Abstract

In this talk, we'll present a systematic variational derivation to generalize the mass action kinetics of chemical reactions with detailed balance using an energetic variational approach. Our approach starts with an energy dissipation law for a chemical reaction system, which could be argued to carry all the information of the dynamics. The dynamics of the system is determined by both the choice of the free energy, as well as the dissipation, the entropy production. This approach enables us to capture the coupling and competition of various mechanisms, including mechanical effects such as diffusion, drift in an electric field, as well as the thermal effects. We will also discuss several practical examples under this approach, in particular, the modeling of wormlike micellar solutions.  This is a joint work with Bob Eisenberg, Pei Liu, Yiwei Wang and Tengfei Zhang.

About the Speaker

Prof. Chun Liu, Chair of the Department of Applied Mathematics, Illinois Institute of Technology, received his Ph.D. from Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University. Prof. Liu is a well-known expert in many fields of mathematics, including nonlinear partial differential equations, calculus of variations, complex fluids, and multiscale modeling and analysis. In addition, Prof. Liu is an editor of many mathematics journals including SIAM Journal on Mathematical Analysis, Communications in Mathematical Sciences, Kinetic and Related Models, Analysis and Application, etc.