Adsorption-induced deformation of nanoporous materials - A review

When a solid surface accommodates guest molecules, they induce noticeable stresses to the surface and cause its strain. Nanoporous materials have high surface area and, therefore, are very sensitive to this effect called adsorption-induced deformation. In recent years, there has been significant progress in both experimental and theoretical studies of this phenomenon, driven by the development of new materials as well as advanced experimental and modeling techniques. Also, adsorption-induced deformation has been found to manifest in numerous natural and engineering processes, e.g., drying of concrete, water-actuated movement of non-living plant tissues, change of permeation of zeolite membranes, swelling of coal and shale, etc. In this review, we summarize the most recent experimental and theoretical findings on adsorption-induced deformation and present the state-of-the-art picture of thermodynamic and mechanical aspects of this phenomenon. We also reflect on the existing challenges related both to the fundamental understanding of this phenomenon and to selected applications, e.g., in sensing and actuation, and in natural gas recovery and geological CO₂ sequestration.