Predicting neopentane isosteric enthalpy of adsorption at zero coverage in MCM-41

The isosteric enthalpy of adsorption for neopentane at relative pressures down to 3 × 10(-8) in MCM-41 was predicted for the temperature range from -15 to 0 °C. At such low pressures and temperatures, experimental measurements become problematic for this system. We used an atomistic model for MCM-41 obtained by means of a kinetic Monte Carlo method mimicking the synthesis of the material. The model was parametrized to represent experimental nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 77 K using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations. The simulated isosteric enthalpy of adsorption shows very good agreement with available experimental data, demonstrating that GCMC simulations can predict heats of adsorption for conditions that are challenging for experimental measurements. Additional insights into the adsorption mechanisms, derived from energetic analysis at the molecular level, are also presented.     

Modeling high-pressure adsorption of gas mixtures on activated carbon and coal using a simplified local-density model

The simplified local-density (SLD) theory was investigated regarding its ability to provide accurate representations and predictions of high-pressure supercritical adsorption isotherms encountered in coalbed methane (CBM) recovery and CO2 sequestration. Attention was focused on the ability of the SLD theory to predict mixed-gas adsorption solely on the basis of information from pure gas isotherms using a modified Peng-Robinson (PR) equation of state (EOS). An extensive set of high-pressure adsorption measurements was used in this evaluation. These measurements included pure and binary mixture adsorption measurements for several gas compositions up to 14 MPa for Calgon F-400 activated carbon and three water-moistened coals. Also included were ternary measurements for the activated carbon and one coal. For the adsorption of methane, nitrogen, and CO2 on dry activated carbon, the SLD-PR can predict the component mixture adsorption within about 2.2 times the experimental uncertainty on average solely on the basis of pure-component adsorption isotherms. For the adsorption of methane, nitrogen, and CO2 on two of the three wet coals, the SLD-PR model can predict the component adsorption within the experimental uncertainties on average for all feed fractions (nominally molar compositions of 20/80, 40/60, 60/40, and 80/20) of the three binary gas mixture combinations, although predictions for some specific feed fractions are outside of their experimental uncertainties.     

Comparison of Experimental Techniques for Measuring Isosteric Heat of Adsorption

Experimental measurements of heats of adsorption published in the literature are often in disagreement; differences of 10–20% are common. The three most widely used experimental methods are: (1) differentiation of adsorption isotherms at constant loading; (2) measurement of adsorption isosteres; (3) calorimetry. Results from these methods were compared for the systems nitrogen on CaA, oxygen on CaA, and carbon dioxide on NaX. Although the same materials and similar degassing procedures were used for all experiments, calorimetric heats are about 2 kJ/mol higher than the heats from isoteric measurements. Additional experiments are needed to bring these methods into exact agreement.     

Adsorption of gases on layered silicates at high pressures

Equilibrium adsorption of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and argon was examined on the sodium and pyridinium forms of montmorillonite and on the hydrogen form of bentonite. The measurements were carried out at 303, 343, 373, and 400 K over pressure ranges of 0.1–90 MPa (Ar and N₂) and 0.1–6 MPa (CO₂). The amount of nitrogen vapor adsorbed was determined at 77 K and pressures from 0 to 0.1 MPa. The porous structure parameters of the studied samples were determined using adsorption isotherms of nitrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide vapors. At elevated temperatures and pressures >10 MPa, Ar and N₂ adsorption processes on the Na-form of montmorillonite and Ar adsorption on bentonite are activated, since the amounts of the gases adsorbed and adsorption volumes increase with temperature. No activated adsorption is observed for carbon dioxide adsorption on these adsorbents. A comparison of the excess adsorption isotherms of gases on the Py-form of montmorillonite and H-form of bentonite shows that adsorption in micropores predominates for the Py-form of montmorillonite, whereas for the Na-form of bentonite and H-form of bentonite adsorption occurs mainly in meso- and macropores.     

Evidences for the relationship between surface structure and reactivity of goethite nanoparticles based on advanced molecular-probe methods

Surface properties of two goethites have been studied in order to compare the amount of acid surface sites and their distribution over the various surface domains. For this purpose, ammonia, pyridine and nitrogen were used as basic molecular probes. Calorimetry measurements of ammonia adsorption provided the image of the average surface acidity being moderate. This conclusion was supported by the moderate resistance of the adsorbed pyridine molecules to degassing conditions. Adsorption and desorption of pyridine prior to gaseous nitrogen adsorption resulting in masking/unmasking of acid surface sites on the goethite surface allowed confirmation of the acid character of the specific adsorption sites characterized by the high-energy adsorption of electron-donating molecular nitrogen. The amount of acid sites probed by nitrogen and ammonia were of the same order of magnitude but systematically higher for ammonia. The subsequent analysis of the argon and nitrogen derivatives of first-layer adsorption isotherm led to determine the distribution of {101} and {121} crystallographic faces and discuss the location of acid sites on these surface domains.     

