Pulsed field gradient NMR study of surface diffusion in mesoporous adsorbents

Surface diffusion of n-heptane in two mesoporous adsorbents with different morphologies of the pore network, namely Vycor random porous glass and porous silicon with linear pores, have been studied using pulsed field gradient NMR. The experimentally obtained diffusivities revealed increasing mobility of guest molecules with increasing surface coverage, indicating heterogeneity of the surface properties. The diffusion studies at different temperatures have further confirmed this hypothesis. The activation energies for surface diffusion turned out to be a function of surface coverage. The experimental results obtained are analyzed using a model of surface diffusion taking account of a distribution of the transition rates.