Silica gel, commercial

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Description

The moisture adsorbing properties of silica gels are affected by factors such as capillary pore size or the inclusion of hygroscopic salts, resulting in a wide range of performance. Therefore, it is important to compare the buffering capacity of different types of silica gels to determine which silica gel has the best performance for a specific application. Thomson (1977) described the specific moisture reservoir with the variable M.

• The moisture buffering capacity of a material is defined by its M value, which is the amount of water (in grams) that is gained or lost by 1 kilogram of silica gel for each 1% change in RH.
• Mh is the average amount of water (in grams) that is gained or lost by 1 kilogram of silica gel for each 1% change in RH. This is determined by repeatedly cycling silica gel between adsorption and desorption within a specific RH range until a constant value is measured. By taking hysteresis into account, MH reflects actual buffering performance.