Adsorption properties of gases on mesoporous chromium silicate

The properties of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide adsorption onto mesoporous chromium silicates were studied by measurements of both the adsorption isotherms and the IR spectra. The pore sizes of two types of chromium silicates, Cr-FSM-16 (Si/Cr=170 (Cr-FSM-16 [170]) and 390 (Cr-FSM-16 [390])), which contain different amount of Cr, were 2.75 nm. BET surface areas of Cr-FSM-16 were 590 m2/g and they were smaller than that onto FSM-16. The initial heat of adsorption of nitrogen onto Cr-FSM-16 was higher than that onto FSM-16. But the initial heat of adsorption of carbon dioxide onto Cr-FSM-16 was smaller than that onto FSM-16. These results indicated that Cr in Cr-FSM-16 decreased adsorption interaction with carbon dioxide. When nitrogen dioxide was adsorbed on FSM-16 and Cr-FSM-16 at 303 K under no light, an absorption band of nitrogen monoxide adsorbed was measured by IR spectroscopy. This decomposition of nitrogen dioxide by FSM-16 and Cr-FSM-16 was caused by SiOH and Cr, respectively.     

Modeling of gas adsorption equilibrium over a wide range of pressure: a thermodynamic approach based on equation of state

A thermodynamic approach based on the Bender equation of state is suggested for the analysis of supercritical gas adsorption on activated carbons at high pressure. The approach accounts for the equality of the chemical potential in the adsorbed phase and that in the corresponding bulk phase and the distribution of elements of the adsorption volume (EAV) over the potential energy for gas-solid interaction. This scheme is extended to subcritical fluid adsorption and takes into account the phase transition in EAV. The method is adapted to gravimetric measurements of mass excess adsorption and has been applied to the adsorption of argon, nitrogen, methane, ethane, carbon dioxide, and helium on activated carbon Norit R1 in the temperature range from 25 to 70 degrees C. The distribution function of adsorption volume elements over potentials exhibits overlapping peaks and is consistently reproduced for different gases. It was found that the distribution function changes weakly with temperature, which was confirmed by its comparison with the distribution function obtained by the same method using nitrogen adsorption isotherm at 77 K. It was shown that parameters such as pore volume and skeleton density can be determined directly from adsorption measurements, while the conventional approach of helium expansion at room temperature can lead to erroneous results due to the adsorption of helium in small pores of activated carbon. The approach is a convenient tool for analysis and correlation of excess adsorption isotherms over a wide range of pressure and temperature. This approach can be readily extended to the analysis of multicomponent adsorption systems.     

Mesoporous Carbons of Well-Organized Structure in the Removal of Dyes from Aqueous Solutions

Mesoporous carbons with differentiated properties were synthesized by using the method of impregnation of mesoporous well-organized silicas. The obtained carbonaceous materials and microporous activated carbon were investigated by applying different methods in order to determine their structural, surface and adsorption properties towards selected dyes from aqueous solutions. In order to verify applicability of adsorbents for removing dyes the equilibrium and kinetic experimental data were measured and analyzed by applying various equations and models. The structural and acid-base properties of the investigated carbons were evaluated by Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) technique, adsorption/desorption of nitrogen, potentiometric titration, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The results of these techniques are complementary, indicating the type of porosity and structural ordering, e.g., the pore sizes determined from the SAXS data are in good agreement with those obtained from nitrogen sorption data. The SAXS and TEM data confirm the regularity of mesoporous carbon structure. The adsorption experiment, especially kinetic measurements, reveals the utility of mesoporous carbons in dye removing, taking into account not only the adsorption uptake but also the adsorption rate.     

Determination of surface heterogeneity profiles on graphite by finite concentration inverse gas chromatography

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) is an established tool in the determination of the adsorption potential distribution function. This function reflects the energetic heterogeneity profile of a surface and therefore provides interesting information on the nature and population of different surface sites. IGC is shown to be a fast and accurate technique for the determination of the adsorption potential distribution function of two different graphite samples. In this paper the adsorption of acidic and basic organic vapours is studied. Unlike heterogeneity profiles determined by nitrogen measurements, experiments with polar vapours can provide additional information on the adsorption mechanism and polar sorption sites. The heterogeneity profiles of all probes used are significantly different from one another and allow discreet energy levels to be distinguished. Chemically different probes reveal different adsorption mechanisms for the graphite surface.     

