You are cordially invited to UNAM Nanocolloquium seminars focusing on advancements in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The seminars bring us the most recent developments in these exciting fields. This week’s talk will be presented by Prof. Carlos A. Dorao (Norwegian University of Science and Technology).
Nanocolloquium series
Title: From sound fields to functions through the design of acoustic operators for microscale particle control
Date: March 11, 2026 (Wednesday)
Time and Venue: 11:00 UNAM Conference Hall (SU-01)
Abstract:
Manipulating micro- and nanoscale particles is fundamentally challenging because, at small scales, conventional forces behave very differently. Particles are dominated by viscous drag, Brownian motion, and surface forces, making them difficult to control precisely without physical contact or chemical labeling. Traditional mechanical or optical methods can be invasive, complex, or difficult to scale, especially when dealing with delicate biological samples or large numbers of particles. This is where acoustic manipulation offers a compelling alternative. Sound waves can generate contactless, gentle, and tunable forces inside fluids, enabling us to design acoustic operators that perform tasks such as patterning, concentration, mixing, and lysis. By structuring the acoustic field in space and time, we can create programmable operations that act on particles across a wide range of sizes.
Short Bio:
Professor Carlos A. Dorao is a professor at the Department of Energy and Process Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He holds an engineering degree in Nuclear Engineering from the Balseiro Institute (Argentina) and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from NTNU. His research focuses on the development of acoustic operators for the manipulation of micro- and nanoscale particles using sound waves as well as on fundamental thermohydraulics with an emphasis on identifying dominant heat transfer mechanisms in two-phase flow systems and understanding how flow oscillations influence these mechanisms.