Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity

Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity

Polymerization generates chiral centers along the entire backbone of a polymer chain. Accordingly, the stereochemistry of the substituent group has a significant effect on polymer properties. Polymers formed from monosubstituted alkene monomers feature chiral carbons at every alternate position in the polymer backbone. Relative to the predominant orientation of substituents at the adjacent chiral carbons, the polymer can exist in three different configurations: isotactic, syndiotactic, and...

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

The cationic polymerization mechanism consists of three steps: initiation, propagation, and termination. In the initiation step of the polymerization process, the π bond of a monomer gets protonated by the Lewis acid catalyst, which is formed from boron trifluoride and water. The protonation of the π bond generates a carbocation stabilized by the electron‐donating group. In the propagation step, the π bond of the second monomer acts as a nucleophile and attacks the generated carbocation,...

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

The mechanism for anionic chain-growth polymerization involves initiation, propagation, and termination steps. In the initiation step, a nucleophilic anion, such as butyl lithium, initiates the polymerization process by attacking the π bond of the vinylic monomer. As a result, a carbanion, stabilized by the electron‐withdrawing group, is generated. The resulting carbanion acts as a Michael donor in the propagation step and attacks the second vinylic monomer, which acts as a Michael acceptor.

Osmotic Pressure

Osmotic Pressure

Osmosis is a process where solvent molecules move toward a solution through a semipermeable membrane. As the solution dilutes due to the entry of solvent, it expands. This expansion increases the hydrostatic pressure of the solution. When the hydrostatic pressure equals the osmotic pressure, osmosis stops.Osmotic pressure, denoted by Π, is the minimum pressure needed to prevent the solvent from passing into the solution by osmosis. The van 't Hoff equation calculates the osmotic pressure of an...

Determination of Molar Masses of Polymers II

Determination of Molar Masses of Polymers II

Polymer samples typically consist of macromolecular chains with a distribution of lengths, resulting in a range of molar masses rather than a single discrete value. Conventional descriptors such as the number-average molar mass and weight-average molar mass quantify this distribution but do not fully capture polymer behavior in solution..The viscosity-average molar mass provides a more realistic description of polymer behavior in solution because it accounts for the enhanced contribution of...

Intermolecular Forces in Solutions

Intermolecular Forces in Solutions

The formation of a solution is an example of a spontaneous process, a process that occurs under specified conditions without energy from some external source.
When the strengths of the intermolecular forces of attraction between solute and solvent species in a solution are no different than those present in the separated components, the solution is formed with no accompanying energy change. Such a solution is called an ideal solution. A mixture of ideal gases (or gases such as helium and argon,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Collective Oscillations of Photothermal Micromotors under Static Illumination.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026

Same author

Green-Kubo relation in a mesoscale odd fluid model.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026

Same author

Mesoscale simulation model for odd fluids.

Physical review. E·2026

Same author

A universal scaling law for active diffusion in complex media.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Relevance of aggregate anisotropy in sheared suspensions of carbon black.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026

Same author

Behavior of Active Polymer Knots.

Macromolecules·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

Driving forces and polymer hydrodynamics in the Soret effect.

Mingcheng Yang¹, Marisol Ripoll

¹Theoretical Soft-Matter and Biophysics, Institute of Complex Systems, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany. m.yang@fz-juelich.de

Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal

|April 3, 2012

Summary

Temperature gradients drive component segregation in mixtures, explaining the thermodiffusion effect. A new Soret coefficient expression and simulation methods clarify forces and polymer solution behavior.

More Related Videos

In situ Photo-rheology Monitors Viscoelastic Changes in Photo-responsive Polymer Networks

In situ Photo-rheology Monitors Viscoelastic Changes in Photo-responsive Polymer Networks

Published on: June 20, 2025

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Published on: May 20, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 23, 2026

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

In situ Photo-rheology Monitors Viscoelastic Changes in Photo-responsive Polymer Networks

In situ Photo-rheology Monitors Viscoelastic Changes in Photo-responsive Polymer Networks

Published on: June 20, 2025

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

Published on: May 20, 2014

Area of Science:

Thermodynamics
Fluid Dynamics
Materials Science

Background:

Temperature gradients cause mixture component segregation.
This phenomenon is known as thermodiffusion or the Soret effect.
Understanding the underlying driving forces is crucial for various applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the physical picture of thermodiffusion.
To propose an alternative, broadly applicable expression for the Soret coefficient.
To investigate the role of hydrodynamic interactions in thermodiffusion.

Main Methods:

Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations in an Eulerian reference frame.
Quantification of driving forces acting on mixture components.
Analytical modeling of thermophoretic forces, including hydrodynamic interactions.

Main Results:

Identified driving forces as the physical basis of thermodiffusion.
Developed a generalized Soret coefficient expression for colloidal and molecular mixtures.
Demonstrated the necessity of including hydrodynamic interactions for accurate thermophoretic force scaling.
Successfully explained the size-dependent thermodiffusion in polymer solutions.

Conclusions:

The proposed formalism provides a unified understanding of thermodiffusion.
Hydrodynamic interactions are essential for accurately describing thermodiffusion, particularly in polymer solutions.
The findings offer a more robust framework for predicting and controlling mixture behavior under thermal gradients.