Powdered adsorption

More recently methods have also been developed to measure the adsorbed amount on single surfaces and not onto powders. Adsorption to isolated surfaces can, for instance, be measured with a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) [383]. The quartz crystal microbalance consists of a thin quartz crystal that is plated with electrodes on the top and bottom (Fig. 9.11). Since quartz is a piezoelectric material, the crystal can be deformed by an external voltage. By applying an AC voltage across the electrodes, the crystal can be excited to oscillate in a transverse shear mode at its resonance frequency. This resonance frequency is highly sensitive to the total oscillating mass. For an adsorption measurement, the surface is mounted on such a quartz crystal microbalance. Upon adsorption, the mass increases, which lowers the resonance frequency. This reduction of the resonance frequency is measured and the mass increase is calculated [384-387],... 

Figure 2. Experimental isotherms for whole (x adsorption 0 desorption) and powdered (+ adsorption desorption) samples of Gl.

The present discussion is restricted to an introductory demonstration of how, in principle, adsorption data may be employed to determine changes in the solid-gas interfacial free energy. A typical adsorption isotherm (of the physical adsorption type) is shown in Fig. X-1. In this figure, the amount adsorbed per gram of powdered quartz is plotted against P/F, where P is the pressure of the adsorbate vapor and P is the vapor pressure of the pure liquid adsorbate. 

Fig. X-1. Adsorption isotherms for n-octane, n-propanol, and n-butanol on a powdered quartz of specific surface area 0.033 m /g at 30°C. (From Ref. 23.)...

The adsorption of stearic acid from n-hexane solution on a sample of steel powder is measured with the following results ... 

Dye adsorption from solution may be used to estimate the surface area of a powdered solid. Suppose that if 3.0 g of a bone charcoal is equilibrated with 100 ml of initially 10 Af methylene blue, the final dye concentration is 0.3 x 10 Af, while if 6.0 g of bone charcoal had been used, the final concentration would have been 0.1 x Qr M. Assuming that the dye adsorption obeys the Langmuir equation, calculate the specific surface area of the bone charcoal in square meters per gram. Assume that the molecular area of methylene blue is 197 A. ... 

Make a numerical estimate, with an explanation of the assumptions involved, of the specific surface area that would be found by (a) a rate of dissolving study, (b) Harkins and Jura, who find that at the adsorption of water vapor is 6.5 cm STP/g (and then proceed with a heat of immersion measurement), and (c) a measurement of the permeability to liquid flow through a compacted plug of the powder. 

This description is traditional, and some further comment is in order. The flat region of the type I isotherm has never been observed up to pressures approaching this type typically is observed in chemisorption, at pressures far below P. Types II and III approach the line asymptotically experimentally, such behavior is observed for adsorption on powdered samples, and the approach toward infinite film thickness is actually due to interparticle condensation [36] (see Section X-6B), although such behavior is expected even for adsorption on a flat surface if bulk liquid adsorbate wets the adsorbent. Types FV and V specifically refer to porous solids. There is a need to recognize at least the two additional isotherm types shown in Fig. XVII-8. These are two simple types possible for adsorption on a flat surface for the case where bulk liquid adsorbate rests on the adsorbent with a finite contact angle [37, 38]. 

Because of their prevalence in physical adsorption studies on high-energy, powdered solids, type II isotherms are of considerable practical importance. Bmnauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) [39] showed how to extent Langmuir s approach to multilayer adsorption, and their equation has come to be known as the BET equation. The derivation that follows is the traditional one, based on a detailed balancing of forward and reverse rates. 

Fig. XVII-21. Continued) (c) Isosteric heats of adsorption of n-hexane on ice powder Vm = 0.073 cm STP. (From Ref. 125). (d) Isosteric heats of adsorption of Ar on graphitized carbon black having the indicated number of preadsorbed layers of ethylene. (From Ref. 126.)...

N2 as adsorbate, was quite similar to that for N2 on a directly prepared and probably amorphous ice powder [35, 141], On the other hand, N2 adsorption on carbon with increasing thickness of preadsorbed methanol decreased steadily—no limiting isotherm was reached [139]. 

Surface heterogeneity may merely be a reflection of different types of chemisorption and chemisorption sites, as in the examples of Figs. XVIII-9 and XVIII-10. The presence of various crystal planes, as in powders, leads to heterogeneous adsorption behavior the effect may vary with particle size, as in the case of O2 on Pd [107]. Heterogeneity may be deliberate many catalysts consist of combinations of active surfaces, such as bimetallic alloys. In this last case, the surface properties may be intermediate between those of the pure metals (but one component may be in surface excess as with any solution) or they may be distinctly different. In this last case, one speaks of various effects ensemble, dilution, ligand, and kinetic (see Ref. 108 for details). 

One of the most important uses of specific surface determination is for the estimation of the particles size of finely divided solids the inverse relationship between these two properties has already been dealt with at some length. The adsorption method is particularly relevant to powders having particle sizes below about 1 pm, where methods based on the optical microscope are inapplicable. If, as is usually the case, the powder has a raiige of particle sizes, the specific surface will lead to a mean particle size directly, whereas in any microscopic method, whether optical or electron-optical, a large number of particles, constituting a representative sample, would have to be examined and the mean size then calculated. 

Comparison of the specific surface estimated by the adsorption of different vapours on some powders and metal foils ... 

Fig. 230 Adsorption of nitrogen at 77 K on a silica powder a) adsorption isotherms b) /-plot. Broken line, uncompacted powder continuous line, power compacted at 2-00 x 10 N m (130 ton in ). (—>—) adsorption (—<-) desorption. / is the ratio of the amount adsorbed on the powder to the amount adsorbed on the compact at the same relative...

