From The New Jersey Institute of Technology
3.28.24
Gennady Gor (back left) and Alexei Khalizov (back right) with Ph.D. student Günel Nabiyeva (left) and postdoctoral researcher Ashoka Karunarathne (right).
A research team from New Jersey Institute of Technology is uncovering mysteries surrounding fluids in nanoporous materials, and has been recently awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support this research.
The research is focused on the elasticity, or compressibility, of fluids in these nanopores. Understanding the elastic properties of fluids has significant implications across multiple disciplines. Engineering applications, geological exploration, materials science and environmental studies stand to benefit from insights gained through this research.
While elasticity of fluids is well understood in bulk, in nanoporous materials at the microscopic level the fundamental properties of fluids are different, according to Gennady Gor, associate professor of chemical and materials engineering at NJIT and the principal investigator.
The primary objective of this research program is to develop a molecular theory capable of quantifying the effects of confinement on the elastic properties of fluids and utilize this theory to predict the transfer of energy — wave propagation — in fluid-saturated nanoporous materials.
Moreover, this research could affect the knowledge base of thermodynamic understanding and prediction. All thermodynamic properties have a relation to one another, including compressibility. This “equation of state” is a mathematical relationship that describes the state of a system in terms of its thermodynamic properties such as pressure, volume and temperature.
“Compressibility is one of the parameters which goes into the equation of state and if we see a deviation in compressibility, the whole equation of state should be changed,” said Gor. “The predicting of all thermodynamic properties should be revisited and this is extremely important for broader applications where thermodynamics of fluids and pores is considered.”
The research team will employ a combination of molecular-scale modeling and experimental techniques to investigate the effects of confinement on fluid elasticity. Molecular-scale modeling efforts will focus on studying hydrocarbons confined in pores of various sizes and surface properties, while experiments will be conducted using model materials such as porous glasses and porous carbon with well-defined pore sizes.
The experimental team works closely with the modeling team to test the validity and provide feedback for model evolution. In order to scale up molecular-scale models to simulate much larger systems over longer periods of time, certain simplifications and assumptions need to be made.
“So far, we are gratified to see that experimental measurements reproduce the predictions made by the model very well. However, figuratively speaking, we are still at the mouth of a cave and who knows what treasures are hidden inside,” said Alexei Khalizov, co-principal investigator and associate professor of chemistry and environmental science at NJIT.
Automated temperature- and pressure-controlled experimental environment allows for slow diffusion processes to take place.
To test the models, researchers will fill a known fraction of the nanopores with fluid then probe the sample with an ultrasonic pulse. Their upgraded experimental setup allows for precision dosages of vapor from any fluid, previously they were only testing water, and fully automated experiments. According to Khalizov, the automation is a crucial element of the experiment because each point on the saturation curve sometimes may take an entire day; some samples have a high specific surface area and the diffusion in nanopores is slow.
The team’s lab will house vacuum-sealed, temperature-controlled chambers to ensure a consistent environment, which builds off of proof of concept developed by an NJIT alumnus, Jason Ogbebor, now pursuing a Ph.D. at MIT. Gor credits much of the origins of this project from the NJIT faculty seed grant and summer fellowship, which supported Jason’s research as an undergraduate. Ashoka Karunarathne, a postdoctoral research associate, joined the team and has been instrumental in expanding the project.
Ph.D. student Santiago Flores Roman is discussing molecular simulation of carbon dioxide in zeolite pore space with undergraduate researcher Geordy Jomon.
“Fluid elasticity is a crucial parameter that influences how fluids respond to changes in pressure, temperature, and other environmental factors,” stated Gor. “Our findings will not only advance fundamental understanding but also have practical applications in diverse fields such as hydraulic systems design, natural resource exploration, energy-storage devices, new technologies at the water-energy nexus and chemical and biological separations.”
The research builds upon earlier publications and will have implications for petroleum and water resource exploration, as well as greenhouse gas sequestration efforts. By studying the elastic properties of hydrocarbon fluids in nanopores, the research team aims to develop new theoretical models that will aid in these critical areas.
“We are excited about the potential of our research to contribute to advancements in fundamental science and practical applications. By unraveling the mysteries of fluid behavior in nanoporous media, we aim to pave the way for innovations that can address pressing challenges across multiple domains,” said Gor.
The NSF grant will support this research project over the next three years, enabling the research team to make significant strides in understanding the complex interplay between fluid confinement and elasticity in nanoporous media.
See the full article here .
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Welcome to The New Jersey Institute of Technology. We’re proud of our 130 years of history, but that’s only the beginning of our story – we’ve doubled the size of our campus in the last decade, pouring millions into major new research facilities to give our students the edge they need in today’s demanding high-tech marketplace.
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a public research university in Newark, New Jersey with a graduate-degree-granting satellite campus in Jersey City. Founded in 1881 with the support of local industrialists and inventors especially Edward Weston, NJIT opened as Newark Technical School (NTS) in 1885 with 88 students. The university enrolls over 13,000 students from 92 countries, about 2,500 of whom live on its main campus in Newark’s University Heights district.
