Surface area techniques

Both of the surface area techniques described in this article are well established. However, the determination of total surface area by physical adsorption using the BET equation is a very general method of wide applicability. The use of selective chemisorption to determine the surf e area of metals is much newer, and has only... 

Particles consist of both internal and external surface area. The external surface area represents that caused by exterior topography, whereas the internal surface area measures that caused by microcracks, capillaries, and closed voids inside the particles. Since the chosen surface area technique should relate to the ultimate use of the data, not all techniques are useful for fine powders. The commonly used approaches are permeametry and gas adsorption according to the Brunauer, Emmet, and Teller (BET) equation [9]. Because of simplicity of operation and speed of operation, permeametry methods have received much attention. The permeametry apparatus consists of a chamber for placing the material to be measured and a device to force fluid to flow through the powder bed. The pressure drop and rate of flow across the powder bed are measured and related to an average particle size and surface area. Especially for porous powders, permeametry data include some internal surface area, thus decreasing their value. 

Nanoparlicle composition measurement is normally an essential component for nanoscale particle smdies. Unlike many of the number, size-selective and surface area techniques discussed previously, nanoparticle composition techniques are mainly in the developmental stages. The laser induced plasma syston and the high temperature nanoparticle measuranent systems [23] can detect the composition of nanoscale particles as small as 3 nm. 

The low partial pressure regions of an isotherm are also where micropore filling occurs. Micropores, with widths less than 2 nm, are easily filled by a few monolayers of most adsorbents, and the second group of equations or theories attempt to extract micropore characteristics from the initial stages of the isotherm. These are similar to the surface area techniques and include Henry s Law based interpretations, the Langmuir-Brunauer equation [IS], and the Dubinin-Stoeckli based theories [16,17]. 

An understanding of the complex physico-chemical phenomena associated with the formation and behavior of cementitious compounds is facilitated through the application of many different types of investigative methods. Techniques such as NMR, XRD, neutron activation analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy, IR/UV spectroscopy, electron microscopy, surface area techniques, pore characterization, zeta potential, vis-cometry, thermal analysis, etc., have been used with some success. Of the thermal analysis techniques the Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TG), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and Conduction Calorimetric methods are more popularly used than others. They are more adaptable, easier to use, and yield important results in a short span of time. In this chapter the application of these techniques will be highlighted and some of the work reported utilizing other related methods will also be mentioned with typical examples. 

The automated pendant drop technique has been used as a film balance to study the surface tension of insoluble monolayers [75] (see Chapter IV). A motor-driven syringe allows changes in drop volume to study surface tension as a function of surface areas as in conventional film balance measurements. This approach is useful for materials available in limited quantities and it can be extended to study monolayers at liquid-liquid interfaces [76],... 

We have considered briefly the important macroscopic description of a solid adsorbent, namely, its speciflc surface area, its possible fractal nature, and if porous, its pore size distribution. In addition, it is important to know as much as possible about the microscopic structure of the surface, and contemporary surface spectroscopic and diffraction techniques, discussed in Chapter VIII, provide a good deal of such information (see also Refs. 55 and 56 for short general reviews, and the monograph by Somoijai [57]). Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFT) are now widely used to obtain the structure of surfaces and of adsorbed layers on a molecular scale (see Chapter VIII, Section XVIII-2B, and Ref. 58). On a less informative and more statistical basis are site energy distributions (Section XVII-14) there is also the somewhat laige-scale type of structure due to surface imperfections and dislocations (Section VII-4D and Fig. XVIII-14). 

The MEP at the molecular surface has been used for many QSAR and QSPR applications. Quantum mechanically calculated MEPs are more detailed and accurate at the important areas of the surface than those derived from net atomic charges and are therefore usually preferable [Ij. However, any of the techniques based on MEPs calculated from net atomic charges can be used for full quantum mechanical calculations, and vice versa. The best-known descriptors based on the statistics of the MEP at the molecular surface are those introduced by Murray and Politzer [44]. These were originally formulated for DFT calculations using an isodensity surface. They have also been used very extensively with semi-empirical MO techniques and solvent-accessible surfaces [1, 2]. The charged polar surface area (CPSA) descriptors proposed by Stanton and Jurs [45] are also based on charges derived from semi-empirical MO calculations. 

The most direct test is to compare the BET area with the geometrical area of the solid. Unfortunately, comparisons of this kind are relatively rare on account of experimental difficulties. The choices are to work with, say, single crystals having a well defined surface, when techniques of quite extraordinary sensitivity will be needed for measurement of the adsorption or, to obtain a larger surface area by use of thin sheets, narrow rods or small spheres, and run the risk that the surface will not be truly smooth so that the actual area will exceed the geometrical area. 

