Why Should A Bioengineer Study Thermodynamics ?
Thermodynamics is a fundamental physical theory that underlies the assembly of biomaterials and their biomechanical properties. Moreover, thermodynamics provides the quantitative basis of biological transport processes driven by diffusion and fluid flow. Thermodynamics is important for metabolic engineering, as all biochemical reactions in our bodies are governed by rate equations derived from the laws of thermodynamics. In addition, non-isothermal processes involved in bioinstrumentation, such as local heating by lasers and other optical methods, can be understood by using thermodynamics. At the cellular and molecular engineering level, the self-assembly of the basic constituents of biological material, lipids and proteins, is driven by thermodynamic forces. In biotechnology, there is great interest in the self-assembly of nanoscale devices. In tissue engineering applications, the design of artificial organs, such as the kidney, require understanding solute and mass transfer processes
