Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NEQLIQ (Non-equilibrium features of small systems within critical liquids.)
Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2023-12-31
The NEQLIQ project addresses the intricate dynamics and energetics of small systems, spanning from a few nanometers to several microns. These systems pose a dual challenge: firstly, the incomplete understanding of natural small systems, including living systems, and secondly, the contemporary challenge of miniaturization in Physics and Engineering. At this mesoscopic scale, energy fluctuations become comparable to average energy flows, highlighting the uniqueness of these systems and performing actions beyond classical Thermodynamics. Indeed, understanding small systems is not merely about scaling down macroscopic counterparts; rather, it involves navigating through the blurred boundaries of thermodynamic laws at the thermal energy edge. Critical systems, represented by liquid mixtures at critical concentrations, are a perfect target to study the thermal fluctuations as a free parameter of a physical system, and the combination with different photonics tools allows the unraveling of how tunable fluctuations may be used in this dual challenge.
The societal importance of addressing these challenges cannot be overstated. Advancements in small systems have profound implications across various sectors. In biotechnology, understanding the dynamics of small biological systems could lead to breakthroughs in drug delivery mechanisms, medical diagnostics, and targeted therapies. In energy, optimizing small-scale engines and machines could revolutionize energy efficiency, impacting transportation, manufacturing, and sustainability efforts. Moreover, advancements in small systems can pave the way for innovations in information technology, sensor development, and environmental monitoring or to profit the energy fluctuations around us. The potential use of environmental fluctuations, natural ones as thermal or artificial as wifi waves, remains unexplored, and it can hugely contribute to these goals.
The primary goal of NEQLIQ is to assess how critical interactions influence the dynamics and energetics of small systems. To achieve this, the project aims to identify the minimal effective model that characterizes the coupling between a critical bath and colloidal particles from a novel set of experiments. By quantifying changes in the viscoelastic features of the bath at different distances from criticality and analyzing the probability density function of thermodynamic parameters along a pathway, NEQLIQ seeks to unravel the underlying mechanisms governing small system behavior.
The societal importance of addressing these challenges cannot be overstated. Advancements in small systems have profound implications across various sectors. In biotechnology, understanding the dynamics of small biological systems could lead to breakthroughs in drug delivery mechanisms, medical diagnostics, and targeted therapies. In energy, optimizing small-scale engines and machines could revolutionize energy efficiency, impacting transportation, manufacturing, and sustainability efforts. Moreover, advancements in small systems can pave the way for innovations in information technology, sensor development, and environmental monitoring or to profit the energy fluctuations around us. The potential use of environmental fluctuations, natural ones as thermal or artificial as wifi waves, remains unexplored, and it can hugely contribute to these goals.
The primary goal of NEQLIQ is to assess how critical interactions influence the dynamics and energetics of small systems. To achieve this, the project aims to identify the minimal effective model that characterizes the coupling between a critical bath and colloidal particles from a novel set of experiments. By quantifying changes in the viscoelastic features of the bath at different distances from criticality and analyzing the probability density function of thermodynamic parameters along a pathway, NEQLIQ seeks to unravel the underlying mechanisms governing small system behavior.
Significant progress was made across all five work packages (WP1 to WP5), focusing on stochastic thermodynamics. WP1 optimized photonics tools for precise colloidal particle manipulation, achieving sub-nanometric accuracy. WP2 developed microfluidic chambers to control convection flows and studied surface-wetting effects. WP3 investigated complex fluid microrheology and Critical Casimir forces. WP4 explored non-equilibrium features, focusing on injected work and relaxation dynamics. WP5 conducted innovative experiments, including a Brownian pendulum clock and thermophoresis for drug delivery.
Main results:
1. Advanced photonics tools for precise colloidal particle manipulation.
2. Microfluidic chambers for improved experimental reproducibility.
3. Microrheology and relaxation dynamics of Critical Casimir forces.
4. Exploration of non-equilibrium features, focusing on injected work.
5. Innovative experiments in the mesoscale, including thermophoresis for drug delivery.
Overview:
The project's findings promise practical applications in various fields. Dissemination through publications, presentations, and collaborations will advance nanotechnology, drug delivery, and thermal engineering. The interdisciplinary project ensures broad impact within the scientific community.