Precision Evaluation in Kr Adsorption for Small BET Surface Area Measurements of Less Than 1 m2

A volumetric Kr-adsorption apparatus using a precise capacitance manometer has been developed. A specially designed adsorption cell (CVC: constant volume adsorption cell) utilizing a vacuum jacket (Joyner et al., 1949) is adopted to keep the adsorption cell volume constant regardless of the variation in liquid nitrogen level throughout the experiment. Using the CVC, the pressure change in accordance with liquid N₂ supply cycle has been minimized to less than 0.01 Pa compare to about 1 Pa for conventional cell. Time dependent change of the adsorption cell volume and repeatability in its measurements have been demonstrated in detail using helium gas. Good linearity of the BET plot of the Kr adsorption isotherm on several hundred cm² samples are demonstrated in the relative pressure range from 0.05 to 0.35.     

Influence of analysis conditions on low pressure adsorption measurements and its consequences in characterization of energetic and structural heterogeneity of microporous carbons

Nitrogen adsorption isotherms on nonporous and microporous carbons were thoroughly studied at low relative pressures. For nonporous carbons low pressure measurements seem to be unaffected by analysis conditions. However, these measurements on microporous solids may be affected by analysis conditions at relative pressures below 10^–4. It was shown that selection of proper equilibration time is crucial for correct measurements of equilibrium pressures during adsorption on microporous carbons. The isotherm shift induced by insufficient equilibration of the system may affect the surface heterogeneity and microporosity analysis. A comparison of the adsorption energy and pore volume distribution functions calculated from low pressure nitrogen adsorption isotherms measured at different equilibration times on a microporous carbon shows that this effect is smaller than it was expected.     

What can positronium tell us about adsorption?

The condensation and evaporation of n-heptane at 298 K in mesopores of silica material obtained by the polymer templating method have been studied by PALS measurements. It is demonstrated that the ortho-positronium lifetimes and intensities provide valuable information on pore filling and emptying which are not accessible from a conventional adsorption experiment. The results confirm the specific adsorption mechanism of n-heptane in pores with narrow openings (ink-bottle shape) which is different from that known for other pore geometries. The results from PALS experiment are compared to those derived from the conventional n-heptane and nitrogen adsorption data.     

Adsorption phenomena at high pressures and temperatures 1. Method of investigation; adsorption of nitrogen on NaA zeolite

A simple precision volumetric-gravimetric setup was elaborated and created for determining the equilibrium and kinetic parameters of adsorption in the 1–160 MPa pressure range and the 300–600 K temperature range. The isotherms of adsorption of nitrogen on crystalline NaA zeolite in the indicated temperature and pressure range were measured. A method was proposed for determining the pore volume of zeolites based on conducting adsorption measurements at high pressures of the gas phase. The isosteric heats of adsorption of nitrogen on NaA zeolite at 305, 334, and 373 K were estimated.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1233–1238, June, 1990.     

Some properties of milled vanadium phosphates

Mechanochemical modification of vanadium phosphates doped with Bi, Zr, Mo has been studied. Milled samples have been investigated by means of XRD, DTA-TG, FTIR, nitrogen adsorption, electrokinetic measurements. It was found that phase composition of the phosphates does not change upon the mechanochemical modification process. Milling in water causes formation of porous materials. Modification of surface results in changes of the electrokinetic and adsorption properties of the milled samples.     

An experimental study of gas adsorption on fractal surfaces

The validity of the fractal versions of the FHH and BET theories for describing the adsorption of butane and nitrogen on a variety of partially dehydroxylated silica surfaces has been tested. The fractal dimensions obtained from adsorption data have been compared with those obtained completely independently using SAXS. It was found that the fractal dimensions obtained from butane adsorption isotherms, using both the fractal FHH and fractal BET theories, agreed well with the corresponding values obtained from SAXS over overlapping length scales. However, in general, a systematic deviation between the fractal dimension obtained from nitrogen adsorption and that obtained from SAXS was observed. The fractal dimensions obtained from nitrogen adsorption were consistently larger than those obtained from SAXS, which is the opposite of what has often been found in the literature. It has been suggested that the differences in the suitability of the adsorption theories tested to describe butane and nitrogen adsorption is due to the significant difference between the interaction strengths of these two different molecules with silica surfaces. A modified theory that can account for the discrepancy between the fractal dimensions obtained from nitrogen adsorption and SAXS has been proposed. The implications of the new theory for the accuracy of nitrogen adsorption BET surface areas for silicas are discussed.     

