Comparison between different presentations of pore size distribution in porous materials

The different presentations of the pore size distribution derived from the gas adsorption method and the mercury porosimetry are connected with some problems. This concerns especially the use of the logarithmically differential pore volume distribution. The incorrect application of this distribution to bimodal pore systems involves the danger of an apparent overemphasizing of larger pores. This effect may also occur using the incremental pore size distribution in case the experimental point spacing considerably increases towards the larger pore radii. The pore volume density distribution defined as the linear derivative of the cumulative pore volume curve with respect to the pore radius has been found the most convenient form among the various kinds of pore volume distribution presentations. It has been shown that the direct comparison between this distribution and the logarithmically differential pore volume distribution is not allowed. Nevertheless, there is a clear connection between these definitions for the pore size distribution so that they are completely equivalent.     

Application of atomic force microscopy to particle sizing

AFM has been applied for studying morphology and size distribution of nanometer-sized particles adsorbed on flat surfaces. For the quantitative evaluation of the images an algorithm for automatical particle detection and volume calculation has been developed. In this way a large number of particles can be automatically evaluated in order to derive size distributions or surface coverages. The method has been successfully applied to determine size distributions of environmental aerosol particles collected with an 11-stage low pressure impactor. The first four stages with average aerodynamic equivalent diameters (aed) ranging from 21 to 170 nm were investigated. The calculated aed values were in good agreement with the predicted aed for each stage. Additionally, it could be shown that sampling conditions and storage time affect the derived size distributions. Furthermore, AFM has been applied as reference method for conventional particle sizing techniques. For this purpose technologically relevant powders as titanium oxide powder and tungsten carbide powder were investigated using AFM and the results were compared with conventional techniques such as high resolution SEM and a light scattering method. The derived cumulative size distributions were in good agreement. The results clearly show that AFM constitutes a convenient tool for size determination, not only for ultrafine particles exploiting the high resolving power, but also in the case of larger particles. Received: 2 September 1998 / Revised: 19 October 1998 / Accepted: 22 October 1998     

Relation between the ion size and pore size for an electric double-layer capacitor

The research on electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLC), also known as supercapacitors or ultracapacitors, is quickly expanding because their power delivery performance fills the gap between dielectric capacitors and traditional batteries. However, many fundamental questions, such as the relations between the pore size of carbon electrodes, ion size of the electrolyte, and the capacitance have not yet been fully answered. We show that the pore size leading to the maximum double-layer capacitance of a TiC-derived carbon electrode in a solvent-free ethyl-methylimmidazolium-bis(trifluoro-methane-sulfonyl)imide (EMI-TFSI) ionic liquid is roughly equal to the ion size (approximately 0.7 nm). The capacitance values of TiC-CDC produced at 500 degrees C are more than 160 F/g and 85 F/cm(3) at 60 degrees C, while standard activated carbons with larger pores and a broader pore size distribution present capacitance values lower than 100 F/g and 50 F/cm(3) in ionic liquids. A significant drop in capacitance has been observed in pores that were larger or smaller than the ion size by just an angstrom, suggesting that the pore size must be tuned with sub-angstrom accuracy when selecting a carbon/ion couple. This work suggests a general approach to EDLC design leading to the maximum energy density, which has been now proved for both solvated organic salts and solvent-free liquid electrolytes.     

A method for the determination of accessible surface area,pore volume,pore size and its volume distribution for homogeneous pores of different shapes

We develop a novel method to determine the accessible pore volume, the accessible pore size and its distribution for pores having homogeneous surfaces but taking an arbitrary shape. The accessible pore volume is essentially the volume space that is accessible to the centre of an adsorbate molecule, while the accessible pore size is defined by the largest sphere that can be accommodated in the accessible space. The size of this sphere depends on the point in the accessible volume that we select. The accessible pore size is therefore, a local variable and this means that even a geometrically simple pore can possess many sizes. Each local accessible pore size is associated with a local accessible pore volume and the relationship between this pore volume and pore size is called the accessible pore size distribution. In this paper, we illustrate this methodology with a number of model pores ranging from simple to complex geometry and present the analytical accessible pore size distribution.     

