Porous Aerogel Research Articles

Carboxymethyl cellulose-derived porous carbon aerogel decorated with Fe3O4-Fe nanoparticles for tunable microwave absorption

The production of magnetic biomass-derived carbon-based aerogels has made outstanding contributions to green chemistry and sustainable development so as to alleviate the growing electromagnetic pollution problems. In particular, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) possessing three-dimensional (3D) porous structure, low density and biodegradability is an effective precursor for the preparation of magnetic carbon aerogels. In this work, lightweight porous Fe3O4-Fe/carbon aerogels (FFCA) were synthesized by depositing magnetic metals on chitosan (CS)-reinforced CMC via a facile and eco-friendly strategy. The 3D porous structure and non-homogeneous conductive network endow the FFCA aerogels with comprehensive properties. Specifically, the introduction of magnetic material and the carbonization process under the temperature gradient result in tunable electromagnetic parameters and good impedance matching, allowing electromagnetic waves to enter the absorber and dissipate as much as possible. For instance, the FFCA prepared at 900 °C exhibits the impressive microwave absorption performance due to the synergistic transition between magnetic permeability and dielectric constant, with the minimum reflection loss of −45.5 dB at 2.6 mm and the effective absorption bandwidth of 3.7 GHz. This work provides an important reference for the design of eco-friendly CMC-based magneto-dielectric synergistic microwave absorption materials.

Green composite aerogel based on citrus peel/chitosan/bentonite for sustainable removal Cu(II) from water matrices

Here, we propose a green and sustainable 3D porous aerogel based on citrus peel (CP), chitosan (CS), and bentonite (BT). This aerogel is prepared through a simple sol–gel and freeze-drying process and is designed for efficient capture of Cu(II) ions from water matrices. CCBA-2, with its abundance of active binding sites, exhibits an impressive Cu(II) adsorption yield of 861.58 mg/g. The adsorption isotherm and kinetics follow the Freundlich and pseudo-second-order models, respectively. In the presence of coexisting mixed-metal ions, CCBA-2 demonstrates a significantly higher selectivity coefficient (KdCu = 1138.5) for removing Cu(II) ions compared to other toxic metal ions. Furthermore, the adsorption of Cu(II) ions by CCBA-2 is not significantly affected by coexisting cations/anions, ionic strength, organic matter, or different water matrices. Dynamic fixed-bed column experiments show that the adsorption capacity of Cu(II) ions reaches 377.4 mg/g, and the Yoon-Nelson model accurately describes the adsorption process and breakthrough curve. Through experiments, FTIR, and XPS analyses, we propose a reasonable binding mechanism between CCBA-2 and metal cations, involving electrostatic attraction and chemical chelation between Cu(II) and the functional groups of the aerogel. CCBA-2 saturated with Cu(II) ions can be successfully regenerated by elution with 1 M HNO3, with only a slight decrease in adsorption efficiency (5.3%) after 5 adsorption–desorption cycles. Therefore, CCBA-2 offers a cost-effective and environmentally friendly material that can be considered as a viable alternative for the green and efficient removal of toxic Cu(II) ions from wastewater.

Flexible asymmetric supercapacitor based on Open-Hollow Nickel-MOFs/Reduced graphene oxide aerogel electrodes

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are extensively used for electrode materials of supercapacitors under their unique characteristics like customizable pore size, plentiful active sites and tunable structure. However, the MOFs lack adequate electrical conductivity and satisfactory stability, when directly applied to supercapacitor electrode materials, limiting the further improvement of their electrochemical properties. Accordingly, three-dimensional porous aerogels (rOHNM-AGs) have been achieved by embedding open-hollow nickel-based metal–organic framework microspheres between graphene layers. Under the controllable and highly ordered metal nodes as well as organic linkers, the prepared rOHNM-AGs still reserve the preponderance of MOF materials with multifarious exceptional constituent and configurational benefits. Furthermore, the remarkable electrical conductivity from graphene leads to a significant increase in electron/ion transport rate. In addition, charge-transfer interaction between the acceptor of OH– ions and the donor of rOHNM-AGs has been exposed by the density functional theory calculations. Moreover, a pliable and high tensile rOHNM-AGs/PVA/KOH film electrode has been fabricated by the PVA/KOH gel-electrolyte, which is capable of curving at multifarious angles. For actual utilizations, the manufactured supercapacitor apparatus can run a multi-purpose display for over 15 mins. Therefore, this groundbreaking research furnishes a new inspiration for preparing composite electrodes based on MOFs and graphene for flexible asymmetric supercapacitors.

