CAREER: Fluid mechanics of acoustically-actuated viscoelastic fluids at microscales

Using sound waves to control fluids and tiny particles has enormous potential for improving healthcare technologies, including rapid medical testing, targeted drug delivery, and personalized treatments. Many fluids in the human body, such as blood and saliva, flow in complex ways that are not yet fully understood, especially when exposed to sound waves. Despite the increasing use of sound-based technologies in medicine, there is still limited understanding of how sounds waves interact with these biological fluids. This CAREER award will support research to uncover how sound waves generate fluid motion and forces in biologically relevant settings. The knowledge gained from this work will help enable new technologies for portable medical diagnostics, soft robotic devices, and more precise methods for delivering medicines within the body. Additionally, the project will provide research and training opportunities for students, support educational outreach activities, and promote open science through freely available computational tools. This project will investigate the fundamental mechanisms governing the interaction of high-frequency acoustics with viscoelastic fluids and immersed objects through predictive, multiscale computational frameworks. The research will significantly advance the state-of-the-art in acoustofluidic modeling by developing a first-of-its-kind, multiphase and multicomponent immersed boundary framework to enable systematic investigation of viscoelastic fluid dynamics with immersed rigid or deformable objects. The resulting insights will advance our understanding of acoustic-fluid-structure interactions by elucidating how fluid viscoelasticity and particle elasticity interact to shape flow and force fields in acoustofluidic systems, enabling new strategies for improved fluid and particle control. The numerical codes developed through this research will be disseminated through the open-source libraries along with user-friendly documentation. Concurrently, the educational component of this project will integrate industry-relevant learning modules, research-informed design projects, and entrepreneurial training within the traditional curriculum to provide undergraduate and graduate students with holistic training in biomedical research and its translation into healthcare solutions. The project will also promote interest in STEM careers among middle- and high-school students through hands-on activities co-developed with local educators and delivered through outreach programs such as the Young Nebraska Scientists camp and Lincoln Community Learning Centers after-school clubs. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2543194 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Nitesh Nama | Institution: University of Nebraska-Lincoln, LINCOLN, NE | Award Amount: $548,417 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2543194 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2543194.html