NSF/Sandia: Controlling Liquid Motions in Nanoenvironments Using Mechanical, Thermal, and Electrical Methods

摘要：拟开展的研究将集中于在施加机械载荷、温度梯度或涨落或电场的情况下对纳米孔内液体运动的实验测量。通过一系列的渗透和反滤实验，分析了各种纳米孔材料，如纳米多孔碳、沸石和沸石类材料、纳米多孔二氧化硅和氧化铝等的吸附等温线。这项研究将揭示纳米环境中固、液、气和界面相之间的复杂相互作用，这些相互作用在传统的界面和表面理论框架下仍然相对缺乏研究。可以预见，在纳米尺度上，由于约束尺寸效应和质量/能量交换，液体的行为将从根本上不同于宏观水平上的行为，例如普通的毛细效应或吸收现象。建议的研究工作还将为开发先进的吸能结构、小型和高功率密度的智能结构等提供坚实的科学基础，这对国内经济，特别是航空航天、汽车、军事和国家安全行业具有极其重要的意义。例如，能量吸收系统可以用于开发高性能的士兵装甲；电或热可控的驱动系统可以应用于下一代变形器。除了拟议的基础研究外，还将开展与之相匹配的教育计划，这将大大加强纳米材料研究对高中生、大学生、研究生以及普通公众的接触。

ABSTRACT: 0623973The proposed study will be focused on the experimental measurements of liquid motions in nanopores as mechanical loadings, temperature gradients or fluctuations, or electric fields are applied. The sorption isotherm curves of a variety of nanoporous materials, such as nanoporous carbon, zeolite and zeolite-like materials, nanoporous silica and alumina, etc., will be analyzed through a set of infiltration and defitltration tests. This research will shed light on the complicated interactions among solid, liquid, gas, and interface phases in nanoenvironments, which remain relatively un-investigated in the framework of conventional interface and surface theories. It is envisioned that, at the nanometer scale, due to the confinement size effect and the mass/energy exchange, the liquid behaviors would be fundamental different from that at the macroscopic level, e.g. the ordinary capillary effect or absorption phenomena. The proposed research efforts will also provide a solid scientific basis for developing advanced energy absorption structures, small-sized and high-power-density intelligent structures, among others, which is immensely important to the domestic economy, especially for the aerospace, automobile, military, and national security industries. For instance, the energy absorption systems can be used to develop high-performance soldier armors; the electrically or thermally controllable actuation systems can be applied for next-generation shape-changing aircrafts. Together with the proposed basic research, a matching education program will also be carried out, which will considerably enhance the exposure of study of nanomaterials to high-school students, college students, graduate-school students, as well as the general public.