Water and Solutions in Nanoporous Media: Capillarity, Osmosis and Phase Change

Explore the fascinating physics of phase transitions and transport in nanopores through a comprehensive lecture by Dr. Olivier Vincent, a Permanent Research Scientist at CNRS, Institut Lumière Matière, Lyon, France. Delve into a series of experiments illustrating the behavior of water and salt solutions in nanoporous media. Examine the dynamics of water uptake and evaporation triggered by humidity changes, uncovering various phenomena such as capillary imbibition and cavitation. Investigate how the addition of solutes alters these behaviors and gain insights into the effects of nanoscale confinement on salt crystallization and deliquescence. Learn how these observations can be explained using principles of capillarity, osmosis, and nucleation in confinement. Discover the wide-ranging applications of this research in fields including plant physiology, geophysics, and heritage preservation.