Optical cell with periodic resistive heating for the measurement of heat, mass, and thermal diffusions in liquid mixtures

A new technique for the measurement of heat, mass, and thermal diffusions in liquids has been developed. Similar to laser induced dynamic gratings, a temperature grating is created in the sample. Thermal expansion transforms the temperature into a refractive-index grating, which is read by diffraction of a readout laser beam. In a multicomponent mixture an additional concentration grating is formed by thermal diffusion driven by the temperature gradients of the temperature grating. Differently to laser induced dynamic grating experiments we use Joule heating instead of optical heating. For that purpose we have built cuvettes which have a grating of transparent conducting strips on the inner side of one of their windows. If heated by an electric current a temperature grating will build up in the sample. Both the heat equation and the extended diffusion equation have been solved in two dimensions to allow for quantitative data analysis. Our apparatus and method of analysis have been validated by measurements of heat, mass, and thermal diffusions in pure and binary liquids. Heat diffusion can be correctly determined as was shown for pure toluene, pure dodecane, and the symmetric mixture of isobutylbenzene dodecane. Mass and thermal diffusions were studied in the three symmetric mixtures of dodecane, isobutylbenzene, and tetralin. The obtained diffusion and Soret coefficients agree with the literature values within the experimental errors. Uncompensated transient heating effects limit the resolution of the experimental technique.