How do you absorb paper towels?
Unusual containers
As to how the water is carried out inside a rigid, hard vessel, such as a bowl or mug, it can be baffling to try to figure out how a porous, soft object like a sponge, cloth or disposable paper towel , it can absorb and retain water. A paper towel manages to keep water on the basis of a different scientific principle to those that retain water in a cup, one that works because of the soft towel shape and many tiny holes, which create surface tension.
Capillary action
If you look well on the surface of a paper towel, you will see that it is full of small pores and gaps, something that mimics a sponge. In fact, many super-absorbent towels are designed to be more of type sponge in their fibers and the construction of cloth fabric, because by imitating the shape of the sponge, the towel can have the same absorbent power.
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These many small holes and gaps between the fibers of the towel can contain water due to surface tension, also known as Wick action or capillary action. Capillary action is the small amount of natural elasticity that occurs between the water molecules, keeping them up united.
Every little space on the surface of the paper towel has its own small "bubble" of surface tension. These bubbles are formed when the towel contacts the liquid because the liquid in each small space is kept separate from the liquid in other pores and pockets. This allows the liquid bubbles to keep in place and even sucked up, as each pocket contains so little water that the intermolecular attraction is stronger than the force of gravity on the liquid.
Writhing
If you squeeze a paper towel, it will be expelled from the water. This is because the act of squeezing the towel breaks the surface tension of the pockets to be the compression of the spaces, forcing the molecules of the liquid to flow together and be loaded down by gravity.