This research program attempts to improve the current understanding of the transport phenomena of macromolecular solutes in sheared suspensions undergoing laminar flow. Using the technique of internal reflection fluorescence (IRF), augmented mass transfer will be determined using a rotating disc flow system. The diffusion coefficients of several macromolecular solutes will be measured in aqueous suspensions as a function of suspension particle volume fraction, shear rate, suspension viscosity/viscoelasticity, particle size, particle rigidity, and shear rate. This proposal intends to identify and characterize the important experimental parameters and to clarify mechanisms involved in enhancing the diffusivities of macromolecular solutes in sheared suspensions.
