Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform PolyN-isopropylacrylamide Microgels
Published on: September 8, 2016
Fast Diffusion of Long Guest Rods in a Lamellar Phase of Short Host Particles
Laura Alvarez1,2, M Paul Lettinga2,3, Eric Grelet1
1Centre de Recherche Paul-Pascal, CNRS & Université de Bordeaux, 115 Avenue Schweitzer, F-33600 Pessac, France.
Abstract:
We investigate the dynamic behavior of long guest rodlike particles immersed in liquid crystalline phases formed by shorter host rods, tracking both guest and host particles by fluorescence microscopy. Counterintuitively, we evidence that long rods diffuse faster than short rods forming the one-dimensional ordered smectic-A phase. This results from the larger and noncommensurate size of the guest particles as compared to the wavelength of the energy landscape set by the lamellar stack of liquid slabs. The long guest particles are also shown to be still mobile in the crystalline smectic-B phase, as they generate their own voids in the adjacent layers.
Related Concept Videos
Protein Diffusion in the Membrane
Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation
Diffusion
Diffusion on Chromatography Columns
Longitudinal diffusion occurs when the solute molecules in the mobile phase diffuse from the more concentrated center of the chromatographic band to the more dilute regions on either side, both towards and against the flow direction. This...
Passive Diffusion: Overview and Kinetics
When administered orally, drugs establish a substantial concentration gradient between the gastrointestinal (GI) lumen and the bloodstream, expediting...
Mechanism of Filopodia Formation
Their main function is to guide migrating cells during normal tissue morphogenesis or cancer metastasis by recognizing and making initial contacts with the extracellular matrix. However, they can also act as stationary cell anchors or help to establish communication...

