Infiltration of pressurized promoter solutions in a mesoporous silica

The infiltration of pressurized aqueous solutions of sodium cholate hydrate (CSH) and ammonium 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonate (1,8-ANS-NH4) in a hydrophobic silica gel is investigated experimentally. The CSH and 1,8-ANS-NH4 molecules act as promoters that lower the infiltration pressure in relatively large nanopores, resulting in the staged sorption isotherm curves. When the CSH concentration and the 1,8-ANS-NH4 concentration are relatively low, the infiltration plateau can be three staged. This finding has important relevance to developing programmable nanoporous protective and damping systems.