White Paper: Surface Area Determination

The surface of a material is the dividing line between a solid and its surroundings, liquid, gas or another solid. We can anticipate therefore, that the amount of surface, or surface area, is an important factor in the behavior of a solid. Surface area affects, for example, dissolution rates of pharmaceuticals, the activity of an industrial catalyst, how fast cement hydrates, adsorption capacity of air and water purifiers, and the processing of most powders and porous materials. Whenever solid matter is divided into smaller particles new surfaces are created thereby increasing the surface area. Similarly, when pores are created within the particle interior (by dissolution, decomposition or some other physical or chemical means) the surface area is also increased.