Physisorption

Physisorption is adsorption in which molecules adhere to a surface through weak intermolecular forces, without forming chemical bonds. It is typically reversible and can occur in multiple molecular layers.

Van der Waals force: A weak attraction or repulsion between atoms and molecules arising from fluctuating or permanent electric dipoles. These intermolecular forces provide the principal attraction between adsorbate molecules and the surface.
Adsorption: The accumulation of atoms, ions, or molecules at the surface of a material. Physisorption is one mechanism by which adsorption occurs.
Chemisorption: Adsorption in which atoms or molecules attach to a surface by forming chemical bonds. It differs from physisorption through bond formation and generally stronger, more specific surface attachment.
Activated carbon: A porous carbon material processed to create a large accessible internal surface area. Its pores capture gases and dissolved molecules through extensive physical adsorption.
Adsorption isotherm: A curve relating the amount adsorbed to pressure or concentration at constant temperature. Isotherms quantify how physisorption changes as gas pressure or solution concentration rises.
Absorption: The uptake of a substance into the bulk of another material. Unlike physisorption, absorption distributes material within a bulk phase rather than at a surface.
Hydrogen bonding: An attractive interaction involving a hydrogen atom bonded to an electronegative atom and another electronegative atom. It is a distinct intermolecular interaction that can contribute to adsorption without forming a surface chemical bond.
Zeolite: A crystalline porous aluminosilicate with a regular framework of molecular-scale channels and cavities. Its pores selectively take up molecules through adsorption governed by size and intermolecular attraction.
BET theory: A model of gas adsorption in multiple molecular layers on a solid surface. It extends single-layer adsorption models to describe physisorption and estimate surface area.
Adsorbate: A substance that accumulates on the surface of another material through adsorption. In physisorption, the adsorbate remains attached through intermolecular forces.

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