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Pore space characteristics of biochars may vary depending on the used raw material and processing technology. Pore structure has significant effects on the water retention properties of biochar amended soils. In this work, several biochars were characterized with three-dimensional imaging and image analysis. X-ray computed microtomography was used to image biochars at resolution of 1.14 µm and the obtained images were analysed for porosity, pore-size distribution, specific surface area and structural anisotropy. In addition, random walk simulations were used to relate structural anisotropy to diffusive transport. Image analysis showed that considerable part of the biochar volume consist of pores in size range relevant to hydrological processes and storage of plant available water. Porosity and pore-size distribution were found to depend on the biochar type and the structural anisotopy analysis showed that used raw material considerably affects the pore characteristics at micrometre scale. Therefore attention should be paid to raw material selection and quality in applications requiring optimized pore structure.

We study boundary lubrication characteristics of a liquid crystal (LC) monolayer sheared between two crystalline surfaces by nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, using a simplified rigid bead-necklace model of the LC molecules. We consider LC monolayers confined by surfaces with three different atomic structures, subject to different shearing velocities, thus approximating a wide variety of materials and driving conditions. The time dependence of the friction force is studied and correlated with that of the orientational order exhibited by the LC molecules, arising from the competition between the effect of the structure of the confining surfaces and that of the imposed sliding direction. We show that the observed stick-slip events for low shear rates involve order-disorder transitions, and that the LC monolayer no longer has enough time to reorder at high shear rates, resulting in a smooth sliding regime. An irregular stick-slip phase between the regular stick-slip and smooth sliding is observed for intermediate shear rates regardless of the surface structure.

Biochar pore space consists of porosity of multiple length scales. In direct water holding applications like water storage for plant water uptake, the main interest is in micrometre-range porosity since these pores are able to store water that is easily available for plants. Gas adsorption measurements which are commonly used to characterize the physical pore structure of biochars are not able to quantify this pore-size range. While pyrogenetic porosity (i.e. pores formed during pyrolysis process) tends to increase with elevated process temperature, it is uncertain whether this change affects the pore space capable to store plant available water. In this study, we characterized biochar porosity with x-ray tomography which provides quantitative information on the micrometer-range porosity. We imaged willow dried at 60 • C and biochar samples pyrolysed in three different temperatures (peak temperatures 308, 384, 489 • C, heating rate 2 • C min −1 ). Samples were carefully prepared and traced through the experiments, which allowed investigation of porosity development in micrometre size range. Pore space was quantified with image analysis of x-ray tomography images and, in addition, nanoscale porosity was examined with helium ion microscopy. The image analysis results show that initial pore structure of the raw material determines the properties of micrometrerange porosity in the studied temperature range. Thus, considering the pore-size regime relevant to the storage of plant available water, pyrolysis temperature in the studied range does not provide means to optimize the biochar structure. However, these findings do not rule out that process temperature may affect the water retention properties of biochars by modifying the chemical properties of the pore surfaces.

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