Characterizing Xerogels

     • BET Methods

Xerogels are porous materials produced by drying a suspension at room temperature. Due to the thin-film nature of our materials when placed on substrates, xerogels are employed as a surrogate to characterize the surface area, pore size and pore distribution of our materials. To do this, we use gas-phase adsorption methods and the classic BET equation. Nitrogen adsorption is typically  measured and the characteristic shape of the hysterisis curve between the adsorption and desorption of nitrogen is characteristic of different types of pores.