Confinement-induced infrared absorption by H₂ and N₂ gases in a porous silica aerogel

Transmission spectra in the fundamental bands of H₂ and N₂ gas inside the pores of a silica aerogel sample were recorded at room temperature and for several pressures using a Fourier transform spectrometer. They first show that, as the absorption is proportional to the pressure, it is due to the interactions of the molecules with the inner surfaces of the pores and not to the dipole induced during gas-phase molecule-molecule collisions. Furthermore, the analysis of the widths and areas of the observed absorption structures indicate that, for the considered aerogel sample, most of the absorption is likely due to "free" molecules moving within the pores with a weak contribution of adsorbed molecules.