Objective Today’s materials research in the field of synthetic membranes gives access to highly permeable and extremely selective membranes. However, their potential will remain ineffective as high and selective transport rates always go along with resistances emerging at the membrane fluid interface in the form diffusion limitations in the laminary boundary layers. In order to make full use of the very many new materials, also new means to control and minimize such fluid based resistances need to be developed. Yet another phenomena disturbs the full potential use of membranes: retained solutes, colloids and biological matter accumulates at the membrane interface and causes irreversible fouling and scaling.The proposed research aims to develop a rigorous translational methodology to control and improve mass transport through the fluid/membrane interface. ConFluReM will establish Strategic Tools and New Instruments to:(1) comprehend and quantify the prevalent mass transport resistances in representative membrane separation processes,(2) synthesize and fabricate new nano-, micro- and mesoscale material and device systems as instruments to control and overcome the limitations of concentration polarization and fouling,Strategic Tools are experimental and simulation methods to quantify and engineer the mass transport and hydrodynamical properties of the new membrane systems. These encompass flow imaging (flowMRI, microPIV and microfluidic transport studies) as well as computational fluidic dynamics (CFD and CFDEM). New Instruments are synthetic and fabrication means as well as process condition means to improve mixing at the membrane/fluid interface. These encompass (a) lateral patterning of chemical topology of the membrane surface by printing and stamping, (b) shaping the 3D geometry of channels using additive manufacturing techniques and (c) imposing dynamical gradients to destablize fluid side resistances. Fields of science natural sciencesphysical sciencescondensed matter physicssoft matter physicsnatural sciencesmathematicspure mathematicstopologynatural sciencesphysical sciencesclassical mechanicsfluid mechanicsfluid dynamicscomputational fluid dynamicsnatural sciencesmathematicspure mathematicsgeometryengineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineeringadditive manufacturing Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-ADG-2015 - ERC Advanced Grant Call for proposal ERC-2015-AdG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-ADG - Advanced Grant Host institution DWI LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUR INTERAKTIVE MATERIALIEN EV Net EU contribution € 2 500 000,00 Address FORCKENBECKSTRASSE 50 52074 Aachen Germany See on map Region Nordrhein-Westfalen Köln Städteregion Aachen Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 500 000,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all DWI LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUR INTERAKTIVE MATERIALIEN EV Germany Net EU contribution € 2 500 000,00 Address FORCKENBECKSTRASSE 50 52074 Aachen See on map Region Nordrhein-Westfalen Köln Städteregion Aachen Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 500 000,00