Fig. 3.4 Compaction of alumina powder. Isotherms of nitrogen at 77 K, on (A) the uncompacted powder, and (B) on the powder compacted at a pressure of 1480 GN (96 ton in" ). Open symbols, adsorption solid symbols, desorption.

Fig. 3.20 Pore size distributions (calculated by the Roberts method) for silica powder compacted at (A) Ibtonin" (B) 64tonin (C) 130 ton in". The distributions in (a) were calculated from the desorption brunch of the isotherms of nitrogen, and in (h) from the adsorption branch.

Fig. 3.22 Adsorption isotherms of nitrogen at 77 K on silica powder and its compacts. (A) uncompressed (B) 10 ton in (C) 40 ton in" (D) 50 ton in (E) 100 ton in . Open symbols represent adsorption, solid symbols desorption. (Courtesy Ramsay.)...

Figure 3.26(a) and (h) gives results for nitrogen on a compact of silica. Curve (a) is a comparison plot in which the adsorption on the compact (ordinates) is plotted against that on the uncompacted powder (abscissae) there is a clear break followed by an increased slope, denoting enhanced adsorption on the compact, at p/p° = 0-15, far below the lower closure point ( 0-42) of the hysteresis loop in the isotherm (curve (b)). A second compact, prepared at 64 ton in" rather than 130 ton in", showed a break, not quite so sharp, at p/p° = 0-35. 

Fig. 3.26 Comparison plots for compacts of silica and magnesia. In each case the adsorption of nitrogen at 78 K on the compact is plotted against that on the uncompacted powder, (a) and (b), comparison plot and adsorption isotherm for silica powder compacted at 130 ton in (c) and (d), comparison plot and adsorption isotherm for precipitated magnesia compacted at 10 ton in. Note that the upward sweep of the comparison plot commences at a relative pressure below the inception of the loop.

Fig. 3.28 The Kiselev method for calculation of specific surface from the Type IV isotherm of a compact of alumina powder prepared at 64 ton in". (a) Plot of log, (p7p) against n (showing the upper (n,) and lower (n,) limits of the hysteresis loop) for (i) the desorption branch, and (ii) the adsorption branch of the loop. Values of. 4(des) and /4(ads) are obtained from the area under curves (i) or (ii) respectively, between the limits II, and n,. (6) The relevant part of the isotherm.

More often, however, microporosity is associated with an appreciable external surface, or with mesoporosity, or with both. The effect of microporosity on the isotherm will be seen from Fig. 4.11(a) and Fig. 4.12(a). In Fig. 4.11(a) curve (i) refers to a powder made up of nonporous particles and curve (ii) to a solid which is wholly microporous. However, if the particles of the powder are microporous (the total micropore volume being given by the plateau of curve (ii)), the isotherm will assume the form of curve (iii), obtained by summing curves (i) and (ii). Like isotherm (i), the composite isotherm is of Type II, but because of the contribution from the Type 1 isotherm, it has a steep initial portion the relative enhancement of adsorption in the low-pressure region will be reflected in a significantly increased value of the BET c-constant and a shortened linear branch of the BET plot. 

Fig. 4.11 (o) Adsorption isotherm for (i) a powder made up of nonporous particles (ii) a solid which is wholly microporous (iii) a powder with the same external surface as in (i) but made up of microporous particles having a total micropore volume given by the plateau of isotherm (ii). The adsorption is expressed in arbitrary units, (b) t-Plots corresponding to isotherms (i) and (iii). The o,-plots are similar, except for the scale of... 

Low-pressure hysteresis is not confined to Type I isotherms, however, and is frequently superimposed on the conventional hysteresis loop of the Type IV isotherm. In the region below the shoulder of the hysteresis loop the desorption branch runs parallel to the adsorption curve, as in Fig. 4.26, and in Fig. 4.2S(fi) and (d). It is usually found that the low-pressure hysteresis does not appear unless the desorption run commences from a relative pressure which is above some threshold value. In the study of butane adsorbed on powdered graphite referred to in Fig. 3.23, for example, the isotherm was reversible so long as the relative pressure was confined to the branch below the shoulder F. 

The swelling of the adsorbent can be directly demonstrated as in the experiments of Fig. 4.27 where the solid was a compact made from coal powder and the adsorbate was n-butane. (Closely similar results were obtained with ethyl chloride.) Simultaneous measurements of linear expansion, amount adsorbed and electrical conductivity were made, and as is seen the three resultant isotherms are very similar the hysteresis in adsorption in Fig. 4.27(a), is associated with a corresponding hysteresis in swelling in (h) and in electrical conductivity in (c). The decrease in conductivity in (c) clearly points to an irreversible opening-up of interparticulate junctions this would produce narrow gaps which would function as constrictions in micropores and would thus lead to adsorption hysteresis (cf. Section 4.S). 

Fig. 4J0 Adsorption isotherms on ammonium silicomolybdate powder. (I), (4). nitrogen at 77 K (2), (3), /t-hexane at 298 K. Isotherms I and 2 were measured before, and 3 and 4 after, pre-adsorption of n-nonane. Open symbols, adsorption solid symbols, desorption. (Adsorption is expressed in mm (liquid.)...

The strength of dispersion interaction of a solid with a gas molecule is determined not only by the chemical composition of the surface of the solid, but also by the surface density of the force centres. If therefore this surface density can be sufficiently reduced by the pre-adsorption of a suitable substance, the isotherm may be converted from Type II to Type III. An example is rutile, modified by the pre-adsorption of a monolayer of ethanol the isotherm of pentane, which is of Type II on the unmodified rutile (Fig. 5.3, curve A), changes to Type III on the treated sample (cf. Fig. 5.3 curve B). Similar results were found with hexane-l-ol as pre-adsorbate. Another example is the pre-adsorption of amyl alcohol on a quartz powder... 

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