NJIT offers 51 undergraduate (Bachelor of Science/Arts) majors and 71 graduate (Masters and PhD) programs. Via its Honors College, it also offers professional programs in Healthcare and Law in collaboration with nearby institutions including Rutgers Medical School and Seton Hall Law School. Cross-registration with Rutgers University-Newark which borders its campus is also available. NJIT is classified among the “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity”. It operates the Big Bear Solar Observatory, home of the Goode Solar Telescope; the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (both in California); and a suite of automated observatories across Antarctica, South America and the US.
NJIT is a member of the Sea Grant Consortium and Space Grant Consortum – NASA. It has participated in the McNair Scholars Program since 1999. It is a designated Asian American Native American Pacific Islander serving institution (AANAPISI). As of May 2022, the school’s founders, faculty and alumni include a Turing Award winner, a National Medal of Technology and Innovation recipient, Goldwater Scholars, Fulbright scholars and NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. With 19 varsity teams, the NCAA Division I “Highlanders” mainly compete in the America East Conference.
The New Jersey Institute of Technology has a history dating back to the 19th century. Originally introduced from Essex County on March 24, 1880, and revised with input from the Newark Board of Trade in 1881, an act of the New Jersey State Legislature essentially drew up a contest to determine which municipality would become home to the state’s urgently needed technical school. The challenge was straightforward: the state would stake “at least $3,000 and not more than $5,000” and the municipality that matched the state’s investment would earn the right to establish the new school.
The Newark Board of Trade, working jointly with the Newark City Council, launched a campaign to win the new school. Many of the city’s industrialists, along with other private citizens, supported the fund-raiser. By 1884 the necessary funds were raised. Newark Technical School opened its doors in February 1885.
The first 88 students, mostly evening students, attended classes in a rented building at 21 West Park Street. That facility soon became inadequate for the growing number of students. A second fund-raiser – the institution’s first capital campaign – was launched to support the construction of a home for Newark Technical School. In 1886, under the leadership of the school’s first director, Charles A. Colton, the cornerstone was laid at the intersection of High Street and Summit Place for a three-story building later to be named Weston Hall in honor of the institution’s early benefactor. A laboratory building, later to be called Colton Hall, was added to the campus in 1911.
Becoming Newark College of Engineering
Allan Cullimore led the institution from 1920 to 1949 transforming Newark Technical School into Newark College of Engineering (NCE), a name change that was adopted in 1930. Campbell Hall was erected in 1925. Due to the Depression and World War II, only the former Newark Orphan Asylum, now Eberhardt Hall, was purchased and modestly renovated in the succeeding decades. Cullimore left an unpublished history of the institution dated 1955.
In 1946, about 75% of the freshman class had served in the U. S. Armed Forces. Cullimore Hall was built in 1958 and two years later the old Weston Hall was razed and replaced with the current seven-story structure. Doctoral level programs were introduced in 1960. Six years later, in 1966, an 18-acre (7.3 ha), four-building expansion was completed.
Becoming New Jersey Institute of Technology
With the addition of the New Jersey School of Architecture in 1973, the institution had evolved into a technological university, offering a widening range of graduate and undergraduate degrees and an increasing focus on research and public service. William Hazell, president at the time, decided the school’s name should be changed to more clearly reflect its ongoing evolution. Alumni were solicited for suggestions. The winning suggestion was submitted by Joseph M. Anderson ’25. Anderson’s suggestion – New Jersey Institute of Technology – emphasized the increasing scope of educational and research initiatives at the institution. The Board of Trustees approved the name change in September,1974. And Newark College of Engineering officially became New Jersey Institute of Technology on January 1, 1975. The Newark College of Engineering name was retained for NJIT’s engineering school.
The establishment of a residential campus and the opening of NJIT’s first dormitory (Redwood Hall) in 1979 began a period of steady growth that continues today under an evolving Master Plan. Two new schools were established at the university during the 1980s, the College of Science and Liberal Arts in 1982 and the School of Industrial Management in 1988. The Albert Dorman Honors College was established in 1994, and the newest school, the College of Computing Sciences, was created in 2001. Also, three residential halls, Cypress, Oak, and Laurel which house about 1500 students in total, were placed in service in the 1990s.
On May 2, 2003, Robert Altenkirch was inaugurated as president. He succeeded Saul Fenster, who was named the university’s sixth president in 1978. In September 2011 Altenkirch elected to return to the South having been offered the presidency of the University of Alabama-Huntsville. On January 9, 2012, NJIT Trustees named Joel Bloom president.
In 2003 the opening of the new Campus Center on the site of the former Hazell Hall centralized campus social events. Construction of a new Atrium, Bookstore, Dining Hall, computer lab, Information Desk facility, and new student organization offices continued into 2004. In 2005 a row of automobile chop shops adjacent to campus were demolished. In 2006 construction of an near-campus residence hall by American Campus Communities began in the chop shops’ location. The new hall, which opened in 2007, is dubbed the University Centre. In addition to NJIT students, it houses students from Rutgers-Newark, Seton Hall University and Rutgers Law School.