Bio-derived 1T-MoS2/C-based aerogel by synergistic solar evaporation and tetracyclines removal for efficient freshwater generation

Tetracycline, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, has been widely used in disease treatment and other fields. However, due to the unreasonable use, tetracycline residue remains in water which eventually endangers human health. The green environmental protection, low-cost, and renewability biomass aerogel are highly attractive for the purification of tetracycline wastewater. Here, the flower-like 1T-MoS2 with S vacancies was uniformly grown on the supporting poplar catkin fibers-based biomass carbon matrix, which was constructed 3D porous aerogel by ice template method. The adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms model of MoS2/C-based aerogel for tetracycline in wastewater was investigated, revealing a maximum adsorption capacity of 124.4 mg g−1. More notably, the MoS2/C-based aerogel displayed excellent photothermal performance, which could synergistically raise the local temperature. The solar evaporation induced transpiration was able to accelerate the adsorption of tetracycline, owing to the endothermic behavior of tetracycline adsorption process. The MoS2/C-based aerogel attained an excellent water evaporation rate of 2.54 kg m−2 h−1 under one sun illumination, which is 11 times that of pure water. The solar purification prototype-based on MoS2/C-based aerogel could effectively remove tetracycline and generate freshwater. The freshwater production was about 33.6 kg m−2, and the tetracyclines were completed removed in the generation of condensed water on sunny days. The unique bifunctional capability of the MoS2/C-based aerogel paved a new strategy for tetracycline wastewater treatment and alleviated the dilemma of global water.

Ultrastrong lightweight nanocellulose-based composite aerogels with robust superhydrophobicity and durable thermal insulation under extremely environment

Ultra-lightweight porous aerogels based on nanocellulose (NC) have promising applications in various fields such as building insulation, sewage treatment, energy storage, and aerospace. One of the key advantages of these aerogels is their exceptionally low thermal conductivity. Nevertheless, the thermal insulation of NC aerogel (NCA) can deteriorate with changes in temperature and humidity conditions, making it crucial to develop a bulk aerogel that can maintain exceptional thermal insulating properties in harsh environmental conditions. A sustainable and user-friendly approach to synthesizing cellulose/poly(vinyl alcohol) aerogel (CellPA) materials has been developed, which are lightweight, possess good insulating properties, and demonstrate robust superhydrophobicity even in harsh environmental conditions. The CellPA are both exceptionally lightweight and robust, boasting outstanding resistance to combustion while also displaying a thermal conductivity of 36.1 mW m−1 K−1, suggesting they hold great promise for insulation applications. Furthermore, CellPA also exhibits robust superhydrophobicity even under harsh conditions, confirming the homogenous superhydrophobic modification of the biodegradable PVA through chemical methods. The manufacturing of bio-based composite materials with enhanced mechanical and thermal insulation features has gained immense popularity in a broad spectrum of contemporary engineering applications. These composite materials are particularly valuable as a robust, energy-efficient, lightweight, waterproof and flameproof for construction materials.

A Hierarchically Nanofibrous Self-Cleaning Textile for Efficient Personal Thermal Management in Severe Hot and Cold Environments.

Climate change has recently caused more and more severe temperatures, inducing a growing demand for personal thermal management at outdoors. However, designing textiles that can achieve personal thermoregulation without energy consumption in severely hot and cold environments remains a huge challenge. Herein, a hierarchically nanofibrous (HNF) textile with improved thermal insulation and radiative thermal management functions is fabricated for efficient personal thermal management in severe temperatures. The textile consists of a radiative cooling layer, an intermediate thermal insulation layer, and a radiative heating layer, wherein the porous lignocellulose aerogel membrane (LCAM) as intermediate layer has low thermal conductivity (0.0366 W·m-1·K-1), ensuring less heat loss in cold weather and blocking external heat in hot weather. The introduction of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) increases the thermal emissivity (90.4%) of the radiative cooling layer in the atmospheric window and also endows it with a perfect self-cleaning performance. Solar absorptivity (80.1%) of the radiative heating layer is dramatically increased by adding only 0.05 wt% of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into polyacrylonitrile. An outdoor test demonstrates that the HNF textile can achieve a temperature drop of 7.2 °C compared with white cotton in a hot environment and can be as high as 12.2 °C warmer than black cotton in a cold environment. In addition, the HNF textile possesses excellent moisture permeability, breathability, and directional perspiration performances, making it promising for personal thermal management in severely hot and cold environments.

