Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 7, 2026
Single-Molecule Diffusion and Assembly on Polymer-Crowded Lipid Membranes
Published on: July 19, 2022
Exotic Ethanol-Water Diffusion Mediated by Molecular Self-Assembly
Rongtao Huang1,2, Yuxin Chen1, Jianzhi Zhang1
1School of Physics and Optoelectronics, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China.
Abstract:
Ethanol and water play important roles in daily life, yet there is no accurate physicochemical model for their mutual-diffusion process, making research on this process intriguing. Here, we in situ monitored the one-dimensional ethanol solution-water diffusion process by a homemade plasmonic microsensor with a high space-time resolution. The experimental results reveal two non-Fickian diffusion behaviors: the effective diffusion coefficient decreasing to a smaller constant and the diffusion layer center moving in a three-stage manner as diffusion proceeds. Moreover, the diffusion process was observed to be accompanied by the molecular self-assembly, which, coupled with the excess volume and interfacial tension effects, provides a plausible explanation for the exotic diffusion behaviors. The discovery of the exotic diffusion phenomena enriches the liquid-liquid diffusion theory and reveals the physicochemical features of the ethanol-water mixing process.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
03:13Intermolecular Forces
02:29Ethers from Alcohols: Alcohol Dehydration and Williamson Ether Synthesis
Ethers can be prepared from organic compounds by various methods. Some of them are discussed below,
Preparation of Ethers by Alcohol Dehydration
In this method, in the presence of protic acids, alcohol dehydrates to produce alkenes and ethers under different conditions. For example, in the presence of sulphuric acid, dehydration of ethanol at 413 K yields ethoxyethane, whereas it yields ethene at 443 K.
01:25Aquaporins
01:15Dehydration Synthesis
Dehydration synthesis (also called a condensation reaction) is the chemical process in which two molecules covalently link together to form a new molecule, along with the release of a water molecule. Many physiologically important compounds form by dehydration synthesis reactions, such as complex carbohydrates, proteins, DNA, and RNA.
Synthesis of carbohydrates
Sugar molecules are covalently linked together by dehydration synthesis. During the reaction, the hydroxyl (-OH) group from...
01:24Van der Waals Interactions
02:28Intermolecular Forces in Solutions
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,...