Brunauer-Emmett-Teller theory/equation

Adsorption capacity related parameters are usually determined from gas adsorption measurements. The specific surface area is calculated by applying the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) equation [17] to the isotherms generated during the adsorption process. The adsorption of N2 at 77 K or CO2 at 273 K are the most commonly used to produce these isotherms. The BET theory is based upon the assumption that the monolayer is located on... 

Because the Langmuir isotherm is not an adequate description of most systems, Equation (2.9) is not used much for area measurement. A number of other isotherm formulations utilize adsorption in surface area measurements, however (cf. Young Crowell, 1962, for example). The best known and most widely used is the BET (Brunauer, Emmett Teller, 1938) theory, a generalization of the Langmuir model to multilayer absorption. Assuming that for the second and succeeding molecular... 

Gas adsorption is a suitable method for a fractal analysis because it is sensitive to the fine structure of the pores and has negligible adverse affects on the pore system. The results are usually analyzed by using fractal generalizations of the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) isotherm (30) or of the Frenkel-nalsey-TfiU (FHH) isotherm (31). The latter may also be seen as a fractal generalization of the Kelvin equation and is therefore also applicable in the capillary condensation regime (32). It has been claimed that the fractal BET theory is more appropriate for mass fractals (see sect. Fractals ), whereas surface fractals are to be analyzed using the fractal FHH theory (33). These methods have been applied to cellulose powders (34) and tablets (35). 

The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (45) theory of physical adsorption was the first and is still probably the best and most useful theory of multilayer adsorption covering the complete range in p. This is not to say, however, that it is a really satisfactory theory. As will be made clear below, the assumptions of the theory are extremely crude, but they are still sufficiently good to contain a number of the important qualitative features actually observed experimentally. The role of the BET theory in physical adsorption is in fact rather analogous to that of the van der Waals equation in the theory of liquids it was the first important theory in the field it has stimulated virtually all the work that followed it it is still extremely useful as a qualitative guide but it is not quantitatively correct. 

To obtain the monolayer capacity from the isotherm, it is necessary to interpret the (Type II) isotherm in quantitative terms. A number of theories have been advanced for this purpose from time to time, none with complete success. The best known of them, and perhaps the most useful in relation to surface area determination, is that of Brunauer, Emmett and Teller. Though based on a model which is admittedly over-simplified and open to criticism on a number of grounds, the theory leads to an expression—the BET equation —which, when applied with discrimination, has proved remarkably successful in evaluating the specific surface from a Type II isotherm. 

BET method. The most commonly used method for determining the specific surface area is the so-called BET method, which obtained its name from three Nobel prize winners Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (1938). It is a modification of the Langmuir theory, which, besides monolayer adsorption, also considers multilayer adsorption. The equation allows easy calculation of the surface area, commonly referred to as the BET surface area ( bet). From the isotherms also pore-radii and pore-volumes can be calculated (from classical equation for condensation in the pores). 

Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller extended the Langmuir theory to multimolecular layer adsorption [8]. They related the condensation rate of gas molecules onto an adsorbed layer and the evaporation rate from that layer for an infinite number of layers. The linear form of the relationship is called the BET equation ... 

The most definitive surface area measurements are probably those made by nitrogen adsorption using the BET theory. Neither the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) theory nor equation (11.5), used to calculate surface area from mercury intrusion data makes any assumptions regarding pore shape for surface area determinations. When these two methods are compared there is often surprisingly good agreement. When... 

As noted above, the range of pressures over which gas adsorption studies are conducted extends from zero to the normal vapor pressure of the adsorbed species p0. An adsorbed layer on a small particle may readily be seen as a potential nucleation center for phase separation at p0. Thus at the upper limit of the pressure range, adsorption and liquefaction appear to converge. At very low pressures it is plausible to restrict the adsorbed molecules to a mono-layer. At the upper limit, however, the imminence of liquefaction suggests that the adsorbed molecules may be more than one layer thick. There is a good deal of evidence supporting the idea that multilayer adsorption is a very common form of physical adsorption on nonporous solids. In this section we are primarily concerned with an adsorption isotherm derived by Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller in 1938 the theory and final equation are invariably known by the initials of the authors BET. 

By introducing a number of simplifying assumptions, Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (1938) were able to extend the Langmuir mechanism to multilayer adsorption and obtain an isotherm equation (the BET equation), which has Type II character. The original BET treatment involved an extension of the Langmuir kinetic theory of monomolecular adsorption to the formation of an infinite number of adsorbed layers. 

Water vapor adsorption isotherms have been obtained on cotton from room temperature up to 150°C [303,304]. Theoretical models for explaining the water vapor sorption isotherms of cellulose have been reviewed [303]. Only adsorption theories will be discussed here at ambient temperatures. The shape of the isotherm indicates that multilayer adsorption occurs and thus the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) or the Guggenheim, Anderson and deBoer (GAB) theory can be applied. In fact, the BET equation can only be applied at relative vapor pressures (RVPs) below 0.5 and after modification up to a RVP of 0.8 [305]. The GAB equation, which was not discussed in the chapter in the book Cellulose Chemistry and Its Applications [303], can be applied up to RVPs above 0.9 [306]. Initially as the RVP... 

