Breakthrough in Nanotechnology: Understanding Thermophoresis of Janus Nanoparticles

Scientists at Beijing University of Technology have made significant progress in understanding the thermophoresis of Janus nanoparticles in liquids. Through molecular dynamics simulations, the researchers investigated the thermophoretic forces acting on cylindrical Janus nanoparticles by varying parameters such as particle size, surface energies, and mean temperature of the fluid. The study revealed a transition from negative thermophoresis to positive thermophoresis, which is influenced by surface energies and mean temperature. The research has been peer-reviewed and published in Physical Review E.

Key Takeaways:

• Researchers at Beijing University of Technology investigated the thermophoresis of Janus nanoparticles in liquids through molecular dynamics simulations.
• The study found a transition from negative thermophoresis to positive thermophoresis, which is influenced by surface energies and mean temperature.
• The particle size only affects the magnitude of the thermophoretic force, not the transition from negative to positive thermophoresis.
• Contributions of the total energy and pressure of fluid molecules were studied by evaluating the excess enthalpy density around the particle.
• A general scaling relationship for the thermophoretic force was developed using dimensionless numbers.
• The research advances the understanding of thermophoresis of Janus nanoparticles and offers theoretical support for manipulating Janus nanoparticles in liquids by temperature gradients.
• The study was conducted by Kai Qi, Shaobin Zhuo, Baoling Huang, Jun Wang, and Zhigang Li at Beijing University of Technology.

Statistics:

• 112:015403 is the corresponding publication number in Physical Review E.
• 2025 is the publication year of the research.
• 1:00 PM, September 1, 2025, is the timestamp of the news report.
• Thermophoresis of Janus nanoparticles in liquids is the title of the research.

*aises the thermophoresis of Janus nanoparticles are influenced by surface energies and mean temperature.

• A general scaling relationship for the thermophoretic force was developed using dimensionless numbers.

Sources:

• Physical Review E, 2025;112:015403
• American Physical Society - www.aps.org/
• Physical Review E - pre.aps.org
• Beijing University of Technology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Heat Transfer and Energy Conversion, Beijing 100124, People's Republic of China
• American Physical Soc, One Physics Ellipse, College Pk, MD 20740-3844, USA