The team found that carbohydrates from plants and microbes act like molecular glue, forming sticky bridges between organic compounds and soil minerals that trap water. These bridges rely on hydrogen bonds, which connect water molecules to both clay minerals and carbohydrates, locking in moisture that would otherwise evaporate.
Led by civil and environmental engineering associate professor Ludmilla Aristilde, the researchers discovered that complex carbohydrate polymers could increase the strength of clay's water-binding ability up to fivefold. Even at high temperatures, water held in these clay-carbohydrate networks was less likely to evaporate and more likely to remain in nanopores.
In experiments using smectite clay and three carbohydrate types - glucose, amylose and amylopectin - the team observed that complex branched carbohydrates also prevented clay nanopores from collapsing during drying. This structural support helped maintain moisture retention, offering potential strategies to engineer soils as long-term water reservoirs.
The findings may also shed light on how water can remain trapped in extraterrestrial materials, such as Martian rocks and meteorites, where similar organic-mineral-water interactions could occur.
Research Report:Mechanisms of water retention at carbohydrate-clay interfaces
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