An Analytical Theory for Diffusion of Fluids in Crystalline Nanoporous Materials

An analytical theory for diffusion of fluids in zeolites and other nanoporous materials has been developed. The theory incorporates molecular level information about the nanoporous material, which is obtainable from an energy minimization and does not require molecular dynamics computer simulations. The theory is statistical mechanical in nature and assumes a lattice composed of adsorption sites. The theory yields a self-diffusion coefficient, which is a function of (i) temperature, (ii) adsorbate density, (iii) adsorbate size, (iv) adsorbate-adsorbate energetic interaction and (v) adsorbate-pore energetic interaction. The theory is generalized and is applicable to nanoporous materials with three-dimensional porous networks (e.g. faujusite) and one-dimensional porous networks (e.g. A1P0₄-5).

The theory is self-contained and incorporates no fitting parameters. The theory does not require computational effort beyond a few seconds on a standard personal computer.