The EU-Training Network NanoTRANS brings together 15 European research facilities in the field of Soft Matter to investigate the transport at the nanoscale. In addition, the network has associate partners all around the world. It offers 15 highly motivated PhD students the possibility to accomplish their research in a very fruitful exchange with all participant nodes.
Transport at the Nanoscale
Polymer solutions belong to the class of complex fluids – real life examples are ketchup and paints – that show already astonishing changes in macroscopic properties when sheared or transported by a flow, in contrast to a simple Newtonian fluid such as water. When transported confined in narrow channels, a phenomenon of existential importance when blood is transported through vessels, the effects of confinement come additionally into play.
To get a more detailed insight into those complex fluids, the EU funded the project NanoTRANS within the Horizon2020 framework. In this network, theoreticians and experimentalist are jointly dedicated to enlighten the relevant underlying phenomena. In particular, the team in Vienna is interested in the transport of linear and ring polymers in channels by using computer simulations. Here, the Vienna Scientific Cluster provides the necessary computational power to tackle these research questions. To foster as well the scientific exchange, Lisa Weiss spent a month at the University of Mainz to work with Dr. Arash Nikoubashman to profit from his experience in simulating polymers in flow. Further research exchanges with SISSA (Trieste) as well as cross-fertilization with experimental and industrial partners are also planned.
