US Patent 7039527 Method for measuring diffusivities of compounds using microchips

A method for determining the molecular diffusivity of a solute in a microchannel where a solute is introduced into a first end of a microchannel and a first concentration profile is measured at first and second locations along the microchannel. A theoretical concentration profile can be calculated at the second location based on the measured first concentration profile at the first location. The molecular diffusivity can be found by minimizing the error when comparing the theoretical concentration profile to the measured second concentration profile. Further, this technique allows for average velocity to be measured simultaneously with molecular diffusivity.