On Measurement of Molecular and Thermal Diffusion Coefficients in Multicomponent Mixtures

We have developed the theory for using the deflection of laser beams of various wavelengths to determine molecular and thermal diffusion coefficients in multicomponent mixtures. In the past, simultaneous determination of molecular and thermal diffusion coefficients have only been achieved for binaries. Our procedure is faster and more accurate than the current techniques to determine molecular diffusion coefficients. The analysis for an N-component mixture requires deflections from (N - 1) beams of different wavelengths. We show in an example that the molecular and thermal diffusion coefficients can be determined reliably in a ternary mixture.