Controlled modulation of mesoporosities in metal (M = Al, Fe) phosphate solids

Mesoporous solids which possess average pore diameters between 7 and 20 nm, depending on the composition, have been prepared. The solids have the general formula Al₁₀₀P_χM₂₀ where M = Al or Fe, and χ = 0, 4.5, 9, 18, 36, 72 or 144. The initial addition of phosphorus as phosphate transforms the originally crystalline oxide/oxides into amorphous solids. These amorphous materials possess a narrow pore size distribution: 80–90% of the pores lie within 1–2 nm of the average pore diameter. Subsequent incremental amounts of phosphorus transform the material into a crystalline solid whilst the pore size distribution becomes much wider and the maximum moves towards larger pore diameters. Substitution of 20% of the aluminium by iron results, at a low phosphorus content, in pores with smaller pore volumes and smaller surface areas.

The data in the dV_p/dD_p = > D_p) graphs, where V_p is the incremental pore volume and D_p is the average pore diameter, can be approximated using an admixture of Gaussian and Lorentzian curves. For low phosphorus contents the dV_p/dD_p = (D_p) curves have a mainly Gaussian profile but the gradual addition of phosphorus transforms them to Lorentzian-type curves. An attempt to approximate the histograms dV_p =(D_p) with the minimum number of distribution curves made up of the corresponding Gaussian and Lorentzian components indicates that each successive addition of phosphorus creates a dominant new pore component at a larger pore diameter. At the same time, the components at smaller pore diameters are diminished and eventually disappear as more phosphorus is added.     

Biomaterial immobilization in nanoporous carbon molecular sieves: influence of solution pH, pore volume, and pore diameter

The adsorption of lysozyme (Lz) onto nanoporous carbon molecular sieves with various pore diameters has been studied at different solution pH values. All the adsorption isotherms have successfully been correlated by the Langmuir equation. The amount of adsorbed Lz depends on the solution pH as well as on the specific pore volume and pore diameter of the adsorbents. The maximum adsorption was observed near the isoelectric point of the Lz (pI approximately 11), suggesting that suppression of electric repulsion between the enzymes plays an important role in the adsorption process. Moreover, the amount adsorbed depends on the pore size and pore volume of the nanoporous carbon adsorbents, indicating that the Lz molecules are adsorbed inside the mesopores. CMK-3-150 shows a larger amount of Lz adsorption as compared to CMK-3. The increased Lz adsorption capacity of CMK-3-150 may be due to the larger pore volume and pore diameter as compared to that of CMK-3. The unaltered structural order of the nanoporous adsorbents after the adsorption has been confirmed by the physicochemical characterization techniques such as XRD and N(2) adsorption. In addition, FT-IR spectroscopic studies confirm that the Lz used in this study is stable even after the adsorption on the nanoporous carbon. These results indicate that nanoporous carbon has superior water stability and thus is a more appropriate adsorbent for biomaterials than nanoporous silica.     

Fine control of the porous structure and chromatographic properties of monodisperse macroporous poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) beads prepared using polymer porogens

The porous structure of monodisperse macroporous beads can be controlled by using soluble polymers with well-defined structural characteristics as part of the porogenic mixture. In general, the use of linear polystyrene as a porogen in the preparation of poly (styrene-co-divinylbenzene) beads shifts the pore size distribution towards larger pores. While a direct correlation between pore size and molecular weight of the porogen has been established, the chemical composition of the polymer porogen has no effect on the porous and chromatographic properties of the beads. These findings suggest that the average molar volume of the porogenic system is important while the miscibility of the polymer porogen with the crosslinked polymer that is formed is of little relevance. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

锆基色谱填料的制备方法和物理化学性质

氧化锆基质色谱填料适合于碱性物质,特别是生物大分子的分离,因而具有良好的应用前景。它的制备方法对其物理化学性质有很大的影响,从而影响填料的色谱性能。该文对氧化锆微球的制备方法及其物理化学性质进行了综述。分析表明,目前氧化锆基质色谱填料的制备方法存在着难以克服的缺点,要制备理想的锆基色谱填料需要新的思路。     

Coulter particle analysis used for studying the effect of sample treatment in slurry sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

This work focuses on the potential of using a Coulter particle analyzer for method development in slurry sampling ETAAS. Plant materials were used as an example; the particle size distributions obtained after grinding in a mixer mill were measured for ground material and slurries prepared from flowers, leaves, stem and roots of the same plant material. Normally the particle size distribution is reported either as number of particles versus size or volume of particles versus size. The advantage of using the latter mode of reporting is demonstrated. It is shown that detailed information about the larger particles is lost when the distribution is reported in terms of the number-percentage. In the present case, 60 min of grinding gave similar size distribution for all the plant materials. All particles had diameters less than 50 μm and the calculated number of particles per mg was 6–8 × 10⁷. It is shown that the ultrasonic agitation used to homogenize the slurries, prior to injection of the sample, also had an effect on the particle size distribution. Received: 16 February 1998 / Revised: 20 July 1998 / Accepted: 26 July 1998     

