ABSTRACT
The connement of uid in nanopores is a common occurrence in sensors and devices. Therefore understanding the phase equilibria, and having knowledge of structural and transport properties, of conned uids is important in the development of new technologies for manufacturing and in the modication of current methods. Interestingly, the phase behavior of uid in porous material is dramatically different from those of a bulk uid because of the competition of uid-uid and uid-wall interaction energies. These geometric constraints and the presence of external forces are the primary sources for a range of different phase transitions, such as layering, prewetting, and capillary condensation and a shift in critical properties and melting/freezing properties (Gelb et al. 1999).
