Colloids (tiny particles suspended in a liquid) occur in many different forms (e.g., milk, muddy water, shampoo, and medicine) in our daily lives. Recently, colloids have shown great potential for additive manufacturing, drug delivery, and constructing colloidal superstructures. The overall objective of this research is to develop and demonstrate novel acoustofluidic platforms that enable two unique capabilities: (i) multifunctional control (e.g., concentration, patterning, and alignment) of micro/nanoparticles, and (ii) printing polymer matrix composites containing patterned micro/nanoparticles under reduced gravity.
More »