arXiv subjects

Alois Würger

Publications and source records attributed to Alois Würger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Electroviscous drag on squeezing motion in sphere-plane geometry

Theoretically and experimentally, we study electroviscous phenomena resulting from charge-flow coupling in a nanoscale capillary. Our theoretical approach relies on Poisson-Boltzmann mean-field theory and on coupled linear relations for charge and hydrodynamic flows, including electro-osmosis and charge advection. With respect to the unperturbed Poiseuille flow, we define an electroviscous coupling parameter $ξ$, which turns out to be maximum where the film thickness $h_0$ is comparable to the screening length $λ$. We also present dynamic AFM data for the visco-elastic response of a confined water film in sphere-plane geometry; our theory provides a quantitative description for the electroviscous drag coefficient and the electrostatic repulsion as a function of the film thickness, with the surface charge density as the only free parameter. Charge regulation sets in at even smaller distances.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Ionic thermoelectric materials and devices

The tremendous amount of wasted heat from solar radiation and industry dissipation has motivated the development of thermoelectric concepts that directly convert heat into electricity. The main challenge in practical applications for thermoelectrics is the high cost from both materials and manufacturing. Recently, breakthrough progresses in ionic thermoelectrics open up new possibilities to charge energy storage devices when submitted to a temperature gradient. The charging voltage is internally from the ionic Seebeck effect of the electrolyte between two electrodes. Hence electrolytes with high thermoelectric figure of merit are classified as ionic thermoelectric materials. Most ionic thermoelectric materials are composed of abundant elements, and they can generate hundreds of times larger thermal voltage than that of electronic materials. This emerging thermoelectric category brings new hope to fabricate low cost and large area heat-to-energy conversion devices, and triggers a renewed interest for ionic thermodiffusion. In this review, we summarize the state of the art in the new field of ionic thermoelectrics, from the driving force of the ionic thermodiffusion to material and application developments. We present a general map of ionic thermoelectric materials, discuss the unique characters of each type of the reported electrolytes, and propose potential optimization and future topics of ionic thermoelectrics.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Motion and trapping of micro- and millimeter-sized particles on the air-paramagnetic-liquid interface

Understanding the motion of particles on an air-liquid interface can impact a wide range of scientific fields and applications. Diamagnetic particles floating on an air-paramagnetic-liquid interface are previously known to have a repulsive motion from a magnet. Here, we show a motion mechanism where the diamagnetic particles floating on the air-paramagnetic-liquid interface are attracted and eventually trapped at an off-center distance from the magnet. The behavior of magnetic particles has been also studied and the motion mechanisms are theorized in a unified framework, revealing that the motion of particles on an air-paramagnetic-liquid interface is governed not only by magnetic energy, but as an interplay of the curvature of the interface deformation created by the nonuniform magnetic field, the gravitational potential, and the magnetic energy from the particle and the liquid. The attractive motion mechanism has been applied in directed self-assembly and robotic particle guiding.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2020

On the thermopower of ionic conductor and ionic capacitors

We theoretically study the thermoelectric response of ionic conductors to an applied temperaturegradient. As a main result we find that open and closed systems with respect to charge exchange,result in different expressions for the thermopower which may even take opposite signs. For theexperimentally most relevant zero-current steady state, we show that the thermopower of ionic conductorsdoes not depend on the mobilities, contrary to what is known for metals and semiconductors.The different behavior of ionic and electronic conductors is traced back to the unlike conservationlaws for ionic carriers and electron-hole pairs.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2020

Thermoelectric ratchet effect for charge carriers with hopping dynamics

We show that the huge Seebeck coefficients observed recently for ionic conductors, arise from a ratchet effect where activated jumps between neighbor sites are rectified by a temperature gradient, thus driving mobile ions towards the cold. For complex systems with mobile molecules like water or polyethylene glycol, there is an even more efficient diffusiophoretic transport mechanism, proportional to the thermally induced concentration gradient of the molecular component. Without free parameters, our model describes experiments on the ionic liquid EMIM-TFSI and hydratedNaPSS, and it qualitatively accounts for polymer electrolyte membranes with Seebeck coefficients of hundreds of $k_B/e$.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2020

Non-equilibrium Properties of an Active Nanoparticle in a Harmonic Potential

Active particles break out of thermodynamic equilibrium thanks to their directed motion, which leads to complex and interesting behaviors in the presence of confining potentials. When dealing with active nanoparticles, however, the overwhelming presence of rotational diffusion hinders directed motion, leading to an increase of their effective temperature, but otherwise masking the effects of self-propulsion. Here, we demonstrate an experimental system where an active nanoparticle immersed in a critical solution and held in an optical harmonic potential features far-from-equilibrium behavior beyond an increase of its effective temperature. When increasing the laser power, we observe a cross-over from a Boltzmann distribution to a non-equilibrium state, where the particle performs fast orbital rotations about the beam axis. These findings are rationalized by solving the Fokker-Planck equation for the particle's position and orientation in terms of a moment expansion. The proposed self-propulsion mechanism results from the particle's non-sphericity and the lower critical point of the solute.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2020