Main results:
1. Advanced photonics tools for precise colloidal particle manipulation.
2. Microfluidic chambers for improved experimental reproducibility.
3. Microrheology and relaxation dynamics of Critical Casimir forces.
4. Exploration of non-equilibrium features, focusing on injected work.
5. Innovative experiments in the mesoscale, including thermophoresis for drug delivery.
Overview:
The project's findings promise practical applications in various fields. Dissemination through publications, presentations, and collaborations will advance nanotechnology, drug delivery, and thermal engineering. The interdisciplinary project ensures broad impact within the scientific community.
The project has achieved significant advancements in key areas:
WP1: An advanced optical tweezers setup has been established, enabling precise thermodynamic protocols. Implementation of dynamic light scattering and temperature tuning/detection methods has enhanced experimental precision and versatility.
WP2: Optimization of sample preparation techniques and microfluidic chambers has facilitated controlled experiments within critical baths, eliminating convection flows in microscopic temperature profiles.
WP3: Investigation into microrheology and relaxation dynamics of Critical Casimir forces provides novel insights into particle dynamics and the surrounding environment, opening avenues for further research.
WP4: Exploration of non-equilibrium behavior within critical baths, particularly regarding injected work and relaxation dynamics of critical Casimir forces, represents a significant advancement in stochastic thermodynamics research.
WP5: Development of innovative experiments in the mesoscale showcases creativity and potential for groundbreaking discoveries, pushing boundaries of current knowledge and offering new avenues for applications.
Current and ongoing impacts:
New insights into stochastic thermodynamics, critical systems, and non-equilibrium behavior will advance fundamental understanding, aiding in the design of nanosystems and interpretation of living systems.
Advanced methodologies may drive technological innovation in nanotechnology, drug delivery, and thermal engineering, with potential applications in temperature-sensitive areas.
Outcomes may significantly impact healthcare, materials, and energy sectors. Environmental fluctuations could drive artificial systems, impacting healthcare, and exploration of thermophoresis for drug delivery could enhance medical treatments. Results may also inform socio-economic dynamics through noise-driven systems interpretations.
4. Wider Societal Implications: The project's contributions to scientific knowledge and technological innovation have broader societal implications, including enhancing scientific literacy, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and inspiring future generations of researchers. Additionally, the project's focus on sustainable and innovative technologies aligns with broader societal goals related to environmental conservation and responsible innovation. Summarizing, noise is only an artificial concept to manage systems with too many degrees of freedom to track them all, and, most probable, the study of small noise-driven systems as studied during NEQLIQ will give keys in areas of knowledge as economics or sociology quite far away the topic of this project.
WP1: An advanced optical tweezers setup has been established, enabling precise thermodynamic protocols. Implementation of dynamic light scattering and temperature tuning/detection methods has enhanced experimental precision and versatility.
WP2: Optimization of sample preparation techniques and microfluidic chambers has facilitated controlled experiments within critical baths, eliminating convection flows in microscopic temperature profiles.
WP3: Investigation into microrheology and relaxation dynamics of Critical Casimir forces provides novel insights into particle dynamics and the surrounding environment, opening avenues for further research.
WP4: Exploration of non-equilibrium behavior within critical baths, particularly regarding injected work and relaxation dynamics of critical Casimir forces, represents a significant advancement in stochastic thermodynamics research.
WP5: Development of innovative experiments in the mesoscale showcases creativity and potential for groundbreaking discoveries, pushing boundaries of current knowledge and offering new avenues for applications.
Current and ongoing impacts:
New insights into stochastic thermodynamics, critical systems, and non-equilibrium behavior will advance fundamental understanding, aiding in the design of nanosystems and interpretation of living systems.
Advanced methodologies may drive technological innovation in nanotechnology, drug delivery, and thermal engineering, with potential applications in temperature-sensitive areas.
Outcomes may significantly impact healthcare, materials, and energy sectors. Environmental fluctuations could drive artificial systems, impacting healthcare, and exploration of thermophoresis for drug delivery could enhance medical treatments. Results may also inform socio-economic dynamics through noise-driven systems interpretations.
4. Wider Societal Implications: The project's contributions to scientific knowledge and technological innovation have broader societal implications, including enhancing scientific literacy, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and inspiring future generations of researchers. Additionally, the project's focus on sustainable and innovative technologies aligns with broader societal goals related to environmental conservation and responsible innovation. Summarizing, noise is only an artificial concept to manage systems with too many degrees of freedom to track them all, and, most probable, the study of small noise-driven systems as studied during NEQLIQ will give keys in areas of knowledge as economics or sociology quite far away the topic of this project.