Self assembling pore networks: high order curvature driven flows

Speaker
Nir Gavish - Michigan State University
Date
15/01/2012 - 12:30 - 10:30Add to Calendar 2012-01-15 10:30:00 2012-01-15 12:30:00 Self assembling pore networks: high order curvature driven flows Energy conversion devices, such as fuel cells, lithium ion batteries, and photocatalytic devices operate by selective conduction of charged ions through a membrane.  The membranes are created by emerging polymer electrolytes in a solvent in which the polymers spontaneously form nanoscale pore networks which serve as primitive ion channels. I this talk, I present a novel model for the self-assembly of the nanoscale pore network as a gradient ן¬ ow along classes of competing interfacial and bending energies.  I present a sharp interface analysis of the model, and show that the evolution laws for the pores are given by high-order Ricci-curvature flows, coupled to interfacial dynamics. We use our model, in conjunction with experimental scattering data, to study the morphology of Nafion, the industry standard polymer electrolyte membrane used in Fuel Cells. This is a joint work with Keith Promislow. אוניברסיטת בר-אילן - Department of Mathematics mathoffice@math.biu.ac.il Asia/Jerusalem public
Abstract

Energy conversion devices, such as fuel cells, lithium ion batteries,
and photocatalytic devices operate by selective conduction of charged ions
through a membrane.  The membranes are created by emerging polymer
electrolytes in a solvent in which the polymers spontaneously form
nanoscale pore networks which serve as primitive ion channels.

I this talk, I present a novel model for the self-assembly of the nanoscale
pore network as a gradient ן¬ ow along classes of competing interfacial and
bending energies.  I present a sharp interface analysis of the model, and
show that the evolution laws for the pores are given by high-order
Ricci-curvature flows, coupled to interfacial dynamics.

We use our model, in conjunction with experimental scattering data, to
study the morphology of Nafion, the industry standard polymer electrolyte
membrane used in Fuel Cells.

This is a joint work with Keith Promislow.

Last Updated Date : 06/02/2012