The development of nanoporous materials has received enormous attention during the last decades due to their technological relevance in e.g. energy- and water-management. These applications strongly rely on the transport processes within nanoporous materials which are tightly and mutually connected to wetting properties. In nano-confined space the interactions between molecules and surface are dominant, leading to extraordinary transport phenomena differing from bulk-like behaviour, particularly when the dimensions of the nanopores are close to the Debye screening length or hydrophobic interactions are involved. Thus, the understanding and design of the wetting-transport and wetting-charge-transport interplay in nanometer sized pores is a key step to improve nanopore transport related performance. To systematically understand and design this interplay of nanopore wetting and transport we use chemical functionalization to gradually adjust the wetting properties of mesoporous silica thin films, which can be prepared by coating or gravure printing processes. The mutual influence of wetting on liquid imbibition, condensation, and molecular transport as well as on boiling is investigated. As a key result two different ion transport mechanisms are proposed, which emerge from three defined wetting regimes as well as a threshold hydrophobicity suppressing pore accessibility. At the threshold hydrophobicity the pores are closed due to their wetting behavior but can be opened e.g. by electrostatic attraction. Furthermore, boiling-experiments show a clear increase of nucleation side density upon changing the wettability of the mesoporous surfaces from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. These results give insights into the complex interplay of pore wall functionalization, wetting, and charge determining nanopore properties. We expect these results to impact applications such as ionic transport relevant in smart water-management concepts and heat transport essential for cooling by boiling.

Interplay between wetting and transport in mesoporous thin films

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.