The Design of an Automatic System for the Gravimetric Measurement of Water Sorption

Abstract

An understanding of the mechanisms by which water molecules are held within a substance or at its surface, either by physical or chemical processes, is of importance in the formulation, preparation and storage of a wide variety of substances. The traditional experimental techniques which have been used to make measurements on samples exposed to specific levels of relative humidity, (e.g. using desiccators containing saturated salt solutions), are slow, laborious, inaccurate, and provide a limited amount of data. This paper describes the conception, operation, and facilities of a new system which by employing recently developed electronic components and transducers, significantly advances the performance capability for moisture sorption analysis.