Clay Bridge Formation in Porous Microchannels under Evaporation

This dataset captures the formation of clay bridges in porous microchannels containing two pillar sizes, large and small. Experiments were conducted using two clay types, bentonite and kaolinite, at four concentrations (1, 5, 30, and 60 g/L). For each condition, one time-dependent experiment documented the drying process with images captured at 10-minute intervals, enabling visualization of evaporation dynamics and bridge formation. Two additional replicates were performed under similar conditions on a hot plate, with final clay distribution images acquired using identical microscope settings.

The dataset also includes a salt-modified case, in which 100 ppt NaCl was added to a 30 g/L bentonite suspension prior to drying, to investigate the effect of salinity on bridge morphology. Additionally, one experiment visualizes the attachment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to bentonite clay bridges, providing insight into microbial–mineral interactions.