About Me
Expertise
Organisations
Research
My research interests lie in the experimental observation of the exciting world of bubbles and jets in multiphase flow phenomena such as air entrainment, sonoluminescence and cavitation.
I am particularly interested in the physics of bubbles and drops used in medical applications, both in imaging and in therapy, and in the physics and control of bubbles and droplets in microfluidics.
Publications
UT Research Information System
Google Scholar Link
Affiliated Study Programmes
Bachelor
Master
Courses Academic Year 2023/2024
Courses Academic Year 2022/2023
Projects
Current Projects
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Sidekicks
All of our research is always curiosity-driven. Over the years we have solved some long-standing secrets and misconcep-tions in animal bioacoustics, granular flow, and shear-thinning fluids. These include the origin of the sound of the snapping shrimp, the granular jet formed when a steel ball is dropped into loose very fine sand and the physical explanation of the leaping of shampoo when it is poured into a dish of the fluid.
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High-speed Imaging
The quantification of flow phenomena require specialized and sophisticated techniques resolving the highest spatial and temporal resolution. We have developed a range of high-resolution high-speed imaging systems ranging from a basic 25 fps video frame rate up to 25 million frames per second for the truly unique Brandaris 128 ultra high-speed imaging facility, including unprecedented high-speed fluorescence imaging
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Micromanipulation
Optical tweezers have found many useful and intriguing applications, ranging from physics to biology. Nowadays, several optical tweezers-based techniques have been developed to perform experiments on micro- and nanoscale systems with well-controlled experimental conditions. In particular, the ability to exert picoNewton forces on micron-sized particles and bubbles is now routinely applied to fields as diverse as the physics of colloids, the study of biomolecular complexes at the single-molecule level and the measurement of cellular mechanical properties.
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Inkjet printing
Piezo drop-on-demand inkjet printers are used in an increasing number of applications for their reliable deposition of droplets onto a substrate. The technology is used to create droplets of a few picoliters with drop repetition rates in the order of 10kHz. However, entrapment of an air microbubble into the ink channel can severely impede the productivity and reliability of a printing system. The air bubble disturbs the channel acoustics resulting in disrupted drop formation or temporally failure of the jetting process.
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Lab-on-a-Chip Microfluidics
The formation of microscopically small droplets and bubbles with an accurately controlled and narrow size distribution is crucial in a wide variety of products and applications. For example, in medical applications such as diagnostic ultrasound imaging, targeted drug delivery, and drug inhalation therapy, but also in inkjet printing, cosmetics and in the modern food industry.
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Ultrasound Cleaning
Cleaning with ultrasound is a well-known and widely used technique, but why and how it works remains unclear until today. In endodontic therapy ultrasonic irrigation improves the success rate of a root canal treatment from 60% to 90%. In IC semiconductor chip cleaning the role of activated bubble is important, however a physical understanding how to improve the cleaning process is lacking.
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Ultrasound Therapy
Activated bubbles close to cells can induce cell membrane poration, or sonoporation, allowing local drug and gene delivery. Here we study the interaction of bubbles with cell membranes, pore formation and uptake of model drugs. We also try to clarify the fundamental physical mechanisms underlying the drug delivery potential of liquid perfluorocarbon cavitation nanodroplets.
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Ultrasound Imaging
Medical ultrasound imaging is greatly enhanced by the use of ultrasound contrast microbubbles which act as a blood pool agent. Here we study the interaction of the bubbles with ultrasound to improve diagnostic imaging protocols. The detection of targeted single microbubbles allows for disease-specific molecular imaging with ultrasound.
Media
In the press
A selection of news items
- Radiolab, Bigger than bacon, radiolab podcast. (09 May 2016)
- BBC, This shrimp is carrying a real-life working stun gun (29 January 2016)
- Phys Org, Measuring speed in flying inkjet (13 March 2014)
- Phys Org, A breakthrough in medical acoustics (27 January 2014)
- NTR, Interview Hoe? Zo! (23 January 2014; in Dutch)
Kennis van Nu (Dutch television program)
- De druppels van professor Versluis (19 January 2017)
- De wetenschap achter bellen en druppels (Interview on the radio; 11 November 2016)
- De shampoo van prof. Versluis (20 January 2016)
- De waterdruppels van Dr. Versluis (28 October 2015)
- Knallende bellen met Andre Kuipers (6 April 2014)
- De ongekende kracht van belletjes (Special over cavitatie)
- De waterdruppels van Dr. Versluis
- Waar de belletjes in de champagne vandaan komen
- Innovatieve denkers laten zich inspireren door de natuur
- Medicijnen toedienen met imploderende bellen
- Karatekreeft
News on utwente.nl
- 4TU.FEDERATION investing in high-tech for a sustainable future
- Inaugual lecture Michel Versluis: Droplets and bubbles on the waves of sound (19 May 2015)
- Dr Michel Versluis appointed Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America (19 November 2012)
From UToday:
- Ultrageluid en nanodruppel sporen tumor op (22 January 2014)
Contact Details
Visiting Address
University of Twente
Faculty of Science and Technology
Horst Complex
(building no. 20), room ME260
De Horst 2
7522LW Enschede
The Netherlands
Mailing Address
University of Twente
Faculty of Science and Technology
Horst Complex
ME260
P.O. Box 217
7500 AE Enschede
The Netherlands