Quantitative information on pore size distribution from the tangents of comparison plots

The comparison plot obtained from the nitrogen adsorption data has a similar shape to that of the curve of accumulating pore volume of a solid. The intrinsic nature of this relation is discussed. It is known that the derivatives of the accumulating pore volume with respect to the pore size are the pore size distribution (PSD) of the solid. Thus, the tangent curve of the comparison plot can display, at least qualitatively, the PSD of a solid, over a wide range of pore sizes (from approximately 1 to 50 nm) because the comparison plot is applicable to both micropores and mesopores. Quantitative pore structure information can be derived from the comparison plots by establishing a relationship between the t value and the pore size from the samples with uniform pore structure and known pore sizes, such as MCM-41 and alumina pillared clay samples. A calculation procedure to derive quantitative PSD from the comparison plots is suggested, giving reasonable results. This study proposes concise and reliable methods based on the comparison plots to derive information on pore structure in porous solids.     

The role of accessibility in the characterization of porous solids and their adsorption properties

This paper addresses the role of accessibility for adsorption in porous solids on the adsorption properties including Henry constant, adsorption isotherms and isosteric heat of adsorption. The relevant parameters are the accessible volume, the accessible geometrical surface area and the accessible pore size and its associated volume. This concept will be demonstrated to be important and calls for the need to consider adsorption characteristics in the most coherent and consistent manner. It is particularly reinforced by the limitations inherent in the conventional ways in determining the void volume, surface area and pore size. We provide a number of examples to support this; the challenge that faces us is the development of consistent experimental procedures to determine these accessible quantities. We define the accessible pore size as the size of the largest sphere that rests on three closest solid atoms in such a manner that any probe particle residing in that sphere would have a non-positive solid-fluid potential energy. For each accessible pore size there is an associated accessible pore volume, giving rise to a new accessible pore size distribution (APSD). This is distinct from the classical pore size distribution commonly used in the literature, and in our definition of accessible pore size, a zero pore size is possible. It is also emphasized that the accessible quantities that we introduce here are dependent on the choice of molecular probe, which is entirely consistent with the concept of molecular sieving.     

Protein Loading Capacity and Textural Properties of Column Packings in Reversed-Phase HPLC

Abstract

The relationship between the textural properties (pore size, pore volume and surface area) of reversed-phase silica gel packings for HPLC and the dynamic loading capacity of large biomolecules was studied by using silica gels manufactured by similar processes. Several silica gels whose unbonded pore diameters range from 100 to 250 A and whose pore volumes range from 1.0 to 1.4 ml/g have been prepared and characterized. The bonded phase is monomeric C18. The textural properties of the bonded silica gels are also presented and related to the properties of the unbonded silica gels.

Chromatographic evaluation with typical proteins in an underload-to-overload condition was performed in order to relate the influence of textural properties of silica gel to loading capacity and resolution. The packings with larger pore size and pore volume produced better column performance and higher loading of proteins.     

High-performance liquid chromatography of proteins using chemically-modified silica supports

Summary Highly efficient and fast exclusion-chromatographic separations of proteins are possible on chemically-modified, silica stationary phases. By optimizing the pH and the ionic strength of the aqueous eluent secondary interactions of the samples with surface groups can be excluded. Bonded propylamide groups proved to possess optimum properties for exclusion chromatography. With other functional groups adsorption effects cannot be excluded totally. The optimum pore size distribution for protein separation up to relative molecular masses of 500,000 daltnons is between 10nm and 50nm. With these silica-based phases the pore size distribution, the pore volume and the packing characteristics are independent of the eluent, therefore the same column can be used with aqueous as well with organic eluents. It is possible to correlate the elution volume (molecular size) of proteins with those of polystyrene standars. The recovery of the proteins and their biological activity has always been better than 90%. The potentialities of adsorption chromatography of proteins on chemically-bonded stationary plases with different functional groups are demonstrated.     

