Water intrusion-expulsion cycles within a hydrophobic silica gel system were observed at various temperatures. The hysteresis phenomenon revealed an attenuation effect growing with temperature. A simple model derived from the Laplace-Washburn equation made it possible to characterize the observed phenomena both qualitatively and quantitatively. The model involves advancing and receding contact angles increasing with temperature, which influence the hysteresis phenomenon very differently, depending on their value. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.