Ti3C2Tx/MXene Composite Aerogel Flexible Biosensor for Measuring Occlusal Force In Situ.

Occlusal force is an important parameter for evaluating the function of the occlusal system. Traditional occlusal forces can only be measured qualitatively. Here, we report a flexible piezoresistive pressure sensor with high sensitivity and a wide measurement range for in situ occlusal force measurements through the articulating paper. The sensing layer of the flexible piezoresistive sensor is a 3D porous MXene composite aerogel, which is fabricated by vacuum freezing. The MXene piezoresistive sensor is composed of the interdigital electrodes, the sensing layer, the PI encapsulation layer, and an articulating paper encapsulation layer. The sensor shows perfect performance with high sensitivity (210.21 kPa-1), wide measurement range (∼420 kPa), and a fast response time (123 ms response time, 163 ms recovery time). The amplitude of the occlusal force, which varied with time, can be observed on the mobile phone through the wireless system with the Bluetooth module. This technique has broad application prospects in oral health. In this work, we propose a simple method and a new idea for manufacturing high-performance wearable bioelectronic sensors.

Biomimetic strategy for fabrication of bifunctional graphene oxide-biomaterial aerogel as highly porous antifouling material for oil/water separation

Fabrication of Janus type asymmetric wettable aerogel with high mechanical strength and antifouling property remains a great challenge for effective oil/water separation. Herein, inspired by the lotus leaf structure, we reported eco-benign fabrication of stearic acid coated biomaterial functionalized porous network structure of graphene oxide (GCCS) nanobioaerogel with Janus wettability (water contact angle: 129.4 ± 10.1° at top side and 40.35 ± 2.4° at bottom side), excellent modulus of elasticity (4.74 kPa), and antibiofouling properties. FTIR results revealed that the covalent, electrostatic, hydrophobic, and π-π interactions of graphene oxide (GO) and biomaterials provided high mechanical strength to the GCCS nanobioaerogel. The bifunctional GCCS nanobioaerogel with 50% hydrophobic coating exhibited excellent water floating and anti-overturning behaviour under high waves. Moreover, this asymmetric aerogel simultaneously removed oil through top side and water soluble dyes through bottom of the aerogel at the oil/water interface. The bifunctional GCCS nanobioaerogel exhibited high oil removal capacity and removed 227.53 ± 9.35 g/g of oil due to high surface area and porous structure. At the same time dye adsorption capacity of the GCCS nanobioaerogel was calculated as 204.17 ± 7.49 mg/g at optimum pH = 4.0, 60 °C in both single and multi-component system. In addition, the nanobioaerogel exhibited excellent bactericidal activity (99.999%) along with antibiofouling property and effectively disinfect the bacteria contaminated water. Moreover, the dyes and oils were easily eluted from GCCS nanobioaerogel and recycled multiple times. Thus, this manuscript highlights the potential use of renewable natural biomaterial to fabricate biomimetic porous aerogel material with asymmetric wettability, high mechanical strength and antifouling properties for efficient removal of oil, dyes and microbial pathogens.

Porous Aerogel Structures as Promising Materials for Photocatalysis, Thermal Insulation Textiles, and Technical Applications: A Review

Aerogels, due to their unique features like lightweight, ultra-low thermal conductivity, and design variations, have gotten a lot of interest in thermal insulation, photocatalysis, and protective areas. Besides their superior thermal properties, aerogel thermal insulation and photocatalyst materials also possess many inherent flaws, such as handling issues, high manufacturing costs, and low strength as well as toughness. The most persuasive and successful ways to improve photocatalytic and thermal insulating qualities while lowering costs are composition optimization and microstructure reconstruction. Their high surface area and porosity make them ideal for enhancing the efficiency and capacity of these devices. Research may lead to more efficient and longer-lasting energy storage solutions. This review describes the characteristics, microstructural reconstruction, design variation, and properties of all aerogel fabrication techniques and provides a comprehensive overview of scientific achievements linked to them. The effectiveness of raw material compositions, properties, and mechanical parameters are also discussed. The major goal of this review is to highlight the aerogel-based materials and design variations and to explore the most potential development trends for photocatalysis and thermal applications. The industrial as well as technical applications of silica aerogels are also highlighted. This review highlights futuristic applications of aerogel-based textile materials to alleviate the CO2 burden on our atmosphere, either by providing next-level thermal insulation or by employing them in CO2 mitigating technologies such as CO2 capture.

