Nanoporous material's strange 'breathing' behavior
Wednesday, April 6, 2016 - 18:10
in Physics & Chemistry
High-tech sponges of the infinitely small, nanoporous materials can capture and release gaseous or liquid chemicals in a controlled way. Scientists have developed and described one of these materials, DUT-49, whose behavior is totally counterintuitive. When pressure is increased for a sample of DUT-49 to absorb more gas, the material contracts suddenly and releases its contents -- as if, when inhaling, the lungs contracted and expelled the air that they contained. This work makes it possible to envisage innovative behavior in materials science.