Seebeck Effect in Colloidal Electrolytes
Abstract
A formalism is proposed that combines information on the Seebeck thermoelectric effect in highly conductive media and the Soret process associated with thermodiffusion in neutral solutions. The reasons for the two-stage development of the Seebeck effect for stabilized colloidal electrolytes are discussed. At the “initial stage,” the case in hand is the phenomena of thermal diffusion in the intrinsic (stabilizing) electrolyte. The next, “secondary stage” occurs with the beginning of noticeable thermodiffusive displacement of low-mobility colloids. The reasons for the two-stage development of the Seebeck effect for stabilized colloidal electrolytes are discussed. At the “initial stage,” the case in hand is the phenomena of thermal diffusion in the intrinsic (stabilizing) electrolyte. The next, “secondary stage” occurs with the beginning of noticeable thermodiffusive displacement of low-mobility colloids. The similarity between the formal properties of the Seebeck effect in dilute electrolytes in the presence of a temperature gradient in solution and the Hall effect in a weakly doped semiconductor perturbed by crossed magnetic and electric fields is elucidated.