Experimental verification of a proposed unified formulation of adsorbate transport in mesoporous media over the full vapour pressure range

Abstract

Transport of CCl₄ through mesoporous alumina has been studied over the entire relative vapour pressure range. Measurements of He, N₂ and isobutane have also been carried out to probe the lower relative vapour pressure region in greater detail. This experimental study was undertaken to test our previous hypothesis that the theoretical formulation of surface transport in the submonolayer, multilayer and liquid condensate regions could be unified in a physically convincing manner, on the basis of an irreversible thermodynamic approach. This hypothesis is fully borne out by the experimental results reported here.