Mechanics of Complex Fluids

Full course description

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the study of complex fluids, examining their behavior both at rest and in motion. Understanding complex fluids is crucial across a wide range of scientific fields and industrial applications, from everyday products to highly specialized manufacturing processes. Complex fluids include a diverse set of materials such as polymeric liquids and melts, suspensions of colloidal particles, micellar solutions, emulsions, and liquid foams. These fluids differ fundamentally from simple crystalline solids and ordinary liquids, primarily due to their molecular or structural organization, which operates on length scales much larger than individual atoms. This unique characteristic gives complex fluids their distinct physical properties.

Complex fluids find applications in numerous industries, including food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and the production of fibers, films, and packaging materials. In these industries, the behavior of complex fluids is often dictated by their rheological properties—how they flow and deform under stress. Rheology plays a decisive role in determining the usability and performance of these fluids, making it a key factor in product development and processing.

For instance, in food production, the flow properties of substances like ketchup, mayonnaise, ice cream, and yogurt are critical to both their manufacturing and their final consumer appeal. Similarly, in personal care products such as shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, or makeup, the texture, spreadability, and feel of the product are largely influenced by its rheology. The ability of these products to maintain desirable characteristics, such as thickness, smoothness, and stability, often determines their success or failure in the marketplace.

The importance of rheological properties extends beyond consumer products. In industries such as plastics and polymer processing, the ability of complex fluids to be molded or shaped during production is influenced by how they flow under different conditions. Even if flow behavior is not critical to the final product’s functionality, it plays an essential role in manufacturing processes, impacting efficiency and quality control.

In summary, the study of complex fluids and their rheological behavior is not only central to understanding their scientific properties but also vital for optimizing their use across various industries. By learning how to analyze and manipulate these materials, you will gain insights that are key to advancing technology in areas ranging from food and cosmetics to pharmaceuticals, packaging, and high-performance materials. This course will provide you with a strong foundation in the principles and practical applications of complex fluid mechanics, equipping you with the tools to contribute to a wide array of industrial and research-driven endeavors.

In this course, you will learn about some of the most important classes of complex fluids, including polymers, gels, suspensions, and emulsions. You will learn about their physics and how their flow and rheological properties define their behavior under various mechanical stresses.