Near-field probe of thermal capillary fluctuations of a hemispherical bubble

We report measurements of resonant thermal capillary oscillations of a hemispherical liquid gas interface obtained using a half bubble deposited on a solid substrate. The thermal motion of the hemispherical interface is investigated using an atomic force microscope cantilever that probes the amplitude of vibrations of this interface versus frequency. The spectrum of such nanoscale thermal oscillations of the bubble surface presents several resonance peaks and reveals that the contact line of the hemispherical bubble is pinned on the substrate. The analysis of these peaks allows to measure the surface viscosity of the bubble interface. Minute amounts of impurities are responsible for altering the rheology of the pure water surface.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2018

Hydrodynamic assembly of active colloids: chiral spinners and dynamic crystals

Active colloids self-organise to a variety of collective states, ranging from highly motile 'molecules' to complex 3D structures. Using large-scale simulations, we show that hydrodynamic interactions, together with a gravity-like aligning field, lead to tunable self-assembly of active colloidal spheres near a surface. The observed structures depend on the hydrodynamic characteristics: particles driven at the front, pullers, form small chiral spinners consisting of two or three particles, whereas those driven at the rear, pushers, assemble to large dynamic aggregates. The rotational motion of the puller spinners, arises from spontaneous breaking of the internal chirality. Our results show that the fluid flow mediates chiral transfer between neighboring spinners. Finally we show that the chirality of the individual spinners controls the topology of the self-assembly in solution: homochiral samples assemble into a hexagonally symmetric 2D crystal lattice while racemic mixtures show reduced hexatic order with diffusion-like dynamics.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2018

Nanoscale Seebeck effect at hot metal nanostructures

We theoretically study the electrolyte Seebeck effect in the vicinity of a heated metal nanostructure, such as the cap of an active Janus colloid in an electrolyte, or gold- coated interfaces in optofluidic devices. The thermocharge accumulated at the surface varies with the local temperature, thus modulating the diffuse part of the electric double layer. On a conducting surface with non-uniform temperature, the isopotential condition imposes a significant polarization charge within the metal. Surprisingly, this does not affect the slip velocity, which takes the same value on insulating and conducting surfaces. Our results for specific-ion effects agree qualitatively with recent observations for Janus colloids in different electrolyte solutions. Comparing the thermal, hydrodynamic, and ion diffusion time scales, we expect a rich transient behavior at the onset of thermally powered swimming, extending to microseconds after switching on the heating.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2017

Hydrodynamic interaction of a self-propelling particle with a wall: Comparison between an active Janus particle and a squirmer model

Using lattice Boltzmann simulations we study the hydrodynamics of an active spherical particle near a no-slip wall. We develop a computational model for an active Janus particle, by considering different and independent mobilities on the two hemispheres and compare the behaviour to a standard squirmer model.We show that the topology of the far-field hydrodynamic nature of the active Janus particle is similar to the standard squirmer model, but in the near-field the hydrodynamics differ. In order to study how the near-field effects affect the interaction between the particle and a flat wall, we compare the behaviour of a Janus swimmer and a squirmer near a no-slip surface via extensive numerical simulations. Our results show generally a good agreement between these two models, but they reveal some key differences especially with low magnitudes of the squirming parameter $β$. Notably the affinity of the particles to be trapped at a surface is increased for the active Janus particles when compared to standard squirmers. Finally we find that when the particle is trapped on the surface, the velocity parallel to the surface exceeds the bulk swimming speed and scales linearly with $|β|$.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2017

Hydrodynamics defines the stable swimming direction of spherical squirmers in a nematic liquid crystal

We present a study of the hydrodynamics of an active particle, a model squirmer, in an envi- ronment with a broken rotational symmetry: a nematic liquid crystal. By combining simulations with analytic calculations, we show that the hydrodynamic coupling between the squirmer flow field and liquid crystalline director can lead to re-orientation of the swimmers. The preferred orientation depends on the exact details of the squirmer flow field. In a steady state, pushers are shown to swim parallel with the nematic director while pullers swim perpendicular to the nematic director. This behaviour arises solely from hydrodynamic coupling between the squirmer flow field and anisotropic viscosities of the host fluid. Our results suggest that an anisotropic swimming medium can be used to characterise and guide spherical microswimmers in the bulk.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2017

Visco-elastic drag forces and crossover from no-slip to slip boundary conditions for flow near air-water interfaces

