AbstractThe thermal effect on the nanofluidic behaviors in a nanoporous silica gel is investigated experimentally. When a nanoporous silica gel is modified by silyl groups, its surface becomes hydrophobic. A sufficiently high external pressure must be applied to overcome the capillary effect; otherwise liquid infiltration could not occur. The formation and the disappearance of a solid–liquid interface are employed for energy storage or dissipation. When the hydrophobic surface of nanoporous silica gel is decomposed at various temperatures, the organic surface layers can be deactivated. As a result, the degree of hydrophobicity, which can be measured by the liquid infiltration pressure, is lowered. The infiltration and defiltration behaviors of liquid are dependent on the controlled by the decomposition-treatment temperature.
Effects of decomposition-treatment temperature on infiltration pressure of a surface modified nanoporous silica gel