ISO 15901-1-2016 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 15901-1:2016 — Evaluation of pore size distribution and porosity of solid materials by mercury porosimetry and gas adsorption — Part 1: Mercury porosimetry. Specifies a laboratory method based on mercury intrusion porosimetry to determine pore size distribution, pore volume and related parameters for porous solids that are not wetted by mercury.

Abstract

ISO 15901-1:2016 defines the mercury-intrusion porosimetry technique (Ritter and Drake method) for evaluating pore size distribution and specific pore surface area as a function of applied hydrostatic pressure. The standard describes apparatus requirements, sample preparation and measurement procedures, data evaluation (pore size distribution, specific pore volume, porosity, densities), and known limitations such as minimum measurable pore diameter (practical lower limit ≈ 4 nm at high pressures), maximum effective diameter for deep samples (practical upper limit ≈ 400 µm), material–mercury interactions (amalgamation) and sample deformation under pressure. The technique is treated as comparative and potentially destructive because of mercury contamination.

General information

• Status: Published (confirmed).
• Publication date: April 2016 (4 April 2016).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 19.120 (Particle size analysis; Sieving).
• Edition / version: Edition 2 (2016).
• Number of pages: 19.

Scope

This part of ISO 15901 specifies a method for the determination of pore size distribution, pore volume, specific pore surface area and related porosity parameters using mercury intrusion porosimetry. It applies to porous solids that are not wetted by mercury and covers pore diameters accessible within the practical pressure limits of typical porosimeters (approximately 4 nm to about 400 µm). The scope includes instrument and accessory requirements, sample handling and pre-treatment, measurement sequences, blank and compression corrections, data reduction and reporting, and identification of artifacts and limitations (e.g., amalgamating metals, pore collapse and compressibility effects).

Key topics and requirements

• Principle: mercury intrusion volume versus applied hydrostatic pressure and conversion to equivalent pore diameter (Washburn equation considerations).
• Instrument and materials: porosimeter components, sample holders, mercury handling and recommendations for mercury quality and safety.
• Calibration and verification: pressure- and volume-signal checks, transducer calibration and porosimeter performance verification.
• Sample preparation and handling: sampling, size/quantity, drying and pre-treatment, filling the holder and evacuation procedures.
• Measurement procedure: filling with mercury, controlled pressure steps, intrusion/withdrawal sequences and compression/blank corrections.
• Data evaluation and reporting: calculation of pore size distribution, cumulative and differential pore volumes, specific pore volume, specific surface area, bulk and skeletal densities, porosity and uncertainty considerations.
• Limitations and artefacts: inaccessible pores below instrument pressure limit (treated as closed), effects of sample compressibility and deformation, hydrostatic head effects for deep samples, and incompatibility with metals that amalgamate with mercury unless passivated.
• Safety and environmental considerations: mercury handling, contamination risk, waste management and recommended precautions.

Typical use and users

Used by materials characterization and testing laboratories, research and development groups, quality control teams and material suppliers. Typical application areas include ceramics, catalysts and catalyst supports, activated carbons, construction materials (cements, concretes), geological and soil samples, powder technology (pharmaceuticals, pigments), filtration media and porous membranes. Users are materials scientists, chemists, geoscientists, process engineers and laboratory technicians performing porosity and pore-structure analyses.

Related standards

Other parts of the ISO 15901 series (gas adsorption methods) and related standards on surface area and porosity measurement — for example, ISO 15901-2 (gas adsorption / nanopore analysis) and earlier ISO 15901-3 (micropore analysis; historical/withdrawn editions), and standards covering BET/surface area determination and physisorption techniques used complementarily for smaller pores.

Keywords

mercury porosimetry, mercury intrusion, pore size distribution, porosity, pore volume, specific pore surface area, compressibility correction, intrusion/withdrawal, sample preparation, mercury handling, Washburn equation, pore characterization.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 15901-1:2016 is the international standard that specifies the mercury intrusion porosimetry method for evaluating pore size distribution, pore volume and related porosity parameters of solid materials.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers the measurement principle, instrument and accessory requirements, calibration, sample preparation, measurement procedures, data reduction (pore size distributions, porosity, densities), limitations and safety/environmental considerations for mercury use.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Materials testing and R&D laboratories, quality control groups, and researchers in ceramics, catalysis, activated carbons, construction materials, geosciences and powder technology who need quantitative pore-structure information.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: This edition was published in April 2016 (Edition 2) and replaced the 2005 edition. It is the published ISO document for Part 1; users should confirm on the ISO catalogue or with their national standards body for any subsequent confirmations or revisions.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — ISO 15901 is a multipart series covering pore-size and porosity evaluation by mercury porosimetry and gas adsorption; other parts address gas adsorption methods for meso- and nanopores.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Mercury porosimetry, mercury intrusion, pore size distribution, porosity, specific pore volume, specific surface area, Washburn, compressibility, sample pre-treatment.