On the irreversibility of the adsorption isotherm in a closed-end pore

Phuong T M Nguyen1, D D Do, D Nicholson

  • 1School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.

Related Concept Videos

Adsorption Isotherms I01:29

Adsorption Isotherms I

Adsorption isotherms are mathematical models that describe how molecules in a gas or liquid phase interact with surfaces. Two of the most common isotherm models are the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, which relate to Type I monolayer chemisorption. The Langmuir model is based on four key assumptions:• Adsorption cannot exceed monolayer coverage.• All surface sites are equivalent.• Molecules adsorb only at vacant sites.• There are no interactions between adsorbed molecules.Consider the...
Adsorption Isotherms II01:25

Adsorption Isotherms II

Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) introduced a theory in 1938 that modified Langmuir's assumptions to explain multilayer physical adsorption. This theory is applicable to Type II isotherms and provides a more realistic picture of adsorption processes. The BET theory assumes a uniform solid surface with localized adsorption sites, where adsorption at one site doesn't affect adsorption at neighboring sites. This theory also allows for the possibility of additional molecules being adsorbed on top...
Adsorption of Gases on Solids01:28

Adsorption of Gases on Solids

Adsorption is a process where molecules, known as the adsorbates, accumulate on a surface, which is referred to as the adsorbent or substrate. Occurring at the solid-gas interface, this phenomenon is crucial in various scientific and industrial contexts. The reverse of adsorption is desorption.Two types of adsorptions exist: physical (physisorption) and chemical (chemisorption). Physisorption involves gas molecules held to the solid's surface by relatively weak intermolecular van der Waals...
Reversible and Irreversible Processes01:14

Reversible and Irreversible Processes

The thermodynamic processes can be classified into reversible and irreversible processes. The processes that can be restored to their initial state are called reversible processes. It is only possible if the process is in quasi-static equilibrium, i.e., it takes place in infinitesimally small steps, and the system remains at equilibrium However, these are ideal processes and do not occur naturally. An ideal system undergoing a reversible process is always in thermodynamic equilibrium within...
Entropy Change in Reversible Processes01:10

Entropy Change in Reversible Processes

In the Carnot engine, which achieves the maximum efficiency between two reservoirs of fixed temperatures, the total change in entropy is zero. The observation can be generalized by considering any reversible cyclic process consisting of many Carnot cycles. Thus, it can be stated that the total entropy change of any ideal reversible cycle is zero.
The statement can be further generalized to prove that entropy is a state function. Take a cyclic process between any two points on a p-V diagram.
Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure of Solutions02:40

Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure of Solutions

A number of natural and synthetic materials exhibit selective permeation, meaning that only molecules or ions of a certain size, shape, polarity, charge, and so forth, are capable of passing through (permeating) the material. Biological cell membranes provide elegant examples of selective permeation in nature, while dialysis tubing used to remove metabolic wastes from blood is a more simplistic technological example. Regardless of how they may be fabricated, these materials are generally...