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Tai-Chia Lin

2009-10-15
15:30:00 - 16:30:00

Energetic variational analysis of ions in water and channels

308 , Mathematics Research Center Building (ori. New Math. Bldg.)

Complex electrorheological fluids can been understood in some detail using energetic variational methods of Landau and Onsager. Examples includ: interfacial properties in the mixture of the fluid, such as surface tension and Marangoni effect, liquid crystals and polymerical fluids, colloid and suspensions, electrorheological fluids and magnetohydrodynamics. Most properties of these complicated materials can be computed in a wide variety of conditions using a model with a few fixed parameters. In this lecture, I'll introduce a general field (continuum) theory of ionic solutions that uses only a few nonvarying parameters to calculate most properties of the solutions, equilibrium and nonequilibrium, in bulk solutions and in spatially complex domains like pores in proteins. One of our motivations is biological. A theory that accurately calculates the properties of ions in nonequilibrium conditions in spatially complex systems would be of great help in understanding biological systems, like channels, transporters, enzymes, and proteins and nucleic acids in general.