Development of Technology and Machine for Controlled Spontaneous Manufacturing of Multi-scale Fractal Structures using Fluid Instabilities for Biomimetic and other Applications
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai
CO-Principal Investigator
Prof. Milind Atrey
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai, Prof. Amitabh Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai, Prof. Abhijit Majumdar, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai, Dhananjaya Dendukuri, Achira Labs
Project Overview
Nature, in its quest for the best designs has shaped its vital systems into fractal geometries (e.g. leaf veins, respiratory system). Recent literature indeed confirms effectiveness of these geometries in several applications including tissue engineering, heat and mass transport, non-transparent solar electrodes, and capillary pumping, among others. This project proposes to develop technology and prototype (manual and automated) of a machine that can manufacture 2.5 dimensional fractal patterns spanning micron, millimeter, centimeter, and possibly meter scales in a matter of a few seconds. We propose to use Saffman-Taylor instability in lifted Hele-Shaw cell for the same. The novelty here (patent pending) is in developing high degree of control over otherwise random spontaneous formations, by using anisotropy on the cell plate, and further, by retaining their formed geometry. Applications in low cost diagnostics platform and platform for chemotaxis would be developed.
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai
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