Drift velocity in non-isothermal inhomogeneous systems

Drift velocity and driving force are not directly proportional in the case of inhomogeneous suspensions, where a space dependent mobility induces an additional contribution to the drift velocity. Similarly, particle flux and drift velocity are related not only by the gradient of density but also by an additional contribution given by the gradient of the self-diffusion coefficient. We provide quantitative support to this scenario in a non-equilibrium system by means of computer simulations with a temperature gradient. Moreover, our simulation results demonstrate that the temperature gradient-induced mass transport coefficient, namely thermal diffusion coefficient, is not directly proportional to the drift velocity so that the well-accepted relation of proportionality is just an approximation. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4723685]