Eur. Phys. J. E (2016) 39: 38
https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2016-16038-1

Regular Article

Light-induced Soret effect and adsorption of nanocrystals in organic solvents

¹ Institute of Physics of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Pr. Nauky 46, 03028, Kyiv, Ukraine
² Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, 4120, Magdeburg, Germany
³ Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, UMR CNRS 8502, Université Paris-Sud, 91405, Orsay, France
⁴ Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 01601, Kyiv, Ukraine

^* e-mail: sergeykredenser@gmail.com
^** e-mail: yurireznikov@hotmail.com

Received: 22 June 2015
Accepted: 21 January 2016
Published online: 29 March 2016

Abstract

A light-induced Soret effect accompanied by photoinduced adsorption of pigment nanoparticles is described in organic solvents. We report an unexpected inversion of the nanoparticle flux which is directed along the temperarture gradient at short exposures to the light and switches against the gradient at longer exposures. This change of flux direction is due to light-induced adsorption of the nanocrystals onto the substrates of the cell.