Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure of Solutions02:40

Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure of Solutions

36.7K
A number of natural and synthetic materials exhibit selective permeation, meaning that only molecules or ions of a certain size, shape, polarity, charge, and so forth, are capable of passing through (permeating) the material. Biological cell membranes provide elegant examples of selective permeation in nature, while dialysis tubing used to remove metabolic wastes from blood is a more simplistic technological example. Regardless of how they may be fabricated, these materials are generally...
36.7K
Osmotic Pressure01:26

Osmotic Pressure

299
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...
299
Osmosis00:47

Osmosis

158.3K
Approximately 60% to 95% of the weight of living organisms is attributed to water. Therefore, maintaining appropriate water balance within cells is of paramount importance. Osmosis is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane, such as a cell’s plasma membrane. In living organisms, water plays a crucial role as a solvent—a molecule that dissolves other molecules.
158.3K
Osmosis01:30

Osmosis

11.3K
Osmosis is the movement of free water molecules through a semipermeable membrane.  The water's concentration gradient across the membrane is inversely proportional to the solutes' concentration. Whereas diffusion transports material across membranes and within cells, osmosis transports only water across a membrane, and the membrane limits the diffusion of solutes in the water. Osmosis is a special case of diffusion.
Water, like other substances, moves from a high concentration of...
11.3K
Pressure of Fluids01:14

Pressure of Fluids

13.0K
There are many examples of pressure in fluids in everyday life, such as in relation to blood (high or low blood pressure) and in relation to weather (high- and low-pressure weather systems). A given force can have a significantly different effect, depending on the area over which the force is exerted. For instance, a force applied to an area of 1 mm2 has a pressure that is 100 times greater than the same force applied to an area of 1 cm2. That's why a sharp needle is able to poke through...
13.0K
Fluid Pressure01:14

Fluid Pressure

1.3K
In mechanical engineering, fluid pressure plays a critical role in designing systems that utilize liquid flow, such as hydraulic systems, pumps, and valves. When designing these systems, engineers must ensure they can withstand the forces created by fluid pressure to avoid damage or failure.
According to Pascal's law, a fluid at rest will generate equal pressure in all directions. This pressure is measured as a force per unit area, and its magnitude depends on the fluid's specific...
1.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Sex-specific impact of body mass index on recurrence of atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation.

Heart rhythm O2·2026
Same author

Redefining Right Ventricular Function: Incremental Prognostic Utility of Effective RVEF on CMR in Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation-A Multicenter Validation Study.

JACC. Cardiovascular imaging·2026
Same author

Novel Compact Tactile Stimulator with Sensing: Designed for Individuals with a Brain Injury and MRI.

IEEE transactions on medical robotics and bionics·2026
Same author

Embodying physical computing into soft robots.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Prototype design and realization of a portable heart sounds detection system.

Medical & biological engineering & computing·2026
Same author

Rapid Design and Fabrication of Body Conformable Surfaces with Kirigami Cutting and Machine Learning.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026
Same journal

Thymidylate synthase inhibitory drugs induce p53-dependent pathways differently.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Top-down and bottom-up attention for joint pattern classification and reconstruction.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Short- and long-term scaling behavior of blood pressure and pulse arrival time during sleep in healthy controls and patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Double DQN-based secrecy energy efficiency and fairness performance in IRS-assisted NOMA systems with friendly jamming.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

10 recommendations for strengthening citizen science for improved societal and ecological outcomes: A co-produced analysis of challenges and opportunities in the 21st century.

PloS one·2026
Same journal

Paying in public: Peer effects, impression management, and willingness to pay on digital payment platforms.

PloS one·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 2, 2026

Generation and Control of Electrohydrodynamic Flows in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions
08:41

Generation and Control of Electrohydrodynamic Flows in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions

Published on: September 7, 2018

7.9K

Osmosis-based pressure generation: dynamics and application.

Brandon R Bruhn1, Thomas B H Schroeder2, Suyi Li3

  • 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America.

Plos One
|March 12, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Osmotic pressure generators create pressure through water movement across membranes. This study details the dynamics of this process, revealing that controlling volume expansion significantly speeds up pressure generation for applications like soft robotics.

More Related Videos

Assembly and Characterization of an External Driver for the Generation of Sub-Kilohertz Oscillatory Flow in Microchannels
08:32

Assembly and Characterization of an External Driver for the Generation of Sub-Kilohertz Oscillatory Flow in Microchannels

Published on: January 28, 2022

2.0K
A Multilayer Microfluidic Platform for the Conduction of Prolonged Cell-Free Gene Expression
11:23

A Multilayer Microfluidic Platform for the Conduction of Prolonged Cell-Free Gene Expression

Published on: October 6, 2019

11.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Generation and Control of Electrohydrodynamic Flows in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions
08:41

Generation and Control of Electrohydrodynamic Flows in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions

Published on: September 7, 2018

7.9K
Assembly and Characterization of an External Driver for the Generation of Sub-Kilohertz Oscillatory Flow in Microchannels
08:32

Assembly and Characterization of an External Driver for the Generation of Sub-Kilohertz Oscillatory Flow in Microchannels

Published on: January 28, 2022

2.0K
A Multilayer Microfluidic Platform for the Conduction of Prolonged Cell-Free Gene Expression
11:23

A Multilayer Microfluidic Platform for the Conduction of Prolonged Cell-Free Gene Expression

Published on: October 6, 2019

11.9K

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Membrane Science
  • Soft Robotics

Background:

  • Osmotic pressure drives water movement across semipermeable membranes.
  • Understanding the dynamics of osmotically-driven pressure generation is crucial for developing efficient devices.
  • Previous studies have not fully detailed the dynamic aspects of pressure generation in such systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To comprehensively describe the dynamics of osmotically-driven pressure generation.
  • To investigate the influence of various parameters on pressure generation speed.
  • To demonstrate practical applications of osmosis-based pressure generators.

Main Methods:

  • Mathematical modeling of pressure generation in membrane-bound compartments.
  • Numerical simulations incorporating volume expansion, solute concentration, and membrane properties.
  • Experimental validation of simulation results.
  • Development of an open-source tool for simulating these dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Identified unintuitive relationships between interdependent parameters and pressure generation speed.
  • Demonstrated that restricting volume expansion can accelerate pressure generation by up to sevenfold.
  • Showcased plants as near-ideal osmotic pressure generators due to their cellular structure.

Conclusions:

  • The dynamics of osmotically-driven pressure generation are complex and highly parameter-dependent.
  • Controlling compartment volume expansion is a key strategy for rapid pressure generation.
  • Osmosis-based pressure generators offer a power-free solution for actuation and fluid delivery, with potential in soft robotics and beyond.