Project Description: Materials which dissipate energy are necessary for a wide variety of engineering problems, such as to withstand seismic vibrations or the impact of human motion. New materials are needed to improve earthquake resiliency and prosthetic limb comfort. To address this need, magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) can be used as part of viscous dampers to dissipate large amounts of energy safely and effectively. MRFs are magnetic particle dispersions that, when subjected to a magnetic field, form chains and resist flow. The adoption of MRFs has been limited in large part due to unacceptable power requirements for large-scale or on-body applications. This award investigates a new emulsion-based formulation for MRFs to reduce the MRF power requirement. A combined experimental and theoretical approach will be used with the objectives of (1) determining the key parameters that govern the performance of MRF-emulsions, (2) visualizing the magnetized state MRF-emulsion morphology, and (3) developing a fundamental framework to generalize the phenomena. This award enables the improvement of infrastructure as well as prosthetic devices while also providing STEM mentorship and experience for graduate students.

The Koh Lab is looking for students interested in pursuing a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering beginning Fall 2023.

Contact Dr. Koh (askoh@ua.edu) for information or to express your interest in this position.​