Engineers Garage

  • Electronics Projects and Tutorials
    • Electronic Projects
      • Arduino Projects
      • AVR
      • Raspberry pi
      • ESP8266
      • BeagleBone
      • 8051 Microcontroller
      • ARM
      • PIC Microcontroller
      • STM32
    • Tutorials
      • Audio Electronics
      • Battery Management
      • Brainwave
      • Electric Vehicles
      • EMI/EMC/RFI
      • Hardware Filters
      • IoT tutorials
      • Power Tutorials
      • Python
      • Sensors
      • USB
      • VHDL
    • Circuit Design
    • Project Videos
    • Components
  • Articles
    • Tech Articles
    • Insight
    • Invention Stories
    • How to
    • What Is
  • News
    • Electronic Product News
    • Business News
    • Company/Start-up News
    • DIY Reviews
    • Guest Post
  • Forums
    • EDABoard.com
    • Electro-Tech-Online
    • EG Forum Archive
  • DigiKey Store
    • Cables, Wires
    • Connectors, Interconnect
    • Discrete
    • Electromechanical
    • Embedded Computers
    • Enclosures, Hardware, Office
    • Integrated Circuits (ICs)
    • Isolators
    • LED/Optoelectronics
    • Passive
    • Power, Circuit Protection
    • Programmers
    • RF, Wireless
    • Semiconductors
    • Sensors, Transducers
    • Test Products
    • Tools
  • Learn
    • eBooks/Tech Tips
    • Design Guides
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Webinars & Digital Events
  • Resources
    • Digital Issues
    • EE Training Days
    • LEAP Awards
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • White Papers
    • Engineering Diversity & Inclusion
    • DesignFast
  • Guest Post Guidelines
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Engineers Use Visible Light For Controlling Fluids

By Shreepanjali Mod April 26, 2017

A team of engineers at MIT recently came up with a new system that allows the users to control water movement on the surface with the help of light. This new development may open up scope for several new developing technologies like microfluidic diagnostic devices whose valves and channels can easily be reorganized on field or fly systems that would separate oil from water at drilling rigs. The team working on this project had Kripa Varanasi as the head who is also an associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. the rest of the team had members from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals from Saudi Arabia and MIT. 
 
The primary goal of this project was to discover ways for separating water from oil. The more thoroughly such mixtures are intermingled the smaller and finer the droplets are and harder it becomes to separate the two. As the water is saline, you can’t even think of using electrostatic procedures. Therefore, the team explored new ways like use of “photoresponsive” surfaces, responses of these can always be altered with slight exposure to light. They achieved the target by formulating surfaces whose interactions with water can easily be activated with light. The property is known as wettability and it helped the research team in direct separation of oil from water by coalescing of individual water droplets and by spreading these over the surface. The higher the number of water droplets fusing into each other, the better it is to separate these from oil. 
Engineers Use Visible Light For Controlling Fluids
Varanasi adds, “We were inspired by the work in photovoltaics, where dye sensitization was used to improve the efficiency of absorption of solar radiation. The coupling of the dye to titania particles allows for the generation of charge carriers upon light illumination. This creates an electric potential difference to be established between the surface and the liquid upon illumination, and leads to a change in the wetting properties.”

Filed Under: News
Tagged With: Research
 

Next Article

← Previous Article
Next Article →

Questions related to this article?
👉Ask and discuss on Electro-Tech-Online.com and EDAboard.com forums.



Tell Us What You Think!! Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

EE TECH TOOLBOX

“ee
Tech Toolbox: Internet of Things
Explore practical strategies for minimizing attack surfaces, managing memory efficiently, and securing firmware. Download now to ensure your IoT implementations remain secure, efficient, and future-ready.

EE Learning Center

EE Learning Center
“engineers
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for EE professionals.

HAVE A QUESTION?

Have a technical question about an article or other engineering questions? Check out our engineering forums EDABoard.com and Electro-Tech-Online.com where you can get those questions asked and answered by your peers!


RSS EDABOARD.com Discussions

  • How can I get the frequency please help!
  • Elektronik devre
  • 12VAC to 12VDC 5A on 250ft 12AWG
  • SPI speed pic18f66j15
  • Antiparallel Schottky Diodes VDI-Load Pull

RSS Electro-Tech-Online.com Discussions

  • compatible eth ports for laptop
  • how to work on pcbs that are thick
  • How to repair this plug in connector where wires came loose
  • Actin group needed for effective PCB software tutorials
  • Kawai KDP 80 Electronic Piano Dead

Featured – Designing of Audio Amplifiers part 9 series

  • Basics of Audio Amplifier – 1/9
  • Designing 250 Milli Watt Audio Power Amplifier – 2/9
  • Designing 1 Watt Audio Power Amplifier – 3/9
  • Designing a Bass Boost Amplifier – 4/9
  • Designing a 6 Watt Car Audio Amplifier – 5/9
  • Design a low power amplifier for headphones- 6/9

Recent Articles

  • ITG Electronics releases gate drive transformers with 200 – 450 V DC capability
  • Stackpole introduces HCJ jumpers with 70.7 amp continuous current capability
  • Infineon releases MCU with 128K flash and multi-sense capabilities
  • ST introduces 600V GaN gate drivers with 300 ns start-up time
  • ABLIC releases S-19116 automotive voltage detector with 6.8μs response time

EE ENGINEERING TRAINING DAYS

engineering

Submit a Guest Post

submit a guest post
Engineers Garage
  • Analog IC TIps
  • Connector Tips
  • Battery Power Tips
  • DesignFast
  • EDABoard Forums
  • EE World Online
  • Electro-Tech-Online Forums
  • EV Engineering
  • Microcontroller Tips
  • Power Electronic Tips
  • Sensor Tips
  • Test and Measurement Tips
  • 5G Technology World
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy

Search Engineers Garage

  • Electronics Projects and Tutorials
    • Electronic Projects
      • Arduino Projects
      • AVR
      • Raspberry pi
      • ESP8266
      • BeagleBone
      • 8051 Microcontroller
      • ARM
      • PIC Microcontroller
      • STM32
    • Tutorials
      • Audio Electronics
      • Battery Management
      • Brainwave
      • Electric Vehicles
      • EMI/EMC/RFI
      • Hardware Filters
      • IoT tutorials
      • Power Tutorials
      • Python
      • Sensors
      • USB
      • VHDL
    • Circuit Design
    • Project Videos
    • Components
  • Articles
    • Tech Articles
    • Insight
    • Invention Stories
    • How to
    • What Is
  • News
    • Electronic Product News
    • Business News
    • Company/Start-up News
    • DIY Reviews
    • Guest Post
  • Forums
    • EDABoard.com
    • Electro-Tech-Online
    • EG Forum Archive
  • DigiKey Store
    • Cables, Wires
    • Connectors, Interconnect
    • Discrete
    • Electromechanical
    • Embedded Computers
    • Enclosures, Hardware, Office
    • Integrated Circuits (ICs)
    • Isolators
    • LED/Optoelectronics
    • Passive
    • Power, Circuit Protection
    • Programmers
    • RF, Wireless
    • Semiconductors
    • Sensors, Transducers
    • Test Products
    • Tools
  • Learn
    • eBooks/Tech Tips
    • Design Guides
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Toolboxes
    • Webinars & Digital Events
  • Resources
    • Digital Issues
    • EE Training Days
    • LEAP Awards
    • Podcasts
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • White Papers
    • Engineering Diversity & Inclusion
    • DesignFast
  • Guest Post Guidelines
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe