Probing the mechanism of water adsorption in carbon micropores with multitemperature isotherms and water preadsorption experiments.

The phenomenon of water adsorption in carbon micropores is examined through the study of water adsorption equilibrium in molecular sieving carbon. Adsorption and desorption isotherms are obtained over a wide range of concentrations from less than 0.1% to beyond 80% of the vapor pressure. Evidence is provided in support of a proposed bimodal water adsorption mechanism that involves the interaction of water molecules with functional groups at low relative pressures and the adsorption of water molecules between graphene layers at higher pressures. Decomposition of the equilibrium isotherm data through application of the extended cooperative multimolecular sorption theory, together with favorable quantitative comparison, provides support for the proposed adsorption mechanism. Additional support is obtained from a multitemperature study of water equilibrium. Temperatures of 20, 50, and 60 degrees C were probed in this investigation in order to provide isosteric heat of adsorption data for water interaction with the carbon molecular sieve. At low loading, the derived isosteric heat of adsorption is estimated to be 69 kJ/mol. This value is indicative of the adsorption of water to functional groups. At higher loading, the isosteric heat of adsorption decreases with increasing loading and approaches the heat of condensation, indicative of adsorption between graphene layers. Further support for the proposed adsorption mechanism is derived from carbon dioxide adsorption experiments on carbon molecular sieve that is preadsorbed with various amounts of water. Significant exclusion of carbon dioxide occurs, and a quantitative analysis that is based on the proposed bimodal water adsorption mechanism is employed in this investigation.