Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

An absorbing study on the maths of sponges

Formula predicts speed at which dry material soaks up water.
Cellulose sponge absorbing water

As liquid creeps up a cellulose sponge, microscopic holes in the sponge walls grow and merge. Credit: Jonghyun Ha and Ho-Young Kim, Seoul National University

A kitchen sponge wicks water upward by filling microscopic holes that quickly tear themselves apart.

Access options

Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

$32.00

Buy

All prices are NET prices.

Nature 556, 153 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-04010-w

References

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links