PORE-SIZE HETEROGENEITY AND THE CARBON SLIT PORE - A DENSITY-FUNCTIONAL THEORY MODEL

We present model isotherms predicted by nonlocal density functional theory for adsorption of simple fluids in carbon slit pores. The effects of pore size, temperature, and solid-fluid potential interaction strength are examined. Our results are summarized into a classification scheme based upon regimes of continuous pore filling, capillary condensation, and 0 --> 1 layering transitions. The descriptions we have devised depart from the IUPAC convention in that the filling behavior, rather than the physical width of the pore, is used as a guide to classification. Our results suggest that while the magnitude of the solid-fluid interactions dictates the pressure at which pore filling occurs, the type of filling depends primarily upon the ratio of pore width to adsorbate molecular diameter. The critical pore widths that denote the boundaries between various regimes of filling behavior are strongly dependent upon the temperature. To confirm the accuracy of the theoretical results, we compare adsorption isotherms and density profiles calculated from nonlocal theory and Gibbs ensemble simulation. The results from theory and simulation are found to be in good agreement. We conclude with a discussion of the problems associated with estimating solid-fluid potential parameters from experiment for use in theoretical computations. A comparison of nonlocal theory model isotherms and experimental nitrogen uptake measurements on nonporous carbon is presented.