2. Heterogeneous fluid/solid systems

The energy stored in lyophobic nanoporous systems is of the same nature as that stored at the interfaces of a liquid film, when creating a soap bubble for example. The aim here is to multiply the interfacial area by forming large-area liquid/solid interfaces within nanoporous materials. We'll start by clarifying the terminology used to designate these materials.

To achieve direct conversion of hydraulic energy into interfacial mechanical energy and vice versa, lyophobic nanoporous systems exploit two combined effects: firstly, a high lyophobicity (or low affinity of the fluid for the solid) and, secondly, a confinement effect. We will focus on these two effects, which are closely linked to the concept of interface and the phenomenon of capillarity (see articles