By using a laser with less power and the beam spread over a larger area, it is possible to sample a surface. In this approach, after each laser shot, the laser is directed onto a new area of surface, a technique known as surface profiling (Figure 2.4c). At the low power used, only the top few nanometers of surface are removed, and the method is suited to investigate surface contamination. The normal surface yields characteristic ions but, where there are impurities on the surface, additional ions appear. 

Aerosol-Based Direct Fluorination. A technology that works on Hter and half-Hter quantities has been introduced (40—42). This new aerosol technique, which functions on principles similar to LaMar direct fluorination (Fig. 5), uses fine aerosol particle surfaces rather than copper filings to maintain a high surface area for direct fluorination. The aerosol direct fluorination technique has been shown to be effective for the synthesis of bicycHc perfluorocarbon such as perfluoroadamantane, perfluoroketones, perfluoroethers, and highly branched perfluorocarbons. 

Hydrogen Chloride as By-Product from Chemical Processes. Over 90% of the hydrogen chloride produced in the United States is a by-product from various chemical processes. The cmde HCl generated in these processes is generally contaminated with impurities such as unreacted chlorine, organics, chlorinated organics, and entrained catalyst particles. A wide variety of techniques are employed to treat these HCl streams to obtain either anhydrous HCl or hydrochloric acid. Some of the processes in which HCl is produced as a by-product are the manufacture of chlorofluorohydrocarbons, manufacture of aUphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, production of high surface area siUca (qv), and the manufacture of phosphoric acid [7664-38-2] and esters of phosphoric acid (see Phosphoric acid and phosphates). 

There are, however, continuing difficulties for catalytic appHcations of ion implantation. One is possible corrosion of the substrate of the implanted or sputtered active layer this is the main factor in the long-term stabiHty of the catalyst. Ion implanted metals may be buried below the surface layer of the substrate and hence show no activity. Preparation of catalysts with high surface areas present problems for ion beam techniques. Although it is apparent that ion implantation is not suitable for the production of catalysts in a porous form, the results indicate its strong potential for the production and study of catalytic surfaces that caimot be fabricated by more conventional methods. 

Analysis. Excellent reviews of phosphate analysis are available (28). SoHds characterization methods such as x-ray powder diffraction (xrd) and thermal gravimetric analysis (tga) are used for the identification of individual crystalline phosphates, either alone or in mixtures. These techniques, along with elemental analysis and phosphate species deterrnination, are used to identify unknown phosphates and their mixtures. Particle size analysis, surface area, microscopy, and other standard soHds characterizations are useful in relating soHds properties to performance. SoHd-state nmr is used with increasing frequency. 

The most commonly measured pigment properties ate elemental analysis, impurity content, crystal stmcture, particle size and shape, particle size distribution, density, and surface area. These parameters are measured so that pigments producers can better control production, and set up meaningful physical and chemical pigments specifications. Measurements of these properties ate not specific only to pigments. The techniques appHed are commonly used to characterize powders and soHd materials and the measutiag methods have been standardized ia various iadustries. 

Other techniques include oxidative, steam atmosphere (33), and molten salt (34) pyrolyses. In a partial-air atmosphere, mbber pyrolysis is an exothermic reaction. The reaction rate and ratio of pyrolytic filler to ok products are controlled by the oxygen flow rate. Pyrolysis in a steam atmosphere gives a cleaner char with a greater surface area than char pyroly2ed in an inert atmosphere however, the physical properties of the cured compounded mbber are inferior. Because of the greater surface area, this pyrolytic filler could be used as activated carbon, but production costs are prohibitive. Molten salt baths produce pyroly2ed char and ok products from tine chips. The product characteristics and quantities depend on the salt used. Recovery of char from the molten salt is difficult. 

Several properties of the filler are important to the compounder (279). Properties that are frequentiy reported by fumed sihca manufacturers include the acidity of the filler, nitrogen adsorption, oil absorption, and particle size distribution (280,281). The adsorption techniques provide a measure of the surface area of the filler, whereas oil absorption is an indication of the stmcture of the filler (282). Measurement of the sdanol concentration is critical, and some techniques that are commonly used in the industry to estimate this parameter are the methyl red absorption and methanol wettabihty (273,274,277) tests. Other techniques include various spectroscopies, such as diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (drift), inverse gas chromatography (igc), photoacoustic ir, nmr, Raman, and surface forces apparatus (277,283—290). 

Moisture. In relatively pure sugar solutions, moisture is deterrnined as the difference between 100 and Brix. In crystalline products, it is usually deterrnined by loss-on-drying under specified conditions in an oven or by commercial moisture analyzers that have built-in balances. Moisture in molasses and heavy symps is deterrnined by a special loss-on-drying technique, which involves coating the sample onto sand to provide a greater surface area for oven drying. The result of this test is usually considered dry substance rather than moisture. 

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