvard University. He then joined Exxon Research and Engineering Company, where he worked for nearly 18 years. He then became a professor of physics at the University of Pennsylvania and moved to Harvard at the end of the last millennium as professor of physics and applied physics. He leads a group studying soft matter science with a focus on materials science, biophysics and microfluidics. He has co-founded several companies to commercialize some of the microfluidics work developed in his lab.