Immobilization of UiO-66-NH2 into Bacterial Cellulose Aerogels for Efficient Particulate Matter Filtration

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) hold great potential for efficient removal of particulate matter (PM) due to their high porosity and tunable surface groups. In this work, sustainable bacterial cellulose (BC) was employed as a substrate for Zr-based MOF (i.e., UiO-66-NH2) deposition. Specifically, the UiO-66-NH2@BC aerogel exhibits a multi-level pore structure with a specific surface area of 103 m2/g. Pristine BC aerogels indicated a removal efficiency of 50.6% for PM2.5, with a pressure drop of 22.8 Pa. While UiO-66-NH2@BC aerogels showed a PM2.5 removal efficiency of 96.9%. The filtration mechanism can be assigned to the following reasons: (i) the interception/impaction of PM with the fibrous and porous aerogel network; and (ii) the presence of polar amine groups that boost electrostatic interactions between PM and MOFs. Moreover, as-prepared filters can be regenerated in a facile way with good reusability and long-term stability.

Biomass-derived porous carbon aerogels for effective solar thermal energy storage and atmospheric water harvesting

Solar-powered hydrated salt-based phase change materials have great potential in the field of solar building energy efficiency. However, hydrated salts suffer from leakage, subcooling and phase separation in practical applications. To address these problems, this study proposes a solution to encapsulate hydrated salt with biomass-derived carbon aerogel as a carrier, which can effectively mitigate the leakage, subcooling, and phase separation problems of hydrated salt without the need of additional modifiers. The composite phase change material exhibited high phase change enthalpy retention (92%), negligible supercooling (0.4 °C), and excellent photothermal conversion efficiency (91.5%). In addition, thanks to the rich porosity and superhydrophilicity of the carbon aerogel, a composite hygroscopic agent combined with lithium chloride was prepared for high-performance atmospheric water harvesting. The composite hygroscopic material has a moisture adsorption capacity of 2.1 g g−1 at 90% RH and can desorb more than 92.3% of the moisture by solar energy drive. The performance was stable after several adsorption-desorption cycles. The multifunctional composites based on biomass-derived carbon aerogels have excellent performance in solar thermal storage and atmospheric water harvesting, providing a new perspective on solar thermal utilization.

Hierarchically porous N-doped carbon nanosheet aerogel cathodes for Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors with superhigh energy density

Carbon nanomaterials with large specific surface area and high electronic conductivity, have been widely used as capacitive cathode materials for Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors. Doping of heteroatoms and regulation of pore structure are crucial for boosting the energy storage performances of the carbon-based cathodes. We propose a N-doped carbon nanosheet aerogel (N-CNAG) with high active N content and hierarchically porous structure, which can be prepared by the bubble-templated polymerization of Py and the carbonization of the PPy nanosheet hydrogel (PPyNHG). The high active N content of N-CNAG can produce high pseudocapacitance through the N-dependent electrochemical redox reactions. The hierarchically porous structure of N-CNAG can facilitate fast electrolyte ion diffusion. Based on the Zn anode and the N-CNAG cathode, the Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitor can provide a remarkable specific capacitance of 706 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and the rate capability of 50 % from 1 A g−1 to 5 A g−1, mainly attributed to the high active N content and the hierarchically porous structure of N-CNAG. Additionally, this Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitor provides the superhigh energy density of 392 Wh kg−1 at 1 kW kg−1 and the cycling stability of 87.4 % after 10,000 cycles, holding great potential for developing high-energy-density Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors.

Electro- and photo-thermal energy conversion investigation of polyethylene glycol infiltrated porous carbon aerogels

Due to the insulating nature of organic phase change materials, it is impossible to directly trigger latent heat thermal energy storage via an electrical way. In this work, through crosslinking, freeze-drying and pyrolysis, the interconnected carboxymethylcellulose sodium-derived carbon aerogel (abbreviated as CCA) with high porosity, good solar-thermal conversion capability, electrical conductivity, and mechanic strength is firstly fabricated successfully. The organic phase change material of polyethylene glycol (PEG) is then infiltrated into the CCA via vacuum infiltration to obtain the PEG/CCA15 composite phase change materials that melt at 52.1 °C with latent heat of 173.4 J/g. Electro-thermal test results display that PEG/CCA15 composite present low resistance (1.64 Ω), high electrical conductivity (4.201 S/cm) and excellent electro-thermal energy conversion efficiency (55.6 % under applying 1.4 V). Further results also show that PEG/CCA composites exhibit good photo-thermal energy storage and release abilities. Our results indicate that the as-prepared PEG/CCA15 is a potential candidate to be applied in electrical/solar energy utilization.

