Dr. Joseph D. Seymour (Chemical and Biological Engineering and Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University)

10/26/2023  3:10pm

Abstract: The gelation of alginate by the directional diffusion of cations is demonstrated to produce spontaneous capillary formation. The role of the alginate molecular structure, e.g. acetylation and molecular weight, on the formation of structures are considered. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows measurement of the reaction diffusion front dynamics and the structure formation. Using scaling laws based on combined thermodynamic and transport phenomena models, i.e. Cahn -Hilliard, Ginzburg-Landau or phase field models, the physical origins of the structure formation can be determined.