Moisture Transport Mechanisms in Cement-Based Materials
Summary
Cementitious composites transport moisture by a combination of capillary suction, vapour diffusion and permeation through micro- and nano-porous networks. Capillary absorption drives liquid water into pore systems under a pressure gradient, while vapour diffusion redistributes moisture in response to relative-humidity differences. Together these mechanisms govern sorptivity, permeability and long-term moisture equilibration. The interfacial transition zone adjacent to aggregate particles often presents higher porosity and preferential pathways, accelerating ingress. Changes in pore geometry and connectivity during hydration, carbonation or mechanical loading further alter transport rates. Advanced imaging and non-destructive sensing have revealed how microstructural evolution of calcium-silicate-hydrate phases modulates pore size distributions and moisture retention. A quantitative understanding of these processes underpins durability assessments, informs prediction of corrosion risk at the steel-concrete interface and supports the optimisation of low-carbon binders and self-healing formulations essential for sustainable infrastructure.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Moisture Transport Mechanisms in Cement-Based Materials publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in moisture transport mechanisms in cement-based materials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Sorptivity: The capacity of a porous material to absorb and transmit liquid by capillary forces, typically expressed as a coefficient of mass gain per square root of time.
Capillary pores: Micrometre-scale voids in hardened cement paste that facilitate liquid transport through capillary suction.
Vapour diffusion: The movement of water vapour through pore networks driven by gradients in relative humidity.
Porosity: The fraction of a material’s volume occupied by void spaces, determining its storage and transport capacity for fluids.
Wettability (Contact angle): A measure of the affinity between a liquid and a solid surface, defined by the angle formed at the liquid–solid–air interface.
Interfacial transition zone (ITZ): A region of altered microstructure around aggregates with higher porosity and connectivity that affects overall moisture transport.
References
- Developing a novel non-destructive method to monitor relative humidity at the steel-concrete interface using RFID-MEMS sensors. Results in Engineering (2025).
- Rapid prediction of cementitious initial sorptivity via surface wettability. npj Materials Degradation (2023).
- Factors Influencing the Capillary Water Absorption Characteristics of Concrete and Their Relationship to Pore Structure. Applied Sciences (2022).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.