temperaturesdrive

temperaturesdrive is a proposed framework or term describing phenomena where spatial variations in temperature act as a driving force on physical, chemical, or biological processes. The term encompasses well-known effects such as thermophoresis (the Soret effect), thermo-osmotic flows, and temperature-dependent phase separation, but aims to emphasize the active role of temperature gradients in directing transport and reorganization.

In fluids, temperature gradients can induce particle migration and flow patterns; in solids, they can influence diffusion, phase boundaries, and crystallization; in soft matter and biology, they can guide self-assembly and activity under gradient fields.

Researchers have explored temperaturesdrive for microfluidic sorting, gradient-assisted synthesis, and directed self-assembly of nanoparticles, as well as for pattern formation in reactive systems.

The concept is not yet a formally defined field; rather, it serves as a unifying language for temperature-driven transport phenomena and is subject to ongoing debate about definitions, timescales, and experimental accessibility.

Related topics include non-equilibrium thermodynamics, thermophoresis, Soret effects, and thermo-osmosis.