| Abstract Scope |
Porous glasses find uses in optics, heterogeneous catalysis, sensors, chromatography, and as hosts for nanoparticles and biocompounds mainly due to their high specific surface area and high thermal and chemical resistances. For these uses, the mechanical stability of porous silica is a requirement to guarantee resilience, load-bearing capacity, and fatigue resistance. With pore and strut sizes in the nanometer to micrometer range and a bicontinuous 3D structure, understanding the relationship between structure, processing, and mechanical properties is challenging. In this study, we used nanometer resolution X-ray computed tomography (nano-CT) to image a controlled pore glass (CPG) with 400 nm-sized pores under in-situ uniaxial compression. Critically, by combining 3D imaging data with computational tools, we quantitatively analyze the microstructural changes within the CPG sample, mapping displacements and strain fields, and show agreement with FFT/Phase Field simulations in explaining the appearance of cracks and brittle failure. |