pore network

Gypsum board looks solid, but at the nanometer scale it behaves more like a sponge than a stone. The dihydrate crystal matrix — the hardened core of every standard panel — contains a continuous network of pores ranging from roughly 10 to 200 nanometers in diameter. This hidden architecture controls moisture buffering, mechanical creep, fire performance, and even how adhesives bond at the surface. Most R&D discussions focus on macro-level formulation: starch content, set retarders, fiber loading. Yet the pore network — shaped during the rehydration reaction and locked in within minutes — may be the single most consequential structural feature in the finished board. Understanding how that nano-scale geometry forms, and how it can be deliberately tuned, opens a design space that traditional mix-optimization rarely touches.