Industrial Complex Fluids & Soft Matter Research
Inks, Paints and Coatings. Cosmetics. Plant-based Meat & Diary Alternatives. Rheology Modifiers. Adhesives.
Sponsored & awards research: PPG Industries, Motif Foodworks, Colgate-Palmolive, 3M, TA industries.
Active & past collaborations: Abbvie, Dow, L’Oreal, AkzoNobel, Rheosense, 1366 Technologies.
PAINTS & COATINGS
Associative polymers as rheology modifiers, Particle suspensions in viscoelastic fluids
Extensional rheology, development of measurement techniques and protocols
Influence of viscoelastic matrix on the structure and rheology of particle suspensions
Funded by, and in collaboration with PPG Industries.
See Macromolecules, 2021.
Prior work
Development of jetting-based rheometry protocol called Rayleigh-Ohnesorge Jetting Extensional Rheometer (with Gareth McKinley, MIT). Supported by AkzoNobel
FUTURE FOODS
Plant-based proteins. Polysaccharide-Protein mixtures. Meat and Dairy alternatives
Shear and Extensional Rheology, Nonlinear Viscoelasticity, Pinch-off Dynamics, Protein and Polymer Physics,
Dripping-Onto-Substrate (DoS) rheometry for characterizing capillary-driven thinning & pinch-off dynamics of food formulations.
Food foams and emulsions. Foamability and emulsification. Interfacial rheological properties of proteins.
In collaboration with and funded by Motif Foodworks.
Prior work
Interfacial and shear rheology of proteins, and protein-surfactant mixtures, in collaboration with Aditya Jaishankar & Gareth McKinley, MIT. Funded by Rheosense Inc.
FIBERS & NON-WOVENS
Centrifugal fiber spinning, Spinnability
Non-Newtonian Fluid Dynamics. Polymer and Fiber Science & Engineering.
Shear and Extensional rheology. Mechanical properties of fibers.
Launched with funds from the 3M Nontenured Faculty Award, in collaboration with Naveen Reddy, University of Hasselt, Belgium.
Prior work
P.I. UG senior year research & thesis on “Production of Carbon Fibers from PAN-based precursors” (with Pushpa Bajaj, IIT Delhi, India).
P.I. Barriness in melt spun fibers: role of spinning parameters (with Pushpa Bajaj, IIT Delhi, India). Funded by Reliance Industries.
P.I.’s Summer internship at Reliance’s PET fiber plant at Barabanki, U.P., India.
COSMETICS & PERSONAL CARE
Emulsions, foams, particle suspensions in viscoelastic fluids
Shear and Extensional Rheology, Nonlinear Viscoelasticity, Pinch-off Dynamics, Dispensing Behavior, Stickiness, Stringiness, Gloopiness
Dripping-Onto-Substrate (DoS) rheometry for characterizing capillary-driven thinning & pinch-off dynamics of cosmetics.
Funded by Colgate-Palmolive.
Extensional rheology of silicones. In collaboration with Dow.
Formulation science and engineering. Questions motivated by presentations, collaborations, and discussions at Dow, 3M, AkzoNobel, PPG Industries, P&G, Nestle, Lubrizol, and L’Oreal.
The complex fluid beauty of nail lacquer formulations Jimenez_etal_SoftMatter2021
POLYSACCHARIDES & CELLULOSE DERIVATIVES
Shear and Extensional Rheology, Spinnability, Jettability, Stringiness
Associative polysaccharides including hmHEC, hmEHEC
Food rheology modifiers including NaCMC, Xanthan Gum
Paint rheology modifiers, influence on sprayability.
Cellulosic fibers and cellulose nanocrystals. Spinnability.
Dysphagia management: rheology modifiers
Questions and quests from PPG, AkzoNobel, Ashland, CPKelco, Colgate, and Motif Foodworks.
SURFACTANTS & INTERFACIAL SCIENCE
Surfactants, Soaps, Detergents, Plant-based Proteins for Egg/Dairy Alternatives for Food.
Soap science. Stratified foam films made up of SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate), bile salts, sodium naphthenate.
Shear, extensional and interfacial rheology of proteins, and protein-polysaccharides or protein-lipid complexes.
Interferometry and Spectroscopy-assisted rheological characterization of biofluids. Lipid-Drug interactions and Lipid emulsion therapy.
Protein fizzics and dynamics & folding-unfolding kinetics.
Publications with industrial collaborations/ collaborators
63. Foams of animal and plant milk emulsions, L. Hassan, M. Reynoso, C. Xu, K. Al Zahabi, R. Maldonado, R. Nicholson, M. Boehm, S. Baier and V. Sharma, submitted, 2024. w/ Motif Foodworks Inc.
55. “Pinching dynamics, extensional rheology, and stringiness of saliva substitutes”, Karim Al-Zahabi, Lena Hasan, Michael Boehm, Stefan Baier, and V. Sharma*, Soft Matter, (2024) w/ Motif Foodworks Inc.
52. “Rheology and dispensing of real and vegan mayo: the chickpea or egg problem,” N. N. Nikolova, C. D. V. Martinez, Narvaez, L. Hassan, R. A. Nicholson, M. W. Boehm, S. K. Baier, and V. Sharma, Soft Matter, 19, 9413-9427, 2023. Read & watch SI video here w/ Motif Foodworks Inc.
50. “Ultrathin micellar foam films of Sodium Caseinate protein solutions,” L Hassan, C. Xu, M. Boehm, S. Baier, and V. Sharma*, Langmuir, 39, 6102-6112, 2023. Link w/ Motif Foodworks Inc.
39. Rheology and pinching dynamics of associative polysaccharide solutions, C. D. V. Martínez Narváez, J. Dinic, X. Lu, C. Wang, R. Rock, H. Sun, and V. Sharma*, Macromolecules, 54, 6372-6288, 2021. PDF_AssociativePolysaccharides2021 w/ PPG Industries Inc.
16. “Studying the Effects of Elongational Properties on Atomization of Weakly Viscoelastic Solutions Using Rayleigh Ohnesorge Jetting Extensional Rheometry (ROJER),” B. Keshavarz, V. Sharma, E. C. Houze, M. R. Koerner, J. R. Moore, P. M. Cotts, P. Threlfall-Holmes and G. H. McKinley, JNNFM, 2015. (ROJER, paper 2). w/o Axalta Coatings and AkzoNobel
15. “The Rheology of Aqueous Solutions of Ethyl Hydroxy-Ethyl Cellulose (EHEC) and its Hydrophobically Modified Analogue (hmEHEC): Extensional Flow Response in Capillary Breakup, Jetting (ROJER) and in a Cross-Slot Extensional Rheometer”, V. Sharma*, S.J. Haward, J. Serdy, B. Keshavarz, A. Söderlund, P.Threlfall-Holmesand G. H. McKinley, http://tinyurl.com/ROJERJetting Soft Matter, 11, 3251-3270 (2015). Extensional Rheology of Cellulose Ethers using ROJER PDF w/ Akzo Nobel