Uncovering the role of diffusiophoresis in geophysical and biological systems

Determine the role and significance of diffusiophoresis in natural and biological systems characterized by chemical gradients, crowding, and complex flow fields, including sea-ice brine channels, estuarine frontal zones with microplastic transport, subsurface geochemical flows relevant to CO2 mineralization and hydrogen storage, hydrothermal vent ecosystems, and intracellular environments driving biomolecular transport and condensate dynamics.

Background

The paper demonstrates that even weak diffusiophoretic velocities can substantially alter macroscopic colloid dispersion and transport in porous media by enabling cross-streamline migration, shortening transport times, and suppressing disorder-induced non-Fickian behavior.

Building on these findings, the authors highlight analogous settings where persistent chemical gradients and complex flows are present—such as brine channels under sea ice, estuarine fronts that affect pollutant transport, subsurface environments shaped by biogeochemical reactions, hydrothermal vent ecosystems, and intracellular contexts driving cargo transport and condensate formation—suggesting that diffusiophoresis may play an important but as yet unquantified role across these systems.