Thermoporosimetry is a technique to determine small pore sizes based on melting and crystallization point depression. The temperature shift was measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Development of thermoporosimetry was carried out on silica with a well-characterized narrow pore size distribution. Several parameters were studied, which a have a direct influence on melting and crystallization point depression (for example: a quality of the solvent, filling the pores with the solvent, time and frequency of centrifuging, superfluous solvent removal conditions, etc.). The optimum conditions for the thermoporosimetry method were developed using high porosity silica. The optimized experimental conditions found for silica were applied to polypropylene powder with much lower porosity. Several polypropylene powders were synthesized using different polymerization catalysts and their porosity determined. Polymer powder morphology and structure was characterized by standard methods. Powder porosity obtained by thermoporometry, gas sorption, and BET methods was compared.

The basic ingredient of paper is the individual wood fibers. The property of the fibers depends on a variety of factors e.g., method of pulp production and processing. The final sheet quality depends in part on how the fibers interface between each other and therefore factors that affect the fiber size are of interest. The flexibility of the fibers depends in part on the pore water i.e., the fiber swelling. The sheet becomes less flexible at low water content which gives a loss in strength. Thus it becomes desirable to increase the water uptake. The experimental investigation described in this report consists of exposing the wood fibers to different ions and ionic strength and then measure the pore size by thermoporosimetry where a DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter) is used. DSC measures the freezing point of water in the pores of the wood fibers. As the freezing point varies with the pore size the size distribution can be determined. The results show that there are complications with thermoporosimetry measurements at different ion concentrations. The strength of the ionic solutions will contribute to a fictitious pore volume, which makes analysis difficult to interpret.