Gas-solid equilibria have been studied for over 200 years, since Fontana showed that activated charcoal adsorbs gases and vapors at room temperature [1]. A considerable amoxmt of theoretical and experimental literature is available. The Gibbs isotherm [2] and the multilayer adsorption theory of Brunauer, Emmett and Teller [3], provide serious theoretical guidelines and support in understanding the results of experimental studies. Although, gas-sohd isotherms are difficult to predict quantitatively [4], this branch of adsorption thermod3mamics is much easier than liquid-solid adsorption because of the relative simplicity of the gas-sohd interface as compared to the liquid-solid interface. The Gibbs equation relates the amoimt of a compoimd adsorbed per unit surface area of a hquid-gas or a hquid-hquid interface and the surface or interfacial tensions [2]. This relationship provides a useful theoretical framework. 

Physisorption arises from the van der Waals forces, and these forces also condense gas molecules into their liquid state. Thus, in principle, there is no reason to stop upon completion of a monolayer during physisorption. Indeed, the formation of multi-layers, which are basically liquid in nature, is very common in physisorption experiments. Brunauer, Emmett and Teller developed a theory in 1938 to describe physisorption, where the adsorbate thickness exceeds a monolayer, and this isotherm equation is known by the initials of the authors (B.E.T.). The original derivation of the B.E.T. equation is an extension of Langmuir s treatment of monolayer adsorption from kinetic arguments. Later, in 1946, Hill derived this equation from statistical mechanics. In the B.E.T. isotherm, it is assumed that ... 

The mathematical models that have been applied to the physical adsorption from liquid solutions are generally extensions of the theories that have been developed to describe the sorption of gases on solid surfaces with modifications to account for the competition between the solute and solvent for the adsorption sites. Two of these models have been applied to the adsorption isotherms of nonelectrolytes from solution they are the Langmuir model and the Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) model in addition the Freundlich empirical equation has also been used. In the Langmuir model it is assumed that the adsorbed species forms a monolayer on the surface of the adsorbent, that the adsorbed molecules... 

The full range of adsorption isotherms under the lUPAC system is shown in Figure 7.46. Brunauer, Emmett and Teller were able to extend Langmuir s theory of monolayer adsorption to obtain an isotherm (the BET equation) which models Type II behaviour, for meso- and macroporous systems. Briefly, in the theory, molecules in one layer act as adsorption sites for molecules in the next layer, so that the adsorbed layer is not of uniform thickness, but rather is made up of a random stack of molecules. The theory has limitations, such as the assumption of liquid-like behaviour in all adsorbed layers but the first however, it has become a... 

All the empirical equations dealt with in Section 3.2 are for adsorption with monolayer coverage, with the exception of the Freundlich isotherm, which does not have a finite saturation capacity and the DR equation, which is applicable for micropore volume filling. In the adsorption of sub-critical adsorbates, molecules first adsorb onto the solid surface as a layering process, and when the pressure is sufficiently high (about 0.1 of the relative pressure) multiple layers are formed. Brunauer, Emmett and Teller are the first to develop a theory to account for this multilayer adsorption, and the range of validity of this theory is approximately between 0.05 and 0.35 times the vapor pressure. In this section we will discuss this important theory and its various versions modified by a number of workers since the publication of the BET theory in 1938. Despite the many versions, the BET equation still remains the most important equation for the characterization of mesoporous solids, mainly due to its simplicity. 

The milestone towards development of the adsorption science was the multilayer isotherm equation proposed by Brunauer, Emmett and Teller in 1938 [120]. The multilayer adsorption theory was preceded by two significant works by Brunauer and Emmett which appeared in 1935 [121] and 1937 [122]. 

Figure 3.3.43 Shapes of adsorption isotherms according to the BET (Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller) theory for various values of Cbet (not considering capillary condensation and surface inhomogeneities) (a) Equation (3.3.47a) for an unlimited number of layers (b) n-layer BET equation for Cbet = 100, if the number cannot exceed Umax, that is, for adsorption in a limited space such as a capillary, Eq. (3.3.47b).

Various boundary conditions limit each of the theories, hence a range of equations have been developed to cover the various phenomena equation developed by Brunauer, Emmett and Teller commonly known as the BET equation. This equation is for multilayer adsorption, but is based upon the Langmuir equation where adsorption is restricted to a monolayer. Both of these equations are developed below, although the application of the Langmuir equation to gas adsorption is restricted to adsorption in micropores where adsorption is limited to a monolayer due to pore geometry. Langmuir adsorption isotherms are common in adsoiption of solute from solution. 

The most important step in the study of adsorption came with a derivation by Brunauer, Emmett and Teller for the multilayer adsorption of gases on solid surfaces [22]. The multilayer adsorption theory, known generally as the BET equation, has occupied a central position in gas adsorption studies and surface area measurement ever since. 

BET equation An equation used in the theory of multilayer adsorption of atoms onto a surface. It is based on the assumption that the forces that produce condensation of moisture on a surface are also responsible for the binding energy of multilayer adsorption. It is named after Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller. 

There is an interesting story told about the development of this equation in the late 1930 s. It is said that Brunauer and Emmett were having difficulty developing the theory and arranged a meeting over lunch with Teller, who later became famous because of his involvement in Atomic bombs and Hydrt n bomb theory. It is said that Teller worked out the basic equation for gas adsorption on a table cloth were the lunch was held and that Brunauer and Emmett had to buy the table doth to take it back to the laboratory [5]. 

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