Nonlinear thermokinetic phenomena due to the Seebeck effect

Thermophoresis beyond Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium

We measure the thermophoresis of polysterene beads over a wide range of temperature gradients and find a pronounced nonlinear phoretic characteristic. The transition to the nonlinear behavior is marked by a drastic slowing down of thermophoretic motion and is characterized by a Péclet number of order unity as corroborated for different particle sizes and salt concentrations. The data follow a single master curve covering the entire nonlinear regime for all system parameters upon proper rescaling of the temperature gradients with the Péclet number. For low thermal gradients, the thermal drift velocity follows a theoretical linear model relying on the local-equilibrium assumption, while linear theoretical approaches based on hydrodynamic stresses, ignoring fluctuations, predict significantly slower thermophoretic motion for steeper thermal gradients. Our findings suggest that thermophoresis is fluctuation dominated for small gradients and crosses over to a drift-dominated regime for larger Péclet numbers in striking contrast to electrophoresis.

Liquid Optothermoelectrics: Fundamentals and Applications

Liquid thermoelectricity describes the redistribution of ions in an electrolytic solution under the influence of temperature gradients, which leads to the formation of electric fields. The thermoelectric field is effective in driving the thermophoretic migration of charged colloidal particles for versatile manipulation. However, traditional macroscopic thermoelectric fields are not suitable for particle manipulations at high spatial resolution. Inspired by optical tweezers and relevant optical manipulation techniques, we employ laser interaction with light-absorbing nanostructures to achieve subtle heat management on the micro- and nanoscales. The resulting thermoelectric fields are exploited to develop new optical technologies, leading to a research field known as liquid optothermoelectrics. This Invited Feature Article highlights our recent works on advancing fundamentals, technologies, and applications of optothermoelectrics in colloidal solutions. The effects of light irradiation, substrates, electrolytes, and particles on the optothermoelectric manipulations of colloidal particles along with their theoretical limitations are discussed in detail. Our optothermoelectric technologies with the versatile capabilities of trapping, manipulating, and pulling colloidal particles at low optical power are finding applications in microswimmers and nanoscience. With its intricate interfacial processes and tremendous technological promise, optothermoelectrics in colloidal solutions will remain relevant for the foreseeable future.

Light-induced thermoosmosis about conducting ellipsoidal nanoparticles

We consider the central problem of a non-spherical (ellipsoidal) polarizable (metallic) nanoparticle freely suspended in a conducting liquid phase which is irradiated (heated) by a laser under the Rayleigh (electrostatic) approximation. It is shown that, unlike the case of perfectly symmetric (spherical) particles, the surface temperature of general orthotropic particles exposed to continuous laser irradiation is not uniform! Thus, the induced surface slip (Soret type) velocity may lead to a self-induced thermoosmotic flow (sTOF) about the particle, in a similar manner to the electroosmotic flow driven by the Helmholtz—Smoluchowski slippage. Using the recent advancement in the theory of Lamé functions and ellipsoidal harmonics, we analytically present new solutions for two key physical problems. (i) Heat conduction and temperature distribution inside and outside a conducting laser-irradiated homogeneous tri-axial ellipsoid which is subjected to uniform Joule heating. (ii) Creeping (Stokes) sTOF around a fixed impermeable metallic ellipsoidal nanoparticle driven by a Soret-type surface slip velocity (i.e. proportional to the surface-temperature gradient).

Electrically Enhanced Self-Thermophoresis of Laser-Heated Janus Particles under a Rotating Electric Field

The motion of a laser-heated Janus particle is experimentally measured under a rotating electric field. Directionally circular motions of the Janus particle following or countering the direction of the rotating electric field are observed in the low-frequency region (from 1 to 6 kHz) depending on the direction of electrorotation. In the higher frequency region (>10 kHz), only pure electrorotation and electrothermal flow are observed. By measuring the dependence of the frequency, voltage, and laser heating power, we propose that the tangential component of circular motion is caused by electric field enhanced self-thermophoresis, which is proportional to the laser heating power and the electric field. This result indicates that thermophoresis could be modified by the induced zeta potential of the Janus particle tuned by the applied electric fields. By this mechanism, the intrinsic thermophoresis can be enhanced several times at a relatively low applied voltage (~3 Volt). Electrically tunable thermophoresis of a particle may bring new insights to thermophoresis phenomenon and also open a new direction for tunable active materials.

Harvesting Waste Heat in Unipolar Ion Conducting Polymers

The Seebeck effect in unipolar ion-conducting, solid-state polymers is characterized. The high Seebeck coefficient and sign in polymer ion conductors is explained via analysis of thermogalvanic multicomponent transport. A solid-state, water-processeable, flexible device based on these materials is demonstrated, showcasing the promise of polymers as thermogalvanic materials. Thermogalvanic materials based on ion-conducting polymer membranes show great promise in the harvesting of waste heat.

Strategies on improving the micro-fluidic devices using the nonlinear electro- and thermo-kinetic phenomena

Surface science is key to innovations on microfluidics, smart materials, and future non-equilibrium systems. However, challenging issues still exist in this field. In this article, from the viewpoint of the fundamental design, we will briefly review our strategies on improving the micro-fluidic devices using the nonlinear electro- and thermo-kinetic phenomena. In particular, we will review the microfluidic applications using ICEO, the correction based on the ion-conserving Poisson-Boltzmann theory, the direct simulation on ICEO, and the new horizon such as nonlinear thermo-kinetic phenomena and the artificial cilia.