Kinetics of laser-driven phase separation induced by a tightly focused wave in binary liquid mixtures

Optical tweezers have recently been used to locally induce liquid–liquid phase separations and to nucleate a single domain inside the trap [H. Masuhara and co-workers, J. Phys. Chem. B 101 (1997) 5900; Langmuir 13 (1997) 414; Bull. Chem. Soc. Japan 69 (1996) 59]. We investigate theoretically these laser-driven transitions in liquid mixtures in a tightly focused wave and analyze their kinetics. After a description of the different quenching processes (electrostriction, thermodiffusion and thermal heating), the droplet growth rate is derived in each case. To illustrate the generality of the purpose, the model is developed for critical binary fluids and the kinetics are discussed in terms of universal behaviors using a comparison with classical uniform quench situations. We also analyze how finite size effects induced by the beam break this dynamic universality. To validate the model, a comparison of the predicted behaviors with recent experimental results is presented. The good agreement illustrates the potentialities of this new application of optical tweezers as micro-physical chemistry tools.