Evaluation of Adsorption Properties of Low Surface Area Carbons—Comparison of Experiments with a Theoretical Study

Adsorption isotherms of nitrogen, argon and methane were experimentally measured at 77 K on low surface area graphitised carbons and natural graphite. For direct comparison, theoretical isotherms for the same gases were calculated on a model, flat surface by using NL DFT. Vulcan (a graphitised carbon black, often used as a surface area standard) was shown to represent a good approximation of a flat graphite surface. It is a suitable material for evaluation of potential parameters in modelling of adsorption in micropores. It was also confirmed that the non-local density functional theory provided a good and reliable fit to experimental adsorption isotherms. SEM microscopy and x-ray diffraction revealed surface properties consistent with those evaluated by adsorption.