Course description:
Over the recent past years, the fundamental physics and theories of electrokinetics (EK), electrohydrodynamics (EHD), ferrohydrodynamics (FHD), etc., have drawn a renewed attention as well as received intense research interests and efforts from the scientific community to achieve the goal of better modeling the micro/nano-fluidic aspects and describe the electromagnetic field and fluid mechanical interactions in the design and development of micro total analysis system and micro/nano-electromechanical system applications. So far, however, the modeling physics and mathematical tools required for describing and analyzing these electrically or magnetically driven fluid flows are less likely accessible through general unified class lectures and require the students to dig or delve into dense technical papers or monographs available in the vast literature. In this 3-unit half year introductory class directed towards junior, senior, and graduate students, we attempt to systematically and logically introduce these physics and tools so that students can acquire the basic working knowledge for formulating and analyzing these electrically or magnetically driven flow problems encountered in micro/nano systems research.

Here, as an introductory course, the flow of this course will be divided into two parts:

In the first part of the course, I would like to give lectures that introduce the fundamental theories of electromagnetism as well as review the knowledge of fluid mechanics. Coupled governing equations that describe fluid mechanical responses and dynamical motions in the presence of electro- and magneto- quasi-static fields will be developed and derived so that the students can have the minimum necessary tools for analyzing research or design problems.

In the second part of the course, students are asked to form teams or groups (2 to 3 students per group, depends on the size of the class) and to carry out a term project that is related to fluid electromechanics through applying the fundamental tools learned in the previous part of the course. Potential topics for the project will be given early in the term. Students, however, must select their teammates and decide the topic of their project roughly around the middle of the term. Each team will give an oral presentation to the whole class about their project; a written report should also be submitted at the time of presentation.

Active class participation is greatly encouraged.