Comparison of Nitrogen Adsorption and Mercury Penetration Results

Abstract

Mercury penetration pore volumes obtained for four materials (two silicas, alumina and zirconia) agreed closely with the “Gurvitsch Volume” obtained from nitrogen adsorption. The pore volume of the materials used in this study was found in a narrow range of pore sizes that are amenable to both mercury penetration and nitrogen adsorption measurements. The average crystallite sizes calculated from the BET surface area and from TEM measurements agreed closely except for the highest surface area (310 m2/g) material. The surface areas obtained from mercury penetration or the BET method agree closely for the two lower area materials but the mercury penetration is much higher than the nitrogen surface area for the two higher area materials.