Flow of colloids around a solute-releasing hydrogel

Hydrogels, capable of partitioning and gradually releasing solutes, offer a unique platform for applications such as drug delivery. They can also act as beacons, attracting or repelling macromolecules or colloids via an effect known as diffusiophoresis. Here, we utilize microfluidic experiments, numerical simulations, and theoretical modeling to study how colloids respond to the solute field released from a hydrogel in the presence of a background flow.