Entropic force

Abstract: IN a colloidal suspension containing particles of two different sizes, there is an attractive force between the larger particles. This attraction is due to the extra volume that becomes available to the smaller particles when the larger particles approach one another, thus increasing the entropy of the system. Entropic 'excluded-volume' effects of this type have been studied previously in colloids and emulsions, in the context of phase-separation phenomena in the bulk1–15 and at flat surfaces2,16. Here we show how similar effects can be used to position the larger particles of a binary mixture on a substrate, or to move them in a predetermined way. Our experiments demonstrate the entropically driven repulsion of a colloidal sphere (in a suspension of smaller spheres) from the edge of a step; the magnitude of the entropic barrier felt by the sphere is approximately twice its mean thermal energy. These results indicate that passive structures etched into the walls of a container create localized entropic force fields which can trap, repel or induce the controlled drift of particles. Manipulation techniques based on these effects should be useful for making the highly ordered particle arrays required for structures with photonic band gaps17,18, microelectronic mask materials19, and materials for clinical assays20

Abstract: We have used the interface between a nanochannel and a microchannel as a tool for applying controlled forces on a DNA molecule. A molecule, with a radius of gyration larger than the nanochannel width, that straddles such an interface is subject to an essentially constant entropic force, which can be balanced against other forces such as the electrophoretic force from an applied electric field. By controlling the applied field we can position the molecule as desired and observe the conformation of the molecule as it stretches, relaxes, and recoils from the nanochannel. We quantify and present models for the molecular motion in response to the entropic, electrophoretic, and frictional forces acting on it. By determining the magnitude of the drag coefficients for DNA molecules in the nanostructure, we are able to estimate the confinement-induced recoil force. Finally, we demonstrate that we can use a controlled applied field and the entropic interfacial forces to unfold molecules, which can then be manipulated and positioned in their simple extended morphology.

Abstract: How colloidal particles interact with each other is one of the key issues that determines our ability to interpret experimental results for phase transitions in colloidal dispersions and our ability to apply colloid science to various industrial processes. The long-accepted theories for answering this question have been challenged by results from recent experiments. Herein we show from Monte-Carlo simulations that there is a short-range attractive force between identical macroions in electrolyte solutions containing divalent counterions. Complementing some recent and related results by others, we present strong evidence of attraction between a pair of spherical macroions in the presence of added salt ions for the conditions where the interacting macroion pair is not affected by any other macroions that may be in the solution. This attractive force follows from the internal-energy contribution of counterion mediation. Contrary to conventional expectations, for charged macroions in an electrolyte solution, the entropic force is repulsive at most solution conditions because of localization of small ions in the vicinity of macroions. Both Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek theory and Sogami–Ise theory fail to describe the attractive interactions found in our simulations; the former predicts only repulsive interaction and the latter predicts a long-range attraction that is too weak and occurs at macroion separations that are too large. Our simulations provide fundamental “data” toward an improved theory for the potential of mean force as required for optimum design of new materials including those containing nanoparticles.

Abstract: Recently, Verlinde discussed that gravity can be understood as an entropic force caused by changes in the information associated with the positions of material bodies. In Verlinde's argument, the area law of the black hole entropy plays a crucial role. However, the entropy-area relation can be modified from the inclusion of quantum effects, motivated from the loop quantum gravity. In this note, by employing this modified entropy-area relation, we derive corrections to Newton's law of gravitation as well as modified Friedmann equations by adopting the viewpoint that gravity can be emerged as an entropic force. Our study further supports the universality of the log correction and provides a strong consistency check on Verlinde's model.