Research Projects

The following are highlights from research that touch on my work with fluids and fluid dynamics. When available, links are included to provide more technical information about the project, such as in reports and presentations. Please don't hesitate to contact me via my Linkedin or email if you would like to discuss my work in more detail.

Click on images or titles below for more information about each project

We studied the yield stress and failure mechanism of Oreo cookies, and influences of the cream distribution after twisting an Oreo open. With co-authors, developed an Oreometer for precise torsion of Oreos.

Owens CE, Max R Fan, AJ Hart, GH McKinley (2022) On Oreology, the fracture and flow of “milk's favorite cookie®”. (Free to access)

We designed a modular, fully reconfigurable microfluidic network using micromachined, store-bought LEGO bricks as modules.

Owens CE, AJ Hart (2018) High-precision modular microfluidics by micromilling of interlocking injection-molded blocks.

We built a device and made a custom simulation to apply tuned two-dimensional acoustic fields to assemble millions of microparticles into hundreds of crystallites in a single step within a resonating chamber.

Owens, CE, CW Shields, DF Cruz, P Charbonneau, GP Lopez (2016) Highly parallel acoustic assembly of microparticles into well-ordered colloidal crystallites, Soft Matter, 2016, 12, 717. (http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2016/SM/C5SM02348C)

We developed a vane with a fractal cross section to provide more even shear stress on measured fluids while retaining good traction to prevent fluid slip. The design is 3D printable via stereolithography or DLP and available free online for download.

Owens CE, AJ Hart, GH McKinley (2020) Improved rheometry of yield stress fluids using bespoke fractal 3D printed vanes. https://sor.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1122/1.5132340

Selected to give cover art for our journal issue.

We developed a method of extrusion printing carbon nanotube inks to create flexible electronics.

Owens CE, RJ Headrick, SM Williams, AJ Fike, M Pasquali, GH McKinley, AJ Hart (2021) Substrate-Versatile Direct-Write Printing of Carbon Nanotube-Based Flexible Conductors, Circuits, and Sensors. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202100245

The full text can be accessed for free here: http://arxiv.org/abs/2105.10942

See also our work on 3D printing carbon nanotube field emitters: Owens CE, J Ludwick, JY Ma, RJ Headrick, SM Williams, M Creichton, TC Back, B Maruyama, M Pasquali, GH McKinley, AJ Hart (2021). Pointwise fabrication and fluidic shaping of carbon nanotube field emitters. 21st International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (IEEE Transducers), DOI:10.1109/Transducers50396.2021.9495415.

Here is a related presentation abstract.