Heat and Mass Transfer in Nanoporous Media
A special issue of Thermo (ISSN 2673-7264).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 939
Special Issue Editors
Interests: porous media; heat and mass transfer in fuel cell system; cross-scale multiphase flow; phase change heat transfer; hydrothermal management
Interests: thermodynamics; fluid phase equilibrium; structure–properties relationships; various thermodynamic-based models; process simulation models
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Heat and mass transfer in nanoporous media represents a critical frontier in thermal sciences, with far-reaching applications in energy, environmental, and material technologies. These media—characterized by high surface area and nanoscale pore confinement—exhibit unique and often non-classical transport behaviors. They are central to the performance of systems such as catalysts, adsorbents, membranes, and porous geological formations.
In nanoporous systems, thermal transport is governed by mechanisms that extend beyond conventional conduction and radiation. Phonon scattering, boundary effects, and deviations from Fourier’s law become significant. Similarly, mass transport is shaped by phenomena like Knudsen diffusion, surface diffusion, capillary flow, and adsorption–desorption kinetics, which are amplified under nanoconfinement.
Understanding the coupled behavior of heat and mass transfer in these environments is crucial for optimizing functional performance in applications including thermal insulation, phase change energy storage, water purification, and gas separation. Recent advancements in multiscale modeling, imaging techniques, and nanoscale diagnostics have accelerated progress in this area.
This Special Issue invites cutting-edge contributions that deepen our understanding of transport phenomena in nanoporous systems. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Fundamental heat and mass transfer mechanisms in nanoporous media;
- Modeling and simulation at the nano-to-microscale interface;
- Experimental investigations of thermal and mass transport in confined geometries;
- Coupled transport in hybrid porous structures or functionalized materials;
- Influence of surface chemistry, porosity, and morphology on transfer properties;
- Applications in energy storage, environmental remediation, and membrane technologies.
Dr. Sheng Xu
Prof. Dr. Johan Jacquemin
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- nanoporous media
- heat transfer
- mass transport
- Knudsen diffusion
- surface effects
- thermal insulation
- phase change storage
- confined flow
- energy systems
- nanoscale transport phenomena
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