SFB 1194:  Interaction between Transport and Wetting Processes

• Subject Area: Mechanical and Industrial Engineering ; Chemistry ; Computer Science, Systems and Electrical Engineering ; Materials Science and Engineering ; Mathematics ; Physics ; Thermal Engineering/Process Engineering
• Term: since 2016
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 265191195

The wetting of surfaces by liquids or their dewetting plays an essential role in numerous processes in production engineering, energy technology and process engineering. However, the interaction between the dynamic wetting or dewetting processes and the local momentum, heat or mass transport processes are not sufficiently understood or predictable, especially when complex fluids and surfaces are involved and transient processes are considered. The CRC has identified 5 overarching goals with respect to the research program: (1) To achieve a deeper understanding of the influence of local momentum, heat and mass transfer on wetting properties, and vice versa. (2) To develop physics-based mathematical models, numerical methods and open source programs (3) To develop high resolution measurement techniques to experimentally investigate the interaction between wetting and transport phenomena. (4) To demonstrate possibilities to purposely influence or optimize wetting through transport processes, or conversely. (5) To investigate selected new or improved processes for relevant engineering applications. To achieve these goals, researchers from different disciplines (engineering, mathematics, natural sciences) work together employing complementary methods. This allows to investigate the processes experimentally as well as theoretically and numerically on different length scales (nano-micro-macro). In addition, a bridge between basic research and application-oriented research is built. The CRC comprises three project areas: (A) Generic Experiments, (B) Modelling and Numerical Simulation and (C) New and Improved Applications. Two generic configurations and OpenFOAM as a common software platform have been established as important integrative brackets and form a common focus. The generic configurations immersed body and droplets are on the one hand independent generic experiments which address complementary scientific questions, but on the other hand they are also setups that are used in numerous other experiments and serve to validate the simulation models. For the proposed second funding period, the complexity of the fluids and substrates will be increased and the interaction of experiments and simulations up to full process considerations for process optimizations will be brought into focus. The third funding period will aim at consolidating the comprehensive understanding and description of the various coupled phenomena and will address more and more new applications and knowledge transfer.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Current projects

• A01 - Forced wetting and de-wetting on complex surfaces – Generic configuration immersed body (Project Heads Hussong, Jeanette ;  Stephan, Peter ;  Tropea, Cameron )
• A02 - Experimental investigation of coalescence and breakup of droplets on solid surfaces – Generic config-uration sessile drop (Project Heads Auernhammer, Günter K. ;  Hardt, Steffen )
• A03 - Investigation of fast de-wetting from substrates with complex surface morphologies (Project Head Roisman, Ilia )
• A04 - Flow and evaporation of pure liquids and (nano)-suspensions from structured coatings (Project Head Gambaryan-Roisman, Tatiana )
• A05 - Wetting and transport on swellable, immobilized polymer brushes and polymer networks (Project Head Biesalski, Markus )
• A06 - Flow velocity profile near a moving three-phase contact line (Project Heads Auernhammer, Günter K. ;  Butt, Hans-Jürgen )
• A07 - Raman spectroscopy for investigating mass transport and concentration gradients in mixtures (Project Head Stark, Robert )
• A08 - Spatially resolved NMR for investigating fluid behavior on solid surfaces (Project Heads Thiele, Christina Marie ;  Vogel, Michael )
• A09 - Nanoscale investigation of wetting and de-wetting during imbibtion and nucleation (Project Head von Klitzing, Regine )
• B01 - Modeling and VOF-based multiphysics simulation of irreversible thermodynamic transfer processes at dynamic contact lines (Project Head Bothe, Dieter )
• B02 - Direct Numerical Simulation of Locally Coupled Transport Processes at Dynamic Contact Lines (Project Heads Bothe, Dieter ;  Fricke, Mathis ;  Gründing, Dirk ;  Marschall, Holger )
• B04 - Simulation-based optimization and optimal design of experiments for wetting processes (Project Head Ulbrich, Stefan )
• B06 - High order schemes for direct numerical simulation for wetting and de-wetting problems based on the discontinuous Galerkin method (Project Heads Kummer, Florian ;  Oberlack, Martin )
• B07 - Scale bridging simulation of dynamic wetting based on the phase field method (Project Head Marschall, Holger )
• C01 - Forced Wetting of Surfaces by Gravure Printing Cylinders (Project Head Dörsam, Edgar )
• C02 - Multiscale investigations of boiling of complex fluids on complex surfaces (Project Head Stephan, Peter )
• C03 - Condensation of water on superamphiphobic surfaces (Project Heads Butt, Hans-Jürgen ;  Gambaryan-Roisman, Tatiana )
• C04 - Controlled dynamic wetting and the influence of ionic mass transport in mesoporous films (Project Head Andrieu-Brunsen, Annette )
• C06 - Contact line dynamics and diffusion-driven nucleation during cavitation (Project Head Pelz, Peter F. )
• C07 - Measurement technique and instrument for determining the lateral adhesion of drops (Project Head Butt, Hans-Jürgen )
• T02 - Prototype for the measurement of the frictional force of droplets (Project Heads Berger, Rüdiger ;  Butt, Hans-Jürgen )
• ZINF - Information Infrastructure (Project Heads Bischof, Christian ;  Bothe, Dieter )
• ZV - Central Services and Administration (Project Head Stephan, Peter )

Completed projects

• B05 - Molecular Modelling of Complex Liquids at the Three-phase Contact Line (Project Head van der Vegt, Nico )
• C05 - Amplification of the Electroosmotic Flow on Superhydrophobic Surfaces (Project Head Hardt, Steffen )

• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität Darmstadt
• Participating Institution: Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. (IPF); Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr.-Ing. Peter Stephan