Pore Structure Simulation of Gels with a Binary Monomer Size Distribution

The pore size distribution in silica gels can be tailored by the addition of silica soot particles during the gel formation. We introduce a numerical model in order to simulate the structure of this “composite gel”. The algorithm is based on Diffusion-Limited Cluster-Cluster Aggregation model with an initial binary distribution of monomer sizes. The textural properties of the simulated gels are calculated using a simple triangulation method. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption experiments show that with the powder addition the mean pore size is shifted towards larger pore size and the specific surface area decreases. Numerical results of the mean pore size, specific surface area, and particles are in good agreement with experimental data. Because of these textural properties this new type of gels and aerogels has larger permeability and interesting properties as host matrix. The composite gels and the numerical model could also be helpful to simulate the natural allophanic gel found in volcanic soils.     

二氧化钛柱撑蒙脱土的溶剂热合成及光催化活性

以乙醇水溶液为溶剂,以六亚甲基四胺为沉淀剂,以TiCl3为前驱体,通过醇-水溶剂热的方法合成出二氧化钛柱撑蒙脱土复合纳米光催化剂,通过XRD、BET、AAS等对其物相组成、比表面积及元素含量等进行了表征．结果表明,复合光催化剂具有良好的介孔结构,其孔径分布主要集中在6～10nm,且比表面积明显增大．光催化降解亚甲基蓝活性结果表明,当m（TiO2）／m（蒙脱土）=0．2：1时,复合催化剂由于柱化后具有较大的比表面积、孔容和适当的孔分布而表现出良好的光催化活性．     

Application of size exclusion chromatography with surfactant eluent to the study of polymer–surfactant interactions: oligomeric and micellar chromatographic effects

Complexation of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) with a wide range of molecular weights of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) has been studied by size exclusion chromatography using aqueous SDS eluent. A multi-angle laser light scattering detector and a differential refractometer were applied to give direct measurement of the molecular weight of complexes without reference to elution volume, since the latter is not a reliable indicator of the complex size. Background light scattering from micellar eluents hampered quantitative size measurements, but was minimal in sub-micellar eluent, where saturated binding was observed for polymers larger than 1000 g mol⁻¹. Multiple peaks and voids were observed in the elution profiles of low molecular weight polymers (up to a mass of 600 g mol⁻¹) in eluent at micellar concentrations. Several sources contribute to this behavior, including micellar chromatographic separation of the PEG oligomers due to their different distribution coefficients between the micellar and water phases. Preliminary results are reported for distribution coefficients of individual oligomers in a 600 g mol⁻¹ PEG sample. Three distinct binding behaviors are observed with increasing degree of polymerization of PEG: no interaction for small glycols, equilibrium partitioning of intermediate oligomers in and out of micelles, and binding of micelles to the larger polymers.     

胶溶法制备改性氧化铝的结构及织构特点

对胶溶法制备的镧和聚乙二醇(PEG)改性的氧化铝载体进行了深入研究.     

Effect of porosity on the effective electrical conductivity of different ceramic membranes used as separators in eletrochemical reactors

Different microporous ceramic membranes have been investigated to be used as separators in electrochemical reactors. The effect of porosity on the effective electrical conductivity of the ceramic membranes has been studied. The porosity of the membranes has been modified by changing the manufacturing pressure and by the addition of starch to the alumina–kaolin matrix. In the absence of starch the pore size distribution becomes more uniform with the increase of the manufacturing pressure, and lower porosities and average pore sizes are obtained. On the other hand, the porosity and the average pore size increase with the addition of starch to the alumina–kaolin matrix, but pore size distribution is less uniform and becomes bimodal with two different characteristic pore diameters.

The effective electrical conductivity of the membranes, κ_eff, increases with the decrease of manufacturing pressure and with the increase of starch content. The following correlation between the effective electrical conductivity and the porosity has been obtained: f_c = κ_eff/κ = 0.35 ^1.04, where κ is the electrolyte electrical conductivity.     

Selective chemical vapor deposition synthesis of double-wall carbon nanotubes on mesoporous silica

Double-wall carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) have been selectively synthesized over Fe/Co loaded mesoporous silica by catalytic chemical vapor deposition of alcohol. Several silica materials with desired pore diameter and morphology have been investigated for the DWNT growth. The diameter distribution and selectivity of the DWNT are found to depend on the reaction temperature, pore size, and thermal stability of the support material. A high-yield synthesis of DWNTs has been achieved at 900 degrees C over high-temperature stable mesoporous silica. The outer diameter of DWNTs is found to be in the range of 1.5-5.4 nm with a "d" spacing of 0.38 +/- 0.02 nm between inner and outer layers, which is much larger than those of multiwall carbon nanotubes.