Liquids on porous layers: wetting, imbibition and transport processes

Wetting of porous layers plays an important role in natural phenomena and in technical applications, including cooling technologies, ink-jet printing, functionalization of textile fabric and 3D-printing. In many technically relevant processes the complex wetting phenomena govern the transport of heat, mass and (nano)particles. A review of recent advances in understanding and development of prediction tools describing the coupled wetting and transport in porous layers is given. A special focus is laid on fibrous media, which are frequently encountered as natural substances (human hair), as conventional technological products (textile fabric) or as promising method for heat transfer enhancement (nanofiber mat coating of surfaces). The possible directions of future research are suggested. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.