Topologies of capillary condensation

Calculations are presented to illustrate the dependence of capillary adsorption upon the interactions present in model pores. The sequence of phase transitions at zero temperature is determined for a Lennard-Jones lattice gas in a pore consisting of 4 x 4 x ∞ sites. The dependence of the specific filling sequence upon the comparative strength of the gas-pore wall and the gas-gas interaction well-depths is determined. Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations of sorption at finite temperature in the continuum version of the same model pore are also reported. Both the theory and the simulations were performed with variable gas-solid and gas-gas energy well-depths. At a temperature of 90 K, the gas-solid heterogeneity associated with atoms adsorbed in the corners, on the walls and in the interior pore volume gives rise to sequential adsorption similar to that observed in the lattice gas calculation at 0 K. A gradual approach to non-wetting behavior is observed as the gas-solid well-depth decreases. Values of the gas-solid well-depth needed to produce pore filling at saturation (i.e., "pore-wetting") are discussed.