Three-Dimensional-Network-Structured Bismuth-Based Silica Aerogel Fiber Felt for Highly Efficient Immobilization of Iodine.

The effective capture and deposition of radioactive iodine in the spent fuel reprocessing process is of great importance for nuclear safety and environmental protection. Three-dimensional (3D) fiber felt with structural diversity and tunability is applied as an efficient adsorbent with easy separation for iodine capture. Here, a bismuth-based silica aerogel fiber felt (Bi@SNF) was synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method. Abundant and homogeneous Bi nanoparticles greatly enhanced the adsorption and immobilization of iodine. Notably, Bi@SNF demonstrated a high capture capacity of 982.9 mg/g by forming stable BiI3 and Bi5O7I phases, which was about 14 times higher than that of the unloaded material. Fast uptake kinetics and excellent resistance to nitric acid and radiation were exhibited as a result of the 3D porous interconnected network and silica aerogel fiber substrate. Adjustable size and easy separation and recovery give the material potential as a radioactive iodine gas capture material.

Three-Dimensional Porous ZnO-Supported Carbon Fiber Aerogel with Synergistic Effects of Adsorption and Photocatalysis for Organics Removal

A three-dimensional (3D) ZnO-supported carbon fiber aerogel (ZnO/CFA) was successfully prepared by using natural cotton with hydrophilicity as the precursor. The facile synthetic strategy includes two steps: Zn2+ exchange on the surface of cotton and thermal treatment at high temperatures. Particularly, the calcination temperature was found to greatly affect the content, dispersity, and size of supported ZnO nanoparticles, and the product obtained at 600 °C (ZnO/CFA-600) exhibited both high ZnO loading and well-dispersed ZnO nanoparticles. Therefore, ZnO/CFA-600 has superior photocatalytic activity for tetracycline (TC) degradation under UV light irradiation compared with others. Additionally, the unique 3D crosslinking network inside the ZnO/CFA generates an open channel for the rapid migration and diffusion of reactants and products. In a dynamical water-treated system, the 3D porous ZnO/CFA-600 continuously works for TC removal without any separation operation and maintains high synergistic performance of adsorption and photocatalysis for at least 8 h. Consequently, the 3D porous ZnO/CFA product, with its large adsorbability and high photoactivity, shows a lot of industrial potential in wastewater treatments.

Repurposing the single-used-plastic for development of hydrophobic aerogels for remediation of oil spill and organic solvents

Currently, around 400 million tonnes of synthetic polymers are being dumped as waste annually and by this rate by 2050 the ocean would contain more such waste compared to the total weight of fish. As recycling could solve part of this problem, recently such waste is being reused for various purposes like composite preparation, oil production and various other use such as production of foams, sponges, and aerogels. However, there is a relatively limited literature available on the utilization of polyethylene polymer (like LDPE). The study presented in this article indicated that LDPE-based polymers could be reused (after modification) for preparation of hydrophobic, lightweight, and porous aerogels that have oil-spills and organic solvent adsorption capacity. The aerogels showed contact angle of 121.9o, bulk density below 0.25 g/cm3, and were found to be semi-crystalline. The aerogels showed oil and solvent adsorption more than that for their untreated counterparts. Also, the aerogels were found to be recycled for more than five cycles with very minimum loss of efficacy. This area of producing oil sorbents from single used plastic wastes is still very open for further research and seems to be a promising route for both waste reduction, and the synthesis of value-added products. This could be one of the most sustainable approaches for efficient single-used plastic wase management and environment clean-up.

Icephobic behavior of a slippery coating containing nanoporous particles as lubricant-loaded carriers

