Capillarity in Soft Porous Solids

Soft porous solids can change their shapes by absorbing liquids via capillarity. Such poro-elasto-capillary interactions can be seen in the wrinkling of paper, swelling of cellulose sponges, and morphing of resurrection plants. Here, we introduce physical principles relevant to the phenomena and survey recent advances in the understanding of swelling and shrinkage of bulk soft porous media due to wetting and drying. We then consider various morphing modes of porous sheets, which are induced by localized wetting and swelling of soft porous materials. We focus on physical insights with the aim of triggering novel experimental findings and promoting practical applications.