Infrared absorption by molecular gases to probe porous materials and comparisons with other techniques

Infrared transmission spectra of several molecular gases inside three porous silica samples with pore sizes ranging from 7 nm to several tens of nm have been recorded with a Fourier transform spectrometer. Their analysis shows that consistent values of the percentage of open porosity and average pore size can be retrieved from these non intrusive nor destructive optical measurements. The samples have also been characterized using mercury intrusion/extrusion and the nitrogen sorption method. The results of these different probing techniques are in good agreement when the methods used are adapted to the involved pore size. This consistency demonstrates that light absorption by confined gases is a valuable porosimetry tool.