This section describes the evaluation of the pore size distribution of solids and the specific surface area in the pores based on the mercury intrusion method developed by Ritter and Drake. It is a comparable method. This method is often destructive due to mercury contamination. The measured volume of mercury penetrating into a pore or void is a function of the static pressure associated with the pore size. The maximum external pressure limit during actual operation is about 400 MPa (60 000 psia), which corresponds to the minimum measurable pore diameter of about 0.003 μm. The maximum measurable pore diameter is mainly affected by the depth of the sample, because there is a difference in the static pressure of mercury from the top to the bottom of the sample. Generally, the maximum measurable pore diameter is 400 μm. The measurement covers both intra- and inter-particle porosity, and generally the method cannot differentiate between these two types of pores that exist simultaneously. This section is suitable for studying most non-wetting porous materials. This section is not suitable for amalgamated materials, such as certain metals such as gold, aluminum, reduced copper, reduced nickel and silver. If this method must be used, the sample needs to be pre-passivated. Under external pressure, some materials will be deformed, squeezed or damaged, and the open pores will collapse and the closed pores will open. In some cases, it may be necessary to introduce a sample compressibility correction factor to obtain useful comparable data. Therefore, mercury porosimetry is comparable.
ISO 15901-1:2005 history
2016ISO 15901-1:2016 Evaluation of pore size distribution and porosity of solid materials by mercury porosimetry and gas adsorption - Part 1: Mercury porosimetry
2007ISO 15901-1:2005/Cor 1:2007 Evaluation of pore size distribution and porosity of solid materials by mercury porosimetry and gas adsorption - Part 1: Mercury porosimetry; Technical corrigendum 1
2005ISO 15901-1:2005 Pore size distribution and porosity of solid materials by mercury porosimetry and gas adsorption - Part 1: Mercury porosimetry