Ofer Manor

We integrate surface and transport phenomena and employ theory and experiment in two fields of research:

– We Predict and fabricate complex colloidal (nanoparticle) structures, where we connect the unique chemistry and physics of nanoparticles to enable tailored macroscale functionality. Our goal is to generate methodologies for controlling complex colloidal structures and apply our findings to tune the biodegradability of plastics.

– We transform MHz-frequency acoustic waves to flow and to mass transport (acoustic streaming). Our goal is realizing interactions (momentum and energy transport) between acoustic waves and complex fluids and apply our findings in electrochemical systems and in the minimization of unit operations by using micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS).

Students and postdoctoral fellows who are interested in our research program are welcome to contact us.

Passive and active oil/water phase separation

Small scale, efficient, and affordable unit operations for water recovery are necessary for local pre-treatment of contaminated water and in particular for separating oily additives from water in domestic housing and industry. This is especially of value in small and remote communities, where large scale water treatment facilities are not available and where the reclaimed water could be locally used for agriculture or domestic benefits. We study the passive and active separation of oil, water, and surfactant mixtures in the presence of a specially designed surface chemistry on solid surfaces, and in the presence of high frequency acoustics.

Smart Coatings

Several startup companies produce smart coatings and electronic circuits by coating surfaces with mixtures of conductive nanoparticles in volatile carrier liquids. Many times, they employ particle self-assembly strategies. Molecular forces in such coating systems determine the coating process alongside the flow and evaporation of the carrier liquid. We study the connection between molecular forces, coating flows, and the self-assembly of nanoparticles therein to improve the spatial resolution of coatings and nanoparticle deposits. In addition, we study new approaches for the active control of the coating process.

The electrical double layer in the presence of acoustic waves

Electrical double layers (EDLs) of ions are thick layers of ions which appear next to charged surfaces in water and traverse into the liquid for several nanometers. This is an important mechanism in chemistry and biology. It is responsible for the stability of complex liquids such as suspensions and emulsions, for the structure of large molecules such as proteins, and for energy storage systems such as super-capacitors. We study the electrokinetic contribution of MHz-frequency acoustic waves to the structure of EDLs. By generating acoustic waves near charged solid surfaces, we rearrange the structure of ions in the EDLs and change their contribution to nearby molecules, particles, and surfaces.

O. Dubrovski and O. Manor, Convective mitigation of dendrite growth, Phys. Rev. Materials 5 (123402) 2021

O. Dubrovski and O. Manor, Revisiting the Electroacoustic Phenomenon in the Presence of Surface Acoustic Waves, Langmuir 37 (14679-14687) 2021

Y. Li, D.R. Dekel, and O. Manor, Surface Acoustic Wave Mitigation of Precipitate Deposition on a Solid Surface–An Active Self-Cleaning Strategy, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 13 (59471-59477) 2021

M. A. Jabal, E. Homede, A. Zigelman, and O Manor, Coupling Between Wetting Dynamics, Marangoni Vortices, and Localized Hot Cells in Drops of Volatile Binary Solutions, J. Colloid Interface Sci., 588 (571-579) 2021

E. Homede, M. Abo-Jabal, and O. Manor. Connecting surface forces based en- ergy barriers to non-homogenous colloidal structures to appear from volatile binary mixtures of same size nanoparticles, Adv. Func. Mat., 30 (2005486) 2020

M. Abo-Jabal, A. Zigelman, and O. Manor. Transitions between different motion regimes of the three phase contact line during the pattern deposition of polymer from a volatile solution; J. Colloid Interface Sci. 548 (145-150) 2019

A. Zigelman, M. Abo-Jabal, and O. Manor. Analysis of the oscillatory wetting- dewetting motion of a volatile drop during the deposition of polymer on a solid substrate; Soft Matter 15 (3580-3587) 2019

E. Homede, A. Zigelman, L. Abezgauz, and O. Manor. Signatures of van der Waals and electrostatic forces in the deposition of nanoparticle assemblies; J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 9 (5226-5232) 2018

M. Abo-Jabal, A. Egbaria, A. Zigelman, U. Thiele, and O. Manor. Connecting monotonic and oscillatory motions of the meniscus of a volatile polymer solution to polymer transport and deposit morphology; Langmuir 34 (11784-11794) 2018

A. Zigelman and O. Manor. The deposition of colloidal particles from a sessile drop of a volatile suspension subject to particle adsorption and coagulation, J. Colloids Interface Sci. 509 (195) 2018

For further publications please visit the google scholar site:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ux3V_usAAAAJ&hl=en