How liquid behavior at the micro-scale shapes the future of high-speed industrial manufacturing
In short: Satish Kumar, a professor at the University of Minnesota, investigates the complex physics of materials in liquid states. By bridging colloid science, rheology, and mathematics, his research decodes how liquids interact with surfaces, enabling innovations in energy, electronics, and high-speed printing processes that require precision at the smallest scales.
At the University of Minnesota, Distinguished McKnight University Professor Satish Kumar focuses on the fundamental mechanics of materials processing. His work centers on substances that exist in liquid or liquid-like states, often containing complex structural elements such as polymer chains, surfactant aggregates, or colloidal particles. These components are significantly larger than typical solvent molecules, requiring a multidisciplinary approach that integrates transport phenomena, interfacial fluid mechanics, and computational mathematics to understand their behavior.
A primary area of investigation is dynamic wetting, which occurs when a liquid displaces another fluid along a solid surface. This process is essential for industrial applications like coating moving substrates or managing oil displacement in rock pores. Kumar’s team aims to improve the fundamental understanding of these interactions, specifically addressing challenges like air entrainment in high-speed coating and the transfer of liquid between separating surfaces. By characterizing these flows, the research seeks to minimize defects in the large-scale manufacture of emerging energy and electronic products.
Beyond wetting, the research group examines interfacial instabilities and the dynamics of polymers near surfaces. While instabilities are often undesirable in manufacturing, they can be harnessed to create topographically patterned surfaces. Kumar utilizes Brownian dynamics simulations to explore how electric fields, fluid flows, and chemical or topographical surface patterns can be designed to manipulate macromolecules. These simulations are guided by molecular theories, providing a framework to control material properties at the nanoscale. This work is critical for advancements in fields ranging from biosensors to nanostructured materials, where precise control over interfacial behavior determines the success of the final product.
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