Diffusion studies in liquids by holographic interferometry

Liquid diffusion coefficients are very important basic data for research and many applications in chemical engineering and in other fields, such as biological systems, pollution control and separation of isotopes. Holographic interferometry technique with accuracy and promptness is one of the most widely used techniques for diffusivity studies. We report an interferometric technique to determine the diffusion coefficient of transparent liquid solutions. As the diffusion progresses with time the refractive indices at different planes in the cell are different, and the characteristic extreme points of the fringe patterns shift outward. The interference fringes was obtained and recorded on a PC using a CCD camera. By judging the interferogram with a computer procedure the concentrations at different planes can be obtained by the relation between concentration and refractive indices, furthermore, the diffusion coefficient can be obtained by calculation. The obtained diffusivity values matched very well with the existing experimental results. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.