Description of Research Area

Characterizations of Nonequilibrium Nature for Soft Matters under a Temperature Gradient throughout the Soret Coefficient Measurements

Research Subject

In a fluid mixture a stable temperature gradient generally induces mass flows, which create concentration gradients in the mixture. This process is known as the Ludwig-Soret effect. For soft matters such as colloids and polymers, the transport coefficients characterizing the Ludwig-Soret effect have been obtained experimentally owing to the developments of relevant measurement techniques. However, it has been recognized that the interpretations of the experimental results are indeed facing complicated situation due to complex molecular interactions in soft matters, although this facts lead to further motivation to study the molecular interactions of soft matters throughout the Ludwig-Soret effect studies. In this project, we aim to examine the mechanisms of diffusion and structural formation under the temperature gradient by means of a laser interference method. This implies that the universal nature of the Ludwig Soret effect is explored as a frame work of non-equilibrium system in soft matters, as well as the characterizations of molecular properties in various systems can be carried out to evaluate specific molecular properties of soft matters in non-equilibrium condition throughout the systematic experiments of the Ludwig Soret effect.