Spectroscopic investigation of mixed materials using the adsorbed dissipative structures induced by Marangoni convection

摘要

A simple method based on self-organization is proposed for the separation of the components of samples on a centimeter-sized substrate plate using a technique to introduce a solvent or solution into the gap between an obliquely placed cover glass and the substrate and then generating a flow of liquid beneath the cover glass. The flow induces adsorption of different components at different positions on the substrate aligned with the cover-glass edge through Marangoni convection without any active intervention. A discussion of the composition and/or structural changes of samples is facilitated by analysis of the adsorbed species using Raman spectroscopy as a micro-probe analytical technique. The separation was demonstrated using mixed proteins, and the separation was strongly dependent not only on the surface energy of the materials and/or the Soret coefficient but also on the molecular interactions of each solute in the solutions and on the shape of the cell. The concentrations of the solutes affected the separation efficiency in this technique.