Nanomechanical Lab
NML Season's Greetings 2020
Self-emulsifying and demulsification of water-in-oil microemulsion droplet
Stability, deformation and rupture of Janus oligomer enabled self-emulsifying water-in-oil microemulsion droplet
Physical Chemistry and Chemiscal Physics, DOI: 10.1039/D0CP03092A
We have investigated the spontaneous emulsification process from a water, oil and surfactant mixture to form a single microemulsion droplet. By applying counter forces on the water core and the surfactant shell, the mechanical stability of microemulsion droplets was probed at different ambient temperatures. A strengthening response and a softening regime before and after a temperature-dependent peak force were identified followed by final rupture. The findings contribute to establishing an atomistic view on the previous studies on microemulsion fluids, and provide a general guide to design a stable microemulsion system, such as oil recovery and production, drug delivery, materials fabrication, chemical sensors, wastewater treatment, etc.
Timely data survey on the polysiloxane-based icephobic materials
Polysiloxane as icephobic materials – The past, present and the future
Chemical Engineering Journal, 2021, 405: 127088
Perspectives of polysiloxane low-ice adhesion materials research.
Pressure-induced displacement of nanofluids in confined capillaries
Insight into the pressure-induced displacement mechanism for selecting efficient nanofluids in various capillaries
Environmental Science: Nano, 2020, 7: 2785-2794
Fluids flow in porous media is ubiquitous and has important application in numerous fields, such as groundwater remediation, oil recovery, water purification, etc. Taken the oil recovery as an example, increasing the pumping pressure of injecting fluid can improve the oil recovery. However, as flooding pressure reaches a specific high value, considerable amount of oil would be trapped in the reservoir due to “fingering” phenomenon. How to overcome the “fingering” to increase the production of the residual oil is a hot topic in the research of petroleum engineering. Here we propose two distinct displacement mechanisms. Specifically, reducing the interfacial tension of fluids is beneficial to improve the displacement efficiency in hydrophobic capillary, while increasing viscosity of fluids favours for hydrophilic capillary. Based on the proposed mechanisms, we design three types of nanofluids to improve the displacement efficiency for different capillaries.
Pascal-level ice adhesion surfaces
New article by Dr. Tong Li
Self-Deicing Electrolyte Hydrogel Surfaces with Pa-level Ice Adhesion and Durable Antifreezing/Antifrost Performance
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2020, 12, 35572-35578
We have synthesized the ionic gel (IG) surfaces for everlasting anti-freezing and zero ice adhesion to ice with tuneable anti-icing temperature (down to -48.4 degree C). Moreover, we introduce the concept “deicing time” to evaluate the ice self-removal from the IG surface within 10-100 s. These excellent performances are due that the ions inside the IG diffuse to the interface between IG and water/ice to destroy ice crystals, as demonstrated by both the molecular dynamics simulations and experimental results. In summary, we first provide a possible approach to prevent ice formation and accretion in the long-term.
A novel "S-type" printing pattern developed at NML will yield lowest residual stresses in additive manufacturing of metallic materials
Tensile characteristics of carbon nitride nanothreads
New article by PhD candidate Yuequn Fu
The effects of morphology and temperature on the tensile characteristics of carbon nitride nanothreads
Nanoscale, 2020, 12, 12462-12475
We have performed comprehensive investigation on tensile mechanical characteristics of seven experimental synthesized CNNTs by using first-principle based ReaxFF molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. All the CNNTs exhibit unique tensile mechanical properties that change with molecular morphology, atomic arrangement and the distribution of nitrogen in the skeleton. CNNTs with more effective loading covalent bonds at cross-sections are more mechanically robust. The study provides physical insights into the tensile characteristics of CNNTs for the design and application of CNNT-based nanostructures as multifunctional materials.
New ionogel surfaces inhibit ice nucleation, growth and adhesion
Anti-icing Ionogel Surfaces: Inhibiting Ice Nucleation, Growth, and Adhesion
ACS Materials Letters, 2020, 2: 616-623
We have fabricated an ionogel surface that can not only inhibit the ice nucleation but also the subsequent step, the ice growth. Due to the inhibited ice growth, the ionogel surface enables an unconventional inward ice growth in water droplets from the droplet-air interface, resulting in a spherical cap ice rather than a normal pointy cap ice at cold environment. Both experiments and molecular dynamic simulations confirm that the prepared ionogel surface can efficiently generate an interfacial liquid layer due to the inward ice growth and presence of ionic liquid. Such non-frozen interfacial liquid layer is desired for lowering ice adhesion and preventing ice/frost formation. Consequently, the ionogel surface exhibits unprecedented anti-frost abilities under humid environment (-20 ºC, 60% RH). This is the first surface that can inhibit both ice nucleation and growth!
How to enhance the thermal boundary conductance of metal-polymer system
New article by PhD candidate Susanne Sandell
Enhancement of Thermal Boundary Conductance of Metal–Polymer System
Nanomaterials, 2020, 10, 670
Phase transition lubricant for oil/water separation
New article by PhD candidate Feng Wang
Enabling phase transition of infused lubricant in porous structure for exceptional oil/water separation
Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2020, 290, 122176
New Paper published at "Applied Materials Today"
NML developed an ultrafast self-healing, highly transparent mechanically durable icephobic coating.
Ultrafast self-healing and highly transparent coating with mechanically durable icephobicity
Applied Materials Today, 2020, 19, 100542
News: No ice, ice, baby!
Kjell Magne Mathisen
Professor, Administrative leader
Kjell.mathisen@ntnu.no
Professor
Fracture Mechanics and Nanomechanics
Professor
Nanomechanics

Adjunct Professor
Nanomechanics
Jim Stian Olsen
Adjunct Associate professor
Fracture Mechanics
Jim.Stian.Olsen@akercarboncapture.com


PhD student
Fracture and Fatigue-Measurement Method

Nanomechanics