Thermophoresis

Thermophoresis is when tiny, tiny things called particles move around because of heat. Think of these particles like little pieces of candy, and the heat is like your breath blowing them around.

When things are hot, they move faster and spread out more. This is because heat energy makes everything more excited or jumpy. Imagine jumping around in a bouncy castle because you're so excited—this is what happens to particles when they get hot.

Now imagine a bunch of tiny particles in a small space that is getting hotter and hotter. Some of the particles will want to move away from the heat, and some will want to move towards it. The ones that move away are called 'cold-loving' particles, and the ones that move towards the heat are called 'warm-loving' particles.

Thermophoresis happens when the 'warm-loving' particles move towards the heat energy and start to gather together. The 'cold-loving' particles then get pushed away, and this causes the particles to separate into two groups.

Thermophoresis can be useful in a lot of different ways. One example is in scientific research where it can be used to help separate and purify tiny particles. Another example is in nanotechnology where researchers are trying to create tiny machines that can move around using thermophoresis. Overall, thermophoresis is a really interesting way that even the tiniest things can be influenced by heat energy!