InterPore News featuring: InterPore2027 updates and Brazil Pore Talks coming up

Sent on: 03-07-2026

Dear InterPore colleagues,

My garden is still green, which means I’ve used enough water to keep the plants alive during the massive heat wave that hit Europe last week. Heat, droughts and complete evaporation from soil. When the rain falls on dry ground, the water is not absorbed and causes flooding. And if it does manage to sink into the ground, it carries PFAS towards the groundwater that is used for drinking water… another set of porous media studies needing elaboration! Others can be found in today’s Newsletter, for example, related to energy transition potential, societal updates, webinars, chapter news, prize winners and news from the broader community.

All the best,

Matthijs de Winter
Editor-in-Chief
InterPore News

The InterPore2027 Program Committee welcomes proposals for new minisymposia topics, as well as suggestions or updates for existing minisymposia included in the InterPore2026 program. The Committee also welcomes suggestions for minisymposium organizers, including yourself or other suitable persons.

The existing minisymposia can be reviewed here.

Proposals may be submitted until 14 August 2026 to conference2027@interpore.org.

The focus theme for InterPore2027 is Imaging of Porous Materials, highlighting the role of advanced imaging techniques in revealing the structure, dynamics, and behavior of complex porous systems. From soils and groundwater aquifers to CO₂ sequestration, hydrogen storage, energy materials, and sustainable subsurface engineering, imaging helps connect pore-scale processes with real-world challenges in energy, environment, and industry.

The focus theme plenary speaker will be Harry Westfahl Jr., Director of the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS). His work in synchrotron radiation, advanced instrumentation, and materials science strongly reflects the central role of imaging technologies in modern porous media research.

The Brazil InterPore Chapter invites the porous media community to the third edition of Brazil Pore Talks. Please mark your calendars and join the live stream on 22 July 2026 at 1:00 PM BRT/12:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM CEST.

Guest Speakers:

  • Berilo de Oliveira Santos, Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) / Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
    Theme: Impacts of Permeability Heterogeneities on Foam Flow in Porous Media: Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity Analysis
  • Daphne Pino, Groundwater Research Centre, University of São Paulo (CEPAS-USP)
    Theme: Beyond the Invisible Resource: Assessing Aquifers at a Pore Scale

The event will be broadcast live and is open to all students, researchers, and professionals. The direct link to the broadcast will be posted soon on the chapter's social media channels. Be sure to follow along for the latest updates:

  • Instagram: @‌brinterpore
  • LinkedIn: InterPore Brazil

You can also subscribe directly to the official channel in advance to get notified when the stream goes live (see link below).

Contact Information: brporetalk@gmail.com

Brazil Pore Talks YouTube Channel

The deadline for registration and abstract submission for the 9th Brazil InterPore Chapter Conference has been extended to 6 July 2026.

If you haven’t registered yet, don't miss this final opportunity to join us at CBPF in Rio de Janeiro this August.

Updated Timeline and Key Dates:

New Registration & Abstract Submission Deadline: 6 July 2026
Abstract Acceptance Notification: 26 June to 7 July 2026
Payment Fee Period: 26 June to 15 July 2026
Conference Dates: 10-13 August 2026

For full details about the scientific program and invited speakers, visit the official website: https://eventos.cbpf.br/9thinterporebr/inicio

Registration and abstract submission

We are happy to announce a new National Chapter: The Kazakhstan InterPore Chapter. The kick-off meeting is scheduled for 5 August 2026 at Nazarbayev University in Astana, within the framework of the AIDME-2026 International Conference.

We plan to dedicate the whole afternoon to this kick-off meeting. The event will bring together researchers, students, and industry representatives working on porous media-related topics in Kazakhstan. The program is expected to include a short introduction to the Kazakhstan Chapter, invited talks, research presentations, and discussions on future activities and collaboration opportunities.

We will share more detailed information, including the final program and registration details, as soon as they are available.

Many thanks to all who joined last week’s webinar with Jesús Carrera (IDAEA, Spain) for the webinar titled “Groundwater: our last chance to restore the hydrological cycle.”

For those who missed out, you can view a recording of the session here.

For more details and to learn about other upcoming events, please visit our InterPore Academy page.

Recorded webinar (Zoom)

Join us for a member-exclusive course exploring a systematic introduction to the mechanics of deformable porous media from a variational perspective, led by Yashar Mehmani (Pennsylvania State University)

Course Schedule: 3-6 August 2026 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (EDT)
Free for InterPore members

Visit the InterPore Academy page to learn more about this and our other upcoming courses.

More info on the course

Congratulations to Dr. Lin Ma on being awarded the prestigious Max Hey Medal by the Mineralogical Society during its 150th anniversary celebrations at the University of Manchester.

Lin serves as Chair of the InterPore Website Committee, is a member of the Communications Committee, and is an Editor for InterPore Journal. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to mineralogical science, and Lin was also invited to deliver a keynote lecture entitled "Seeing Mineral Reactions in 4D: Imaging Dynamic Subsurface Processes from Micro- to Nano-scale."

We extend our warmest congratulations to Lin on this well-deserved recognition.

Read full post (LinkedIn)

Time is running out to join this interdisciplinary summer school on subsurface storage of CO₂, hydrogen, and heat. Designed for students and early-career researchers, the program combines technical lectures from experts in academia, industry, operators, policymaking, and regulatory authorities, with hands-on courses (2.5 ECTS), covering industrial workflows, software tools, and key topics such as THMC simulation, 4D seismic monitoring, caprock and well integrity, and induced seismicity.

Participants will also have the opportunity to present their work and connect across communities to build collaborations.

Date of the event: 8-11 September 2026

Early Bird registration deadline: 7 July 2026 
Watch the aftermovie from the 2025 summer school.

Learn more and register

Vasily Artemov, Svetlana Babiy, Yunfei Teng, Jiaming Ma, Alexander Ryzhov, Tzu-Heng Chen, Lucie Navratilova, Victor Boureau, Pascal Schouwink, Mariia Liseanskaia, Patrick Huber, Fikile Brushett, Lyesse Laloui, Giulia Tagliabue, Aleksandra Radenovic 

Harnessing the unique properties of water confined within one-nanometer channels, we introduce a sustainable electrochemical energy storage concept: the blue capacitor. Built exclusively from abundant natural materials—layered clays, graphene, and nanoconfined water acting as the sole electrolyte—the device translates nanoscale water physics into macroscopic functionality. The confined-water electrolyte enables efficient proton transport, high coulombic efficiency (97%), and remarkable cycling stability exceeding 60,000 charge-discharge cycles. Operating at voltages up to 1.6 V and delivering capacitances of 40 F g⁻¹, the blue capacitor demonstrates that water confined in nanopores can serve as a practical electrolyte, opening new pathways toward environmentally benign and scalable aqueous energy-storage technologies.

See also the press release.

Nat Commun 17, 5014 (2026)

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