Microhydrodynamics and Complex Fluids

A self-contained textbook, Microhydrodynamics and Complex Fluids deals with the main phenomena that occur in slow, inertialess viscous flows often encountered in various industrial, biophysical, and natural processes. It examines a wide range of situations, from flows in thin films, porous media, and narrow channels to flows around suspended particles. Each situation is illustrated with examples that can be solved analytically so that the main physical phenomena are clear. It also discusses a range of numerical modeling techniques.Two chapters deal with the flow of complex fluids, presented first with the formal analysis developed for the mechanics of suspensions and then with the phenomenological tools of non-Newtonian fluid mechanics. All concepts are presented simply, with no need for complex mathematical tools. End-of-chapter exercises and exam problems help you test yourself.Dominique Barthès-Biesel has taught this subject for over 15 years and is well known for her contributions to low Reynolds number hydrodynamics. Building on the basics of continuum mechanics, this book is ideal for graduate students specializing in chemical or mechanical engineering, material science, bioengineering, and physics of condensed matter.

"In view of the good choice of highly topical subject matter, the book will be of interest to a wide readership, not only among pure scientists. It will be useful to technicians, medical scientists and pharmaceutical chemists as a source of detailed information on advanced flow processes. ... [The chapters] are written in such a way that the reader can quickly absorb the essential information. The articles are of a high scientific standard and include interesting examples from many different areas of rheology." —Prof. Dr. Heinz Rehage, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Technische Universität Dortmund, Germany "[The author’s] long experience shows in the quality of the presentation and the writing. The presentation is at the advanced undergraduate/beginning graduate level, and is both crisp and precise, the author striking a good balance between being introductory and including ... important steps in the derivation. ... Many institutions are now developing courses on microfluidics, small scale fluid mechanics, and complex fluids. This book fills a niche in that market and is likely to be the definitive text in the subject, at this level, for some time to come." —G.M. Homsy, University of British Columbia, Canada"… gathers together several topics in an extended manner that differs with general books I know. … quite diverse and covers major areas, including recent developments …"—Misbah Chaouqi, CNRS and University J. Fourier, Grenoble, "In view of the good choice of highly topical subject matter, the book will be of interest to a wide readership, not only among pure scientists. It will be useful to technicians, medical scientists and pharmaceutical chemists as a source of detailed information on advanced flow processes. ... [The chapters] are written in such a way that the reader can quickly absorb the essential information. The articles are of a high scientific standard and include interesting examples from many different areas of rheology." —Prof. Dr. Heinz Rehage, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Technische Universität Dortmund, Germany "[The author’s] long experience shows in the quality of the presentation and the writing. The presentation is at the advanced undergraduate/beginning graduate level, and is both crisp and precise, the author striking a good balance between being introductory and including ... important steps in the derivation. ... Many institutions are now developing courses on microfluidics, small scale fluid mechanics, and complex fluids. This book fills a niche in that market and is likely to be the definitive text in the subject, at this level, for some time to come." —G.M. Homsy, University of British Columbia, Canada"… gathers together several topics in an extended manner that differs with general books I know. … quite diverse and covers major areas, including recent developments …"—Misbah Chaouqi, CNRS and University J. Fourier, Grenoble

Dominique Barthès-Biesel graduated from Ecole Centrale Paris and then earned a PhD in chemical engineering from Stanford University. She has been a professor at both Ecole Polytechnique and at Compiègne University of Technology, where she taught various classes in classical and complex fluid mechanics, biomechanics, and microfluidics. Professor Barthès-Biesel’s field of interest is fluid mechanics with a special emphasis on suspensions of deformable particles such as drops, cells, and capsules. She is well-known for her pioneering work on the motion and deformation of encapsulated droplets. She has directed 27 PhD theses, published over 70 papers, and also worked on industrial projects.