Related papers: Intrinsic water transport in moisture-capturing hy…
Water evaporation is critically important for hydrogels in open-air applications, but theoretically modeling is difficult due to the complicated intermolecular interactions and sustained deformation. In this work, we construct a simplified…
Adsorption of water vapor in nanoporous carbons is rather complex due to an interplay between the pore structure and surface chemistry of these materials. Deciphering the mechanism of adsorption requires the knowledge of the spatial…
We investigated theoretically water evaporation from concentrated supramolecular mixtures, such as solutions of polymers or amphiphilic molecules, using numerical resolutions of a one dimensional model based on mass transport equations.…
Liquids under confinement differ in behavior from their bulk counterparts and can acquire properties that are specific to the confined phase and linked to the nature and structure of the host matrix. While confined liquid water is not a new…
Atmospheric water harvesting is urgently needed given increasing global water scarcity. Current sorbent-based devices that cycle between water capture and release have low harvesting rates. We envision a radically different multi-material…
We investigate the observability of hydrogen molecules in absorption. The absorption efficiency of the hydrogen molecules become comparable with or larger than that of the dust grains in the metal-poor condition expected in the early…
Most thermodynamic modeling of hydrogels focused on predicting their final volumes in equilibrium with water, built on Flory's theories for the entropy of mixing and rubber elasticity, and Donnan's equilibrium conditions if polyelectrolyte…
The moisture absorption in granulated materials used in foundry technologies is analyzed. The absorption process has a diffusive behavior mainly. A simple experimental technique, in which the wet weight increment was recorded as the…
We present a theoretical study of the phase diagram and the structure of a fluid adsorbed in high-porosity aerogels by means of an integral-equation approach combined with the replica formalism. To simulate a realistic gel environment, we…
Understanding the adsorption of water and characterizing the water film formed within nanostructures are essential for advancements in fields such as nanofluidics, water purification, and biosensing devices. In our research, we focus on…
A particle-water discrete element based approach to describe water movement in partially saturated granular media is presented and tested. Water potential is governed by both capillary bridges, dominant at low saturations, and the pressure…
Nanopores are both a tool to study single-molecule biophysics and nanoscale ion transport, but also a promising material for desalination or osmotic power generation. Understanding the physics underlying ion transport through nano-sized…
Studies of the transport of wet water vapour are relevant for various areas of human activity, including the construction and production of building materials, mining, agriculture, environmental safety of technological processes, scientific…
Machine learning techniques are used to explore the intrinsic origins of the hydrodynamic thermal transport and to find new materials interesting for science and engineering. The hydrodynamic thermal transport is governed intrinsically by…
Adsorption in nanoporous materials is one strategy that can be used to store hydrogen at conditions of temperature and pressure that are economically viable. Adsorption capacity of nanoporous materials depends on surface area which can be…
In this work, we characterize the water absorption properties of selected porous materials through a combined approach that integrates laboratory experiments and mathematical modeling. Specifically, experimental data from imbibition tests…
We study rain water infiltration and drainage in a dry model sandy soil with superabsorbent hydrogel particle additives by measuring the mass of retained water for non-ponding rainfall using a self-built 3D laboratory set-up. In the pure…
We have investigated the adsorption and desorption of helium near its liquid-vapor critical point in silica aerogels with porosities between 95% and 98%. We used a capacitive measurement technique which allowed us to probe the helium…
It is widely known that hydrogels, a class of soft materials made of a polymer chain network, are prone to fatigue failure. To understand the underlying mechanism, here we simulate polymer scission and fatigue initiation in the vicinity of…
Hydrogel coatings absorb water vapor - or other solvents - and, as such, are good candidates for antifog applications. In the present study, the transfer of vapor from the atmosphere to hydrogel thin films is measured in a situation where…