Impact of liquid properties on imbibition behavior of porous PDMS materials with varying compositions

Porous viscoelastic materials are widely utilized in materials engineering, and their imbibition behavior is influenced by multiple factors, such as the preparation method and the physicochemical properties of the liquid. This study systematically investigates the imbibition behavior of polydimethylsiloxane-based porous silicone rubber. PDMS sponges prepared with varying mixing ratios were tested using different liquids. Their surface morphology and morphological quantification parameters were comparatively analyzed through advanced characterization techniques. The results reveal that both the surface morphology and absorptivity of PDMS sponges are significantly affected by the properties of the liquid before and after imbibition. Based on the quantified imbibition parameters, the imbibition process can be divided into four distinct phases. Furthermore, the imbibition characteristics of PDMS sponges vary under different compositional conditions, and the imbibition properties are also strongly dependent on the type of liquid. Notably, for silicone and non-silicone Aliquids, the effect of surface tension on imbibition properties is entirely opposite.