Diffusion of Brownian particles in shear flows

Abstract

The coupling of Brownian displacements and shear-induced convection of spherical colloidal particles in dilute suspensions is examined using solutions of appropriate convective diffusion equations for the time-dependent probability density and also by calculation of relevant statistical quantities for an ensemble of diffusing particles from Langevin equations. Based on a fundamental solution for convective diffusion from a point in a general linear field, analytical expressions for the probability density fα(r; t) are given for the case of an arbitrary, two-dimensional linear flow field. The parameter α, which characterizes the flow, may range from − 1 (pure rotation), through zero (simple shear), to + 1 (pure elongation). The Langevin approach offers interesting insights into the physical mechanism of diffusive–convective coupling, and may also be used to obtain rigorous expressions for moments of the probability density appropriate to a particle diffusing in an unbounded quadratic (Poiseuille) flow. Preliminary experiments are described which qualitatively verify the theoretical predictions for Poiseuille flow, and which suggest a simple, direct method for measuring particle diffusivities. Finally the effect of bounding walls on convective diffusion is considered by means of Monte Carlo calculations. Results show that particle-wall interactions significantly affect the average behaviour of particles located initially within distances of a few particle radii of the wall, since the frictional force is no longer isotropic.