Fluid Dynamics and Soft Matter

Interfacial flow and microfluidics

Our research uses specialised analytical and computational tools to analyse fluid flow regimes at small scales, including multiphase systems, wetting phenomena, and confined micro-flows. We consider problems arising in different areas, from natural and biological systems to engineering and industrial applications. The figure below shows an example of a mechanism used to control droplet motion on a patterned surface (top panel), and irregular wave interactions in falling liquid films (bottom panel).

Soft condensed matter

Soft matter includes: liquid crystals in your laptop screen, emulsion in your mayonnaise, and colloidal suspensions in many household products. Although the microscopic details of these matter are quite complicated, e.g. hydrogen-bond, the macroscopic behaviours of these systems are often very simple and can be analysed using tools from statistical physics.

Microswimmers

We research the dynamics exhibited by self-propelling active microswimmers within complex fluid environments. Our primary interest lies in understanding the strategies microswimmers employ to minimize viscous dissipation within the surrounding fluid medium.

This work involves investigating elasto-hydrodynamic interactions between colloidal particles and adjacent elastic interfaces. Potential applications include the design of nanocarriers, particularly in the context of drug delivery and related fields.