title: Positive curvature effects and interparticle capillary condensation during nitrogen adsorption in particulate porous materials.
abstract: The adsorption of nitrogen in a collection of spheres that touch or merge in a sintering-like manner is modeled using a Derjaguin-Broeckhof-de Boer approach. The proposed model accounts for both positive curvature effects and for capillary condensation at the contact between two spheres. A methodology is proposed to fit the P/P(0)>0.4 adsorption region with the coordination number of the spheres as the only adjustable parameter. The use of the model is illustrated on a series of silica aerogels. The suitability of various standard isotherms needed for the modeling is also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Liège, Allée du 6 Août 3, B-4000 Liège, Belgium. cedric.gommes@ulg.ac.be
authors.forename: Cedric J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Gommes
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ravikovitch
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neimark