Correlation between information entropy and pore connectivity in oxidic materials with random disordered porosity

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Physical Chemistry
• Statistical Mechanics

Background:

• Pore connectivity is vital for fluid transport in porous solids.
• Information entropy quantifies pore size distribution randomness.
• A link between these properties in inorganic materials is unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the correlation between pore connectivity and Shannon information entropy.
• Analyze pore size distributions in inorganic porous materials.
• Establish a quantitative relationship for disordered porosity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized nitrogen porosimetry for pore size distribution analysis.
• Employed the Seaton method based on adsorption-desorption hysteresis loops for pore connectivity.
• Calculated Shannon information entropy from pore size distributions.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a robust linear correlation between binary information entropy and the binary logarithm of pore connectivity.
• Observed this relationship in sixteen oxidic alumino-phosphoro-vanadate porous solids.
• Found pore connectivity and information entropy are linked through random packing principles.

Conclusions:

• The study establishes a fundamental relationship between pore connectivity and information entropy in disordered porous materials.
• This correlation is explained by the statistical mechanics of random pore packing.
• The findings provide a new method for characterizing porous materials based on information theory.