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Related Concept Videos

Diffusion01:12

Diffusion

Diffusion is the passive movement of substances down their concentration gradients—requiring no expenditure of cellular energy. Substances, such as molecules or ions, diffuse from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration in the cytosol or across membranes. Eventually, the concentration will even out, with the substance moving randomly but causing no net change in concentration. Such a state is called dynamic equilibrium, which is essential for maintaining overall...
Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion03:48

Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion

Although gaseous molecules travel at tremendous speeds (hundreds of meters per second), they collide with other gaseous molecules and travel in many different directions before reaching the desired target. At room temperature, a gaseous molecule will experience billions of collisions per second. The mean free path is the average distance a molecule travels between collisions. The mean free path increases with decreasing pressure; in general, the mean free path for a gaseous molecule will be...
Viscosity01:17

Viscosity

When water is poured into a glass, it falls freely and quickly, whereas if honey or maple syrup is poured over a pancake, it flows slowly and sticks to the surface of the container. This difference in the flow of different kinds of liquids arises due to the fluid friction between the liquid layers and the liquid and the surrounding material. This property of fluids is called fluid viscosity. In this example, water has a lower viscosity than honey and maple syrup.
The SI unit of viscosity is...
Diffusion01:21

Diffusion

Diffusion is a type of passive transport. In passive transport, a substance tends to move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until the concentration is equal across the space. For example, take the diffusion of substances through the air. When someone opens a perfume bottle in a room filled with people, the perfume is at its highest concentration in the bottle and is at its lowest at the edges of the room. The perfume vapor will diffuse, or spread away, from the...
Viscosity01:27

Viscosity

Viscosity is a property of fluids that measures their resistance to flow. It is influenced by factors such as the surface area of contact, the gradient of flow speed, and the fluid's viscosity constant, called the coefficient of viscosity. The coefficient of viscosity, also known as dynamic viscosity, is denoted by the symbol η. It determines the proportionality between the viscous force and the gradient of flow speed.Newton's law of viscosity states that the viscous force on a faster-moving...
Viscosity of Fluid01:19

Viscosity of Fluid

Viscosity measures the resistance a fluid offers to flow and deformation. It results from internal friction between layers of fluid moving relative to one another. Dynamic viscosity, denoted by the Greek letter mu (μ), quantifies the force needed to move one fluid layer over another. For Newtonian fluids like water and air, the relationship between the shearing stress and the rate of shearing strain is linear, meaning their viscosity remains constant regardless of the applied stress.

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Updated: Jun 24, 2026

The Diffusion of Passive Tracers in Laminar Shear Flow
08:01

The Diffusion of Passive Tracers in Laminar Shear Flow

Published on: May 1, 2018

Diffusion and viscosity in a crowded environment: from nano- to macroscale.

Jedrzej Szymański1, Adam Patkowski, Agnieszka Wilk

  • 1Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS, Department III, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|December 22, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Viscosity in solutions dramatically increases with scale, transitioning from water-like at the molecular level to much higher macroscopic values. This change occurs around 17 nm, impacting diffusion in crowded systems like cells.

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08:01

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Published on: May 1, 2018

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Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Water is a primary component in biological and commercial products.
  • Supramolecular structures significantly increase solution viscosity compared to pure water.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the transition of viscosity from molecular to macroscopic scales.
  • To determine the length scale at which viscosity reaches its macroscopic value in micellar solutions.

Main Methods:

  • Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS)
  • Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (PCS)
  • Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
  • Rheology

Main Results:

  • Viscosity was measured for nanoprobes (0.28-190 nm) in aqueous micellar solutions.
  • A crossover in viscosity was observed at approximately 17 nm.
  • Viscosity approaches macroscopic values beyond this crossover length scale.

Conclusions:

  • The study reveals a distinct length scale for viscosity transition in micellar solutions.
  • Probe size significantly influences viscosity in the nanoregime.
  • Findings have implications for understanding diffusion-limited reactions in cellular environments.