Also in 2005, Eberhardt Hall was fully renovated and re-inaugurated as the Alumni Center and the symbolic front door to the university. Its restored tower was the logo of the former Newark College of Engineering. A rebranding campaign with the current slogan, “NJIT – New Jersey’s Science and Technology University – The Edge in Knowledge”, was launched to emphasize NJIT’s position as New Jersey’s science-and-technology-focused public research university.
NJIT’s business school – the Martin Tuchman School of Management – focuses on utilizing technology to serve business needs. The school, which is an AACSB-accredited business school, benefits from its proximity to New York City and lower Jersey City aka, “Wall Street West”. Wall Street itself (lower Manhattan) is twenty-five minutes away via Newark Light Rail and the PATH system’s Newark-World Trade Center line. NJIT has a multi-faceted collaboration with its neighbor, Rutgers-Newark. The collaboration involves: the Rutgers and NJIT business schools; their federated departments of Biology and History; and the joint Theater Arts Program. In 2008 NJIT began a program with the Heritage Institute of Technology in West Bengal, India under which 20 students come to NJIT for summer internships.
In 2009 the New Jersey School of Architecture was enlarged and reorganized as the College of Architecture and Design (COAD). Within the college, the New Jersey School of Architecture continues, along with the newly established School of Art + Design.
In June 2010, NJIT officially completed its purchase of the old Central High School building which is located between the NJIT and Rutgers–Newark campuses. With the completion of the purchase, Summit Street, from Warren Street to New Street, was converted into a pedestrian walkway. Subsequently, the high school building was extensively renovated, preserved, and updated per the Campus Master Plan.
Facilities added in 2016-18 include: a 209,000-square-foot (19,400 m^2), multi-purpose Wellness and Events Center aka, “The WEC” which features a retractable-seating arena that can accommodate 3,500 spectators or 4,000 event participants; a 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m^2) Life Sciences and Engineering Center; a 10,000-square-foot (930 m^2) “Makerspace”, and a parking garage with spaces for 933 cars.
In September 2023 the Wall Street Journal, using a more outcome-oriented methodology than in the past, ranked NJIT very high among public universities and among all national universities in its List of the Best Colleges in the U.S..
In a money.com article entitled The Best 10 Colleges for Engineering Majors, NJIT was cited for its economic mobility performance and ranked very high in the country.
NJIT was ranked very highly in money.com’s list of the 25 best colleges in the US.
The QS World University Ranking USA, ranked NJIT very highly among US Institutions listed (more than 750 considered).
In the QS World University Rankings: USA, NJIT has been ranked very highly.
Forbes has ranked NJIT very high in the country in upward mobility defined in terms of moving students from the bottom fifth of the income distribution to the top fifth.
In U.S. News on-line rankings, four of NJIT’s suite of on-line graduate programs were ranked very highly in the country, including its information technology programs.
In Payscale’s College ROI Report, which covers 1833 institutions, NJIT ranked very highly for return on investment, based on in-state and out-of-state tuition respectively.
NJIT placed very highly out of 662 universities in the US in R&D expenditures by the National Science Foundation.
NJIT was ranked very highly for earning six figures before attaining a graduate degree in Time’s Money’s list.
NJIT’s R&D annual expenditures have been over $160 million. Areas of focus include applied mathematics, materials science, biomedical engineering, cybersecurity, and solar-terrestrial physics – of which the Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research is a world leader. A key agent in regional economic development, NJIT hosts “VentureLink”, formally the Enterprise Development Center (EDC), an on-campus business incubator that houses over 90 start-ups, and the New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) which offers R&D services to business.
The university has performed research in nanotechnology, solar-terrestrial physics, polymer science, and the development of a smart gun technology. The university research centers include the National Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity and SmartCampus. The university hosts the Metro New York FIRST Robotics office. NJIT also hosts the Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research which owns and operates the Big Bear Solar Observatory [above], one of the world’s largest solar observatories, located in Big Bear Lake, California, and operates the Owens Valley Solar Array [along with Caltech] near Bishop, California.
In the past, NJIT was home to the Computerized Conferencing and Communications Center (CCCC), a research center that specialized in computer-mediated communication. The systems that resulted from this research are the Electronic Information Exchange System, as well as the continuations: The Electronic Information Exchange System 2 (EIES2), and the Tailorable Electronic Information Exchange System (TEIES). One of the foremost developments of EIES was that of the “Virtual Classroom”, a term coined by Dr. Starr Roxanne Hiltz in the context of Connected Education. This was the first e-learning platform in the world and was unique in that it evolved onto an existing communications system, rather than having a system created specifically for it. Their missions completed, the CCCC and EIES were terminated in the mid-90s.
The university currently operates a Class-10 cleanroom and a Class-1000 cleanroom on campus for academic and research purposes including counter-bioterrorism research.
The university also maintains an advanced 67-node supercomputer cluster in its Mathematics Department for research purposes.
NJIT conducts cybersecurity research in a number of areas including cross-domain information sharing, data security and privacy, data mining for malware detection, geospatial information security, secure social networks, and secure cloud computing. The university is designated a National Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security.
