title: Phase equilibria of absorbed liquids and the structure of porous media.
abstract: The phase equilibria of water within porous silica has been studied by proton and deuteron magnetic resonance. Proton signal amplitude as a function of filling factor was measured. These protons arise from the proton-deuterium equilibrium that is established between the liquid and the absorbed layer on the pore wall. The results for temperatures below 0 degree C show a maximum as a function of filling factor, theta. This suggests that the pores fill from either a surface layer or from the crevices and interstices into the center. Another experiment used cryoporometry to study the size of crystals formed within the pores as a function of theta and leads to the same conclusion.
authors.affiliation: Physics Laboratory, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Strange
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Stephenson
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Matveeva
mesh_terms: D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D016062:Porosity; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D012822:Silicon Dioxide