Nanoporous Materials

Study on the elastic response (macroscopic deformation) of mesoporous silicon upon capillary condensation of water in the pores published in Applied Physics Letters (APL 106, 261901 (2015)).

Porous materials can be created by a variety of methods and exhibit properties that are advantageous in certain applications, e.g. insulation, energy absorption, and core materials in sandwich panels. As the length scale of the pores/ligaments is reduced below one micron, size effects arise and cause changes in the deformation mechanisms that operate in the ligament material. The mechanical properties can change dramatically, especially for so-called “nanoporous metals”, which have pores and ligaments as small as a few nanometers.