Correlating phase behaviour and diffusion in mesopores: perspectives revealed by pulsed field gradient NMR

Porous solids represent an important class of materials widely used in different applications in the field of chemical engineering. In particular, mesoporous hosts attract special attention due to their fascinating match of transport, geometrical and chemical properties. Not only a very high specific surface area, accessible for adsorption and heterogeneous catalysis, but also their efficient transport properties are the key factors determining optimal use of these materials. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of the correlations between the phase state of confined fluids, their transport properties and the geometrical features of confinement are of particular importance. Among the different analytical techniques, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is especially suited to cover various crucial aspects of the highlighted issues. In this work, we provide a short overview of recent advances related to the interrelations of phase behaviour and diffusion in mesoporous materials studied using various NMR techniques.