The "free" water surface is generally prone to contamination with surface impurities be they surfactants, particles or other surface active agents. The presence of such impurities can modify flow boundary near such interfaces in a drastic manner. Here we show that vibrating a small sphere mounted on an AFM cantilever near a gas bubble immersed in water, is an excellent probe of surface contamination. Both viscous and elastic forces are exerted by an air-water interface on the vibrating sphere even when very low doses of contaminants are present. The viscous drag forces show a cross-over from no-slip to slip boundary conditions while the elastic forces show a nontrivial variation as the vibration frequency changes. We provide a simple model to rationalize these results and propose a simple way of evaluating the concentration of such surface impurities.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Trapping of Single Nano-Objects in Dynamic Temperature Fields

In this article we explore the dynamics of a Brownian particle in a feedback-free dynamic thermophoretic trap. The trap contains a focused laser beam heating a circular gold structure locally and creating a repulsive thermal potential for a Brownian particle. In order to confine a particle the heating beam is steered along the circumference of the gold structure leading to a non-trivial motion of the particle. We theoretically find a stability condition by switching to a rotating frame, where the laser beam is at rest. Particle trajectories and stable points are calculated as a function of the laser rotations frequency and are experimentally confirmed. Additionally, the effect of Brownian motion is considered. The present study complements the dynamic thermophoretic trapping with a theoretical basis and will enhance the applicability in micro- and nanofluidic devices.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Thermo-osmotic flow in thin films

We report on the first micro-scale observation of the velocity field imposed by a non-uniform heat content along the solid/liquid boundary. We determine both radial and vertical velocity components of this thermo-osmotic flow field by tracking single tracer nanoparticles. The measured flow profiles are compared to an approximate analytical theory and to numerical calculations. From the measured slip velocity we deduce the thermo-osmotic coefficient for both bare glass and Pluronic F-127 covered surfaces. The value for Pluronic F-127 agrees well with Soret data for polyethylene glycol, whereas that for glass differs from literature values and indicates the complex boundary layer thermodynamics of glass-water interfaces.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2016

Do thermal diffusion and Dufour coefficients satisfy Onsager's reciprocity relation?

It is commonly admitted that in liquids the thermal diffusion and Dufour coefficients $D_{T}$\ and $D_{F}$ satisfy Onsager's reciprocity. From their relation to the cross-coefficients of the phenomenological equations, we are led to the conclusion that this is not the case in general. As illustrative and physically relevant examples, we discuss micellar solutions and colloidal suspensions, where $D_{T}$ arises from chemical reactions or viscous effects but is not related to the Dufour coefficient $D_{F}$. The situation is less clear for binary molecular mixtures; available experimental and simulation data do not settle the question whether $D_{T}$\ and $D_{F}$ are reciprocal coefficients.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Comment on "Curvature capillary migration of microspheres" by N. Sharifi-Mood, I.B. Liu, K.J. Stebe, Soft Matter 11, 6768 (2015), arXiv:1502.01672

In a recent paper, Sharifi-Mood et al. study colloidal particles trapped at a liquid interface with opposite principal curvatures $c_{1}=-c_{2}$. In the theory part, they claim that the trapping energy vanishes at second order in $Δc=c_{1}-c_{2}$, which would invalidate our previous result [Phys. Rev. E 74, 041402 (2006)]. Here we show that this claim arises from an improper treatment of the outer boundary condition on the deformation field. For both pinned and moving contact lines, we find that the outer boundary is irrelevant, which confirms our previous work. More generally, we show that the trapping energy is determined by the deformation close to the particle and does not depend on the far-field.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2016

Hydrodynamic boundary effects on thermophoresis of confined colloids

We study hydrodynamic slowing-down of a particle moving in a temperature gradient perpendicular to a wall. At distances much smaller than the particle radius, $h\ll a$, lubrication approximation leads to the reduced velocity $u/u_{0}=3\frac{h}{a}\ln \frac{a}{h}$, with respect to the bulk value $u_{0}$. With Brenner's result for confined diffusion, we find that the trapping efficiency, or effective Soret coefficient, increases logarithmically as the particle gets very close to the wall. This provides a quantitative explanation for the recently observed enhancement of thermophoretic trapping at short distances. Our discussion of parallel and perpendicular thermophoresis in a capillary, reveals a very a good agreement with five recent experiments on charged polystyrene particles.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2015

Self-diffusiophoresis of Janus particles in near-critical mixtures

We theoretically study the self-propulsion of a laser-heated Janus particle in a near critical waterlutidine mixture, and relate its velocity vp and squirmer parameter \b{eta} to the wetting properties of its two hemispheres. For non-ionic surface forces, the particle moves the active cap ahead, except at strong driving, where a more complex behavior occurs if one of the hemispheres attracts water and the other lutidine. Both vp and \b{eta} show non-monotonic dependencies on the heating power, and may even change sign. Including the drift of the counterions due to the composition gradient, we find that a charged cap with lutidine affinity drives the particle the cap ahead, and with water affinity in the opposite direction, in agreement with experimental findings.

cond-mat.soft↗