Diffusiophoretic dispersion of a colloidal blob in two-dimensional porous media.

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Title: Diffusiophoretic dispersion of a colloidal blob in two-dimensional porous media.
Authors: Pujari, Aditya1, Pahlavan, Amir A.1 amir.pahlavan@yale.edu
Source: Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 6/10/2026, Vol. 1036, p1-14. 14p.
Subjects: Colloids, Concentration gradient, Porous materials, Transport theory, Fluid flow, Computer simulation
Abstract: Predicting and controlling the transport of colloids in porous media is essential for applications ranging from contaminant remediation to drug delivery. In these complex environments, solute gradients are ubiquitous and could drive diffusiophoretic particle migration, yet their impact on macroscopic colloid dispersion remains poorly understood. Here we combine experiments and simulations to quantify how diffusiophoresis alters the spreading of a colloidal blob in a two-dimensional ordered/disordered porous medium. A joint blob of colloids and salt at high concentration is introduced into a medium filled with salt at low concentration and advected by a background flow. Intuition suggests that when colloids are attracted towards or repelled from the solute-rich blob, dispersion should be suppressed or enhanced, respectively. Instead, we observe the opposite trend: longitudinal dispersion is enhanced in the attractive case, whereas dispersion is suppressed in the repulsive case. Numerical simulations reveal that this striking reversal arises from diffusiophoretic exchange of particles between slow and fast streamlines, which we capture using a minimal two-layer model of coupled fast and slow plug flows. Finally, we probe how geometric disorder in the medium modulates this mechanism. Our results demonstrate that diffusiophoresis can strongly modulate macroscopic dispersion of colloids in porous media with implications for transport in subsurface and biological environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Fluid Mechanics is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Diffusiophoretic dispersion of a colloidal blob in two-dimensional porous media.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Fluid+Mechanics%22">Journal of Fluid Mechanics</searchLink>. 6/10/2026, Vol. 1036, p1-14. 14p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Colloids%22">Colloids</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Concentration+gradient%22">Concentration gradient</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Porous+materials%22">Porous materials</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Transport+theory%22">Transport theory</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fluid+flow%22">Fluid flow</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computer+simulation%22">Computer simulation</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Predicting and controlling the transport of colloids in porous media is essential for applications ranging from contaminant remediation to drug delivery. In these complex environments, solute gradients are ubiquitous and could drive diffusiophoretic particle migration, yet their impact on macroscopic colloid dispersion remains poorly understood. Here we combine experiments and simulations to quantify how diffusiophoresis alters the spreading of a colloidal blob in a two-dimensional ordered/disordered porous medium. A joint blob of colloids and salt at high concentration is introduced into a medium filled with salt at low concentration and advected by a background flow. Intuition suggests that when colloids are attracted towards or repelled from the solute-rich blob, dispersion should be suppressed or enhanced, respectively. Instead, we observe the opposite trend: longitudinal dispersion is enhanced in the attractive case, whereas dispersion is suppressed in the repulsive case. Numerical simulations reveal that this striking reversal arises from diffusiophoretic exchange of particles between slow and fast streamlines, which we capture using a minimal two-layer model of coupled fast and slow plug flows. Finally, we probe how geometric disorder in the medium modulates this mechanism. Our results demonstrate that diffusiophoresis can strongly modulate macroscopic dispersion of colloids in porous media with implications for transport in subsurface and biological environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Fluid Mechanics is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1017/jfm.2026.11607
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Colloids
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Concentration gradient
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Porous materials
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      – SubjectFull: Transport theory
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      – SubjectFull: Fluid flow
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      – SubjectFull: Computer simulation
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      – TitleFull: Diffusiophoretic dispersion of a colloidal blob in two-dimensional porous media.
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              Text: 6/10/2026
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              Y: 2026
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