Perspectives on water science: transport and application of confined water

The confinements of water can be divided into two main categories, namely, the confinements on surface or interface and the confinements in bulk water. By adding ions or applying electric field, the intensity and distribution of the hydrogen bonds can be greatly affected. These are collectively known as confinement on water surface or interface, which has potential applications in life science and industries involving evaporation control. Confined bulk water could be found everywhere in nature, such as in granular and porous materials, macromolecules and gels, etc. The investigation of the physical properties and the transports of the confined bulk water will contribute to understanding certain types of life activities such as the water transport in plant and in new application of extracting the shale oil and water.