Adsorption and Phase Behavior of Fluids  in  Advanced  Micro/Mesoporous Materials and their Structural Characterization 

Matthias Thommes
Quantachrome Corporation, 1900 Corporate Dr., Boynton Beach, FL 33426, USA

A comprehensive structural characterization of novel nanoporous materials has become more important than ever for the optimization of existing and potentially new applications in the areas of separation, catalysis, gas storage etc. The most popular method to obtain surface area,  pore size, pore size distribution  and porosity information from powders and porous solids is gas adsorption. However, despite the recent progress achieved in the understanding of the adsorption mechanism of fluids in highly ordered porous materials with simple pore geometries (e.g., M41S materials), there are still many open questions concerning the adsorption and phase behavior of fluids confined in more complex pore systems. We focus on recent advances in the structural characterization of advanced ordered and hierarchically structured micro-mesoporous silica and carbon materials, and within this context we will also highlight the importance of coupling gas adsorption with advanced theoretical approaches as well as other experimental techniques (e.g. x-ray and neutron scattering based techniques, electronic microscopy).

Some References

M. Thommes; Textural Charaterization of Zeolite and Ordered Mesoporous Materials by Physical Adsorption, In: Introduction to Zeolite Science and Practice (3rd revised Edition), (Cejka, J., van Bekkum, H., Corma, A., Schüth, F., eds.), Stud. Surf. Sci. Catal.,168, Chapter 15, pp.495-525, Elsevier, (2007)

M. Thommes, B. Smarsly, M. Groenewolt, P.I. Ravikovitch and A.V. Neimark, "Adsorption hysteresis of nitrogen and argon in pore networks and characterization of novel micro- and mesoporous silicas", Langmuir 22 756 (2006).

O. Sel, A. Brandt, D. Wallacher, M. Thommes and B. Smarsly," Pore hierarchy in mesoporous silicas evidenced by in-situ SANS during nitrogen physisorption", Langmuir 23 4724 (2007)

F. Kleitz, F. Berube, C-M. Yang and M. Thommes, "Large pore ordered mesoporous silicas materials with 3D cubic la3d Structure: A comprehensive gas adsorption study", Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis 170 1843 (2007)

R. Nicolas, F. Berube, T.W. Kim, M. Thommes, F. Kleitz, Tailoring mesoporosity and intrawall porosity in large pore silicas: synthesis, and nitrogen sorption behavior.
Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis, 174 A, 141 (2008)