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Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure of Solutions

Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure of Solutions

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...

Osmotic Pressure

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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...

Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates

Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates

Understanding steady, laminar flow between parallel plates is essential for analyzing and designing flow in narrow rectangular channels, commonly found in various water conveyance and drainage systems. The Navier-Stokes equations govern fluid motion and are generally challenging to solve due to their nonlinearity. However, simplifications are possible in certain cases, like the steady laminar flow between parallel plates. For this scenario, we assume steady, incompressible, laminar flow.

Couette Flow

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Couette flow represents the flow of fluid between two parallel plates, with one plate fixed and the other moving with a constant velocity. This configuration allows for a simplified analysis using the Navier-Stokes equations, which govern fluid motion under conditions of viscosity and incompressibility. For Couette flow, the assumptions include a steady, laminar, incompressible flow with a zero-pressure gradient in the flow direction. This flow type is beneficial for understanding shear-driven...

Osmosis

Osmosis

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.
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Osmosis

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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.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Cooling Rate Dependent Ellipsometry Measurements to Determine the Dynamics of Thin Glassy Films

Cooling Rate Dependent Ellipsometry Measurements to Determine the Dynamics of Thin Glassy Films

Published on: January 26, 2016

Thermo-Osmotic Flow in Thin Films.

Andreas P Bregulla¹, Alois Würger², Katrin Günther³

¹Molecular Nanophotonics Group, Institute of Experimental Physics I, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.

Physical Review Letters

|May 21, 2016

Summary

Researchers observed thermo-osmotic flow at the microscale, measuring fluid velocity near a heated surface. This study quanties the thermo-osmotic coefficient for different surfaces, revealing complex interface thermodynamics.

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Last Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Cooling Rate Dependent Ellipsometry Measurements to Determine the Dynamics of Thin Glassy Films

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Published on: January 26, 2016

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Generation and Control of Electrohydrodynamic Flows in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions

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Published on: September 7, 2018

Area of Science:

Fluid dynamics
Surface science
Nanotechnology

Background:

Non-uniform temperature gradients drive fluid motion at interfaces.
Understanding thermo-osmotic flow is crucial for microfluidic devices and heat transfer applications.
Previous studies lacked direct microscale velocity measurements of this phenomenon.

Purpose of the Study:

To perform the first microscale observation of the velocity field generated by nonuniform heat content at a solid-liquid boundary.
To quantify the thermo-osmotic flow field, including radial and vertical velocity components.
To determine the thermo-osmotic coefficient for bare glass and Pluronic F-127 coated surfaces.

Main Methods:

Tracking single tracer nanoparticles to measure microscale fluid velocity components.
Comparing experimental flow profiles with analytical theory and numerical simulations.
Calculating the thermo-osmotic coefficient from measured slip velocity.

Main Results:

Successfully mapped the microscale velocity field of thermo-osmotic flow.
Obtained distinct flow profiles for radial and vertical components.
Deduced thermo-osmotic coefficients for bare glass and Pluronic F-127 surfaces.

Conclusions:

The thermo-osmotic coefficient for Pluronic F-127 aligns with existing Soret data for polyethylene glycol.
The thermo-osmotic coefficient for bare glass deviates from literature, suggesting complex glass-water interface thermodynamics.
This work provides critical microscale data for understanding interfacial phenomena driven by thermal gradients.