Lubricant-infused surfaces have received increased attention because of their icephobic characteristics. However, the rapid consumption of the lubricant negatively affects the life service of these surfaces. Here we introduced a novel icephobic strategy using the synergistic effect of combining three different anti-icing mechanisms, namely stress localization (matrix), slippery and the formation of unfrozen molecules. Therefore, we fabricated two lubricant-loaded carriers by incorporating silicone oil or hydroxyl‑terminated silicone oil within a hydrophobic nanoporous particles. Different quantities of lubricant-loaded carriers were then embedded into an alkoxysilane resin-dimethylpolysiloxane (PDMS) blend having optimized mechanical properties. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and the Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) method, we confirmed that both silicone oils were successfully loaded within the porous aerogels. However, the silicone oil–loaded carrier accommodated more lubricant within its structure than the hydroxyl‑terminated silicone oil, the coatings with hydroxyl‑terminated silicone oil exhibited a better anti-icing performance. This enhanced anti-icing property can be attributed to the formation of hydrogen bonds between the water molecules and the hydrophilic functional groups of the oil. These coatings also reduced ice accumulation on their surfaces. The coatings containing hydroxyl‑terminated silicone oil–loaded carriers had a lower ice adhesion strength regardless of their concentration in the filler relative to those containing the silicone oil–loaded carriers. An ice adhesion strength of 15.9 kPa was achieved using 15% hydroxyl‑terminated silicone oil–loaded carriers. Reduced ice adhesion in samples containing HTSO/A stems from producing localized stress (matrix), the slippery behavior of the surface and the formation of unfrozen molecules that are hydrogen-bonded with water molecules on their surfaces. The latter mechanism helps these coatings retain stable icephobic characteristics even after 20 icing/deicing cycles.

Hierarchically porous cellulose nanofibril aerogel decorated with polypyrrole and nickel-cobalt layered double hydroxide for high-performance nonenzymatic glucose sensors

Hierarchically porous cellulose nanofibril aerogel decorated with polypyrrole and nickel-cobalt layered double hydroxide for high-performance nonenzymatic glucose sensors

Experimental investigations of enhanced oil recovery using porous SiO2 aerogel nanosuspensions with emulsifying effects

To address problematic low reservoir recovery rates, a new porous SiO2 aerogel nanosuspension (NS) with emulsifying effects was developed, and its microstructure and flow characteristics were analysed with physical property and rheological tests. Moreover, macro- and microlevel flooding experiments were carried out to explore the mechanism for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The results showed that the final recovery rates were 58.23% and 60.68% with 0.8 PV NS and NS foam slug, respectively, which were 10.03% and 13.62% higher than those of secondary oil recovery. Oil-water emulsions with different emulsification degrees were generated after sufficiently oscillating the NS and condensate oil mixture. NS flooding exhibited evident nonpiston characteristics in the early stage, and particles were transferred from water into the oil phase, which resulted in differential emulsification of the oil. The oil flow status was altered from flakes to droplets due to emulsification and the changing passage cross-section caused by particle accumulation. With NS foam flooding, the oil was first replaced by coherent large bubbles and then migrated under the effects of multiple systems. A particle circumfluence layer around the foam absorbed oil to generate an adhesive oil film.

Sorption-Deformation Interplay in Hierarchical Porous Polymeric Structures Composed of a Slit Pore in an Amorphous Matrix.

Prevailing absorbents like wood-derived porous scaffolds or polymeric aerogels are normally featured with hierarchical porous structures. In former molecular simulation studies, sorption, deformation, and coupled sorption-deformation have been studied for single-scale materials, but scarcely for materials where micropores (<2 nm) and mesopores (2-50 nm) coexist. The present work, dealing with a mesoscopic slit pore between two slabs of microporous amorphous cellulose (AC), aims at modeling sorption-deformation interplay in hierarchical porous cellulosic structures inspired by polymeric modern adsorbents. Specifically, the atomic system is modeled by a hybrid workflow combining molecular dynamics (MD) and grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations. The results clarify the multiple sorption/deformation mechanisms in porous materials with different slit-pore sizes, including water filling in micropores, surface covering at the solid-air interface, and subsequent capillary condensation in mesopores. In particular, before the onset of capillary condensation, the sorption behavior of the AC matrix in the hybrid system is almost the same as that of bulk AC, in which sorption and deformation enhance each other through sorption-induced swelling and additional sorption in the newly created voids. Upon capillary condensation, the interaction between the micropores and the mesopore emerges. Water molecules in the mesopore exert a negative hydrostatic pressure perpendicular to the slab surface on the matrices, resulting in an increase in porosity and water content, a decrease in distance between the centers of mass (COMs) of the slabs, and thus a thinning of the slit pore. As described by Bangham's Law, the surface area of the rough slit-pore slab increases proportionally to the surface energy variation during surface covering. For a system composed of a compliant polymer like AC, however, the surface area enlargement does not result in an in-plane swelling as expected but instead in an in-plane shrinkage along with an increase in local roughness or irregularity (an accordion effect).