X-ray Nanotomography and In-situ X-Ray Radiography: Wetting and Drying in Hierarchically Porous Silicon and Silica

We propose in-situ time- dependent X-ray radiography and nanotomography experiments on hierarchically porous silicon and silica membranes. The tomography should reveal the structure of the hierarchally porous membranes and complement the in-situ radiography data. With the in-situ X-ray radiography we want to explore the capillarity-driven water infiltration and the advancement of the imbibition front as well as its drying. Both utilized in combination, tomograpphy and in-situ radiography, can give a full explanation of the material's inner structure and the resulting transport kinetics as well as a full image of the interconnectivity within in the hierachically porous network.