Porózus

Porózus is an adjective used in Portuguese to describe a material or body that contains pores, allowing liquids or gases to pass through it. The term is common in fields such as geology, materials science, civil engineering and construction, where the internal structure of rocks, soils, foams and membranes is characterized. The corresponding noun is porosidade, which denotes the fraction of pore volume in a material.

Etymology and concept: porózus derives from Latin porosus, which in turn comes from Greek poros, meaning pore or passage. In practical use, porosity and permeability are key related properties. Porosity indicates how much of a material’s volume is void, while permeability describes how easily fluids can flow through the pore network. A material can be highly porous but poorly permeable if its pores are disconnected.

Types: porosity is often categorized by pore size and connectivity. In porous materials, macroporosity refers to larger pores, micro- and mesoporosity to smaller pores; in soils the distinction is commonly macropores (paths for rapid flow) and micropores (retention zones). In materials science, microporous (<2 nm), mesoporous (2–50 nm) and macroporous (>50 nm) definitions are frequently used.

Applications: porózus materials are central to filtration, catalysis, adsorption, insulation and energy storage. They also play roles in hydrology and soil science, where pore structure governs water movement and retention. Construction materials such as porous concrete or bricks use porosity to balance strength and thermal performance.

Measurement: porosity and related properties can be assessed by methods such as Archimedes principle, gas pycnometry, mercury intrusion porosimetry, gas adsorption (BET) and X-ray computed tomography.

See also: porosidade, permeabilidade, porosidade aberta, porosidade fechada.