Unveiling Moisture Transport Mechanisms in Cellulosic Materials: Vapor vs. Bound Water

Unveiling Moisture Transport Mechanisms in Cellulosic Materials: Vapor vs. Bound Water

Y. Zou, B. Maillet, L. Brochard, P. Coussot

Natural textiles, wood, hair, paper, wool, or bio-based walls possess the remarkable ability to store humidity from sweat or the environment through “bound water” absorption within nanopores, constituting up to 30% of their dry mass. The transport and storage mechanisms of this moisture remain poorly understood, with modeling often relying on an assumption of dominant vapor transport with an unknown diffusion coefficient. By isolating diffusion processes and deriving diffusion coefficients through rigorous experimentation our research addresses this knowledge gap, in particular demonstrating the pivotal role of bound water transport within interconnected fiber networks.

PNAS Nexus, Volume 3, 2024, pgad450
Corresponding Author: Philippe Coussot

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