What Is a Mercury Intrusion Porosimeter Used For?

Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) is a powerful analytical technique used to characterize the pore structure of porous materials, including membranes, ceramics, catalysts, and geological samples. By forcing mercury — a non-wetting liquid — into the pores of a material under controlled pressure, MIP measures pore size distribution, total porosity, pore volume, and bulk density across a wide range of pore sizes from approximately 3 nanometers to 400 micrometers.

How Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry Works

The technique is based on the Washburn equation, which relates the pressure required to force mercury into a pore to the pore diameter. At low pressure, mercury enters only the largest pores. As pressure increases incrementally, mercury intrudes into progressively smaller pores. By measuring the volume of mercury intruded at each pressure step, the instrument generates a pore size distribution curve. The analysis also provides information about pore connectivity, tortuosity, and the percentage of open versus closed porosity in the sample.

Applications in Membrane Research

In membrane science, mercury intrusion porosimetry is used to characterize the pore structure of microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes, ceramic membrane supports, hollow fiber membrane substrates, and membrane spacer materials. It is particularly valuable for analyzing support layers and substrates where pore sizes are in the micrometer range. MIP complements other characterization techniques such as capillary flow porometry, which measures through-pore size, and gas adsorption (BET), which measures smaller mesopores and micropores.

Porosimeters and Membrane Characterization Equipment

Tech Inc. offers a range of membrane characterization instruments including automated mercury intrusion porosimeters for comprehensive pore analysis. Their porosimetry systems provide high-resolution pore size distribution data with user-friendly software for data analysis and reporting. For researchers who need a complete membrane characterization toolkit, Tech Inc. also manufactures capillary flow porometers, gas permeability testers, and liquid-liquid porometers that complement MIP analysis. These instruments together provide a thorough understanding of membrane pore structure across all relevant size ranges.

To learn more about mercury intrusion porosimeters and other membrane characterization equipment, visit Tech Inc. at techincresearch.com. Their technical team can help you select the right combination of instruments for your specific membrane research requirements.