The Basics of Surface Adsorption

Adsorption is an important surface phenomenon. It is the preferential accumulation of one phase on the surface of another phase. The concept of adsorption is required in understanding the fundamental properties of materials at surface and interface. The principles are widely applied to high vacuum creation, heterogeneous catalysis, chromatography, biosensor development and removal of toxic gases, color and moisture. The profile of adsorption is generally depicted in the form of an adsorption isotherm.

This book is intended to present the basics of adsorption in a concise manner, a book which you can always use as a quick reference to keep the concepts clear. This study guide will cover two main categories of adsorption, differences between adsorption and absorption, thermodynamic parameters associated with adsorption, factors affecting the adsorption process, properties of surface films, some application areas, and the assumptions, derivations, limitations and numerical problems related to different kinds of adsorption isotherms, namely Freundlich s, Langmuir, B.E.T. and Gibb s adsorption isotherms. All diagrams are created by the author. The content has been deliberately kept brief and lecture-style, to offer all of the succinct features of adsorption for a quick recapitulation. The content and writing style is particularly effective for last minute exam preparation.