Gas adsorption by nanoporous materials: Future applications and experimental challenges

There are numerous applications of nanoporous materials, including gas storage, separation, and purification. In recent years, the number of available nanoporous materials has increased substantially, with new material classes, such as metal-organic frameworks and microporous organic polymers, joining the traditional adsorbents, which include activated carbons, porous silicas, and zeolites. The determination of the gas adsorption properties of these materials is critical to both the development of new materials for targeted applications and the assessment of the suitability of a material for a particular technology. In this article, we provide an overview of nanoporous materials and their gas adsorption properties, existing and future applications for new materials, adsorption measurement methods, and the experimental challenges involved in the determination of gas adsorption both at elevated pressures and from multicomponent mixtures.