Supercritical adsorption of nitrogen on EcoSorb-activated carbon at temperatures up to 383?K and pressures up to 2?MPa

Single adsorption isotherms and differential enthalpies of adsorption of nitrogen were measured on a microporous-activated carbon at various temperatures. A new way for calculating the differential enthalpies of adsorption is presented, and the results obtained were compared to those obtained by the isosteric method derived from the equilibrium data using the Clausius?CClapeyron equation. The measurements were made thanks to a coupled thermostated calorimetric?Cmanometric apparatus which can be operated for pressures up to 2.5?MPa and temperatures from 303 to 423?K. This article provides experimental data which can be used for the adjustment of interaction potential in computational simulations for supercritical adsorption.     

Assessing surface chemistry and pore structure of active carbons by a combination of physisorption (H2O, Ar, N2, CO2), XPS and TPD-MS

In order to address open questions concerning the surface chemistry and pore structure characterization of nanoporous carbons, we performed extensive experiments by combining various experimental techniques on a series of commercially available activated carbons which exhibit diverse surface chemistry characteristics. Pore size analysis was performed on Ar (87 K), N₂ (77 K) and CO₂ (273 K) adsorption isotherms using state-of-the art methods based on density functional theory, including the recently developed quenched solid density functional theory (QSDFT). A detailed study of the surface chemistry was obtained by applying temperature programmed desorption coupled with mass spectrometry (TPD-MS) as well as XPS (X-Ray-Photoelectron Scattering). This information together with the pore structure information leads to a reliable interpretation of systematic water adsorption measurements obtained on these materials. Our results clearly suggest that water adsorption is indeed a sensitive tool for detecting differences in surface chemistry between chemically and physically activated active carbon materials with comparable ultramicropore structure. The occurrence of sorption hysteresis associated with the filling of micro- and narrow mesopores (in a range where nitrogen and argon isotherms are reversible) provides additional structural information, complementary to the insights from argon/nitrogen/carbon dioxide adsorption.     

DSC estimation of structural and textural parameters of SBA-15 silica using water probe

The aim of this study was to use DSC and X-ray diffraction measurements to determine the pore size and pore wall thickness of highly ordered SBA-15 materials. The DSC curves showed two endothermic events during the heating cycle. These events were due to the presence of water inside and outside of mesopores. The results of pore radius, wall thickness and pore volume measurements were in good agreement with the results obtained by nitrogen adsorption measurement, XRD and transmission electron microscopy.     

Carbon-nitrogen place exchange on NO exposed beta-Mo2C

Atomic nitrogen and oxygen were deposited on beta-Mo(2)C through dissociative adsorption of NO. Reflectance absorbance infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), thermal desorption, and synchrotron X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were used to investigate the interplay between atomic nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen in the 400-1250 K region. The combination of the high resolution and high surface sensitivity offered by the synchrotron XPS technique was used to show that atomic nitrogen displaces interstitial carbon onto the carbide surface. Thermal desorption measurements show that the burnoff of the displaced carbon occurs at approximately 890 K. The incorporation of nitrogen into interstitial sites inhibits oxygen dissolution into the bulk. RAIRS spectroscopy was used to identify surface oxo, terminal oxygen, species formed from O(2) and NO on beta-Mo(2)C.     

Evaluation of the Secondary Pore Structure of Hydrothermally- and Acid-treated Faujasite Type Zeolites

With regard to H-Y type zeolites dealuminated by hydrothermal and acid treatments, their physical properties were characterized by measurements of 29Si- and 27Al-MAS-NMR, IR, and X-ray diffraction. The secondary pores were quantitatively analyzed by the t-plot method for nitrogen adsorption isotherm at liquid nitrogen temperature and were then compared with the results of samples dealuminated by SiCl4 treatment.The plateau region of the nitrogen adsorption isotherm diminished as hydrothermal and acid treatments proceeded, with the result that the shape of the t-plot changed to that of three straight sections. This t-plot shape suggested that the secondary pores with relatively consistent sizes could develop with the progress of the treatment. On the other hand, SiCl4 treatment was found to produce less secondary pores than hydrothermal and acid treatments. The surface area of micropores calculated from the t-plots gave a considerably higher value than values obtained from the BET equation and from that calculated geometrically. This is attributable to the micropore filling effect.