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The tendency of all solid surfaces to attract surrounding gas molecules gives rise to a process called gas sorption. Monitoring the gas sorption process provides a wealth of useful information about the characteristics of solids such as surface area and pore size.
Absorbate molecules quickly find their way to the surface of every pore in the solid (the adsorbent). These molecules can either bounce off or stick to the surface. Gas molecules that stick to the surface are said to be adsorbed. The strength with which adsorbed molecules interact with the surface determines if the adsorption process is to be considered physical (weak) or chemical (strong) in nature. |
Surface area is calculated from the monolayer amount, often using the B.E.T. method, and pore size is calculated from pore filling pressures.