Coupling Mixed Mass Relations and Charge Transport through an Onsager Reciprocal Relation
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Date
2022-12
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Lars Onsager was awarded the 1966 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his reciprocal relations,
foundational to the modern understanding of irreversible thermodynamics. Conventional
relationships found throughout thermodynamics, such as mass flow rate, heat transfer, or Ohm's
law relate extensive and intensive properties. It is observed that a gradient on the extensive property can alter the flux of the intensive property. For instance, the gradient of an electric field, alters the flux of the respective intensive property, a charge; more colloquially this is known as a
voltage impacting the charge flow, or current, and is related through Ohm's law. Onsager
proposed that through a reciprocal matrix, the gradient of a singular, respective relationship's extensive property, can impact the intensive flux of another relationship, and that the reciprocal gradient can impact it's opposing flux. This thesis explores the relationship between mass flow and Ohm's law, how an electrical gradient can impact mass transfer, and a pressure gradient can alter charge transport. By performing four experiments on an ionized liquid, due to the large ionic electrokinetic potential, the reciprocal relationship can be observed. While the intended result was to use matrix operations to relate the pressure and electrical gradient, and mass and charge flux, the resulting data did not produce the intended results. Instead, it was observed that the transient responses of voltage and current, rather than the steady state responses, are impacted by the induction of mass flow. Further, as the mass flux increases the transient response of the charge flux decreases, and while the generated electrical gradient's transient response proportionally decreases. Through the interpretation of this data, the values observed do not prove Onsager's Reciprocal Relations, rather introduce the potential that the effects are induced by the transient response rather than a steady state response. To further explore and prove an Onsager Reciprocity between mass flow rate and Ohm's law, new experimentation is to be examined.
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Keywords
Onsager Reciprocity, Mass and Charge Transport