Thermophoresis: moving particles with thermal gradients

Abstract

Thermophoresis is particle motion induced by thermal gradients. Akin to other nonequilibrium transport processes such as thermal diffusion in fluid mixtures, it is both experimentally and theoretically a challenging subject. New insights stemming from careful experimental surveys and strict theoretical models have however shed light on the underlying physical mechanisms, enabling depiction of thermophoresis as a subtle interfacial effect. These recent advancements open up alluring perspectives to exploit thermophoresis as a novel tool in macromolecular fractionation, microfluidic manipulation, and selective tuning of colloidal structures.