Measurements of Specific Surface Area of Materials Specially Fibers: A Review

Specific surface area has an important role in determining chemical and physical properties of materials. Different methods such as gas adsorption, molecules absorption from solution, thermodynamic properties (enthalpy of dissolution), and scanning electron microscopy are employed to measure the specific surface area of materials. In this review paper, conventional methods such as gas adsorption (N2, Ar) and adsorption of molecules from solution (such as methylene blue and ethylene glycol mono ethyl ether) were introduced. The principals of Langmuir and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller theories were also presented. Fibers have high specific surface area considering their long cylindrical aspect ratio. The high specific surface area of fibers shows its importance in some applications such as filtaration and nano-scaffolds.