This technical note describes a technique for the preparation of test specimens of compacted noncohesive granular material for mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) tests without altering or destroying the soil fabric. The technique makes it possible to measure and determine pore-size distribution (PSD) of the noncohesive soils by a standard MIP test method (for example, ASTM Test Method for Determination of the Pore Volume Distribution of Soil and Rock by Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry [D 4404]).

Porous materials, Porosity measurement, Mercury, Volume measurement, Safety measures, Calibration, Test pressure, Testing conditions, Test specimens, Pressure testing, Sampling methods

Heterogeneous catalysis has undergone a revolutionary change in the past two decades due to the development of sophisticated characterization methods that provide fundamental information about the catalyst bulk structures, surfaces, and their properties. For the first time, these characterization methods have allowed researchers to "see" the surfaces of catalytic materials, their bulk structures (crystalline as well as amorphous phases), the influence of the process conditions on the catalytic material, as well as the effect of different synthesis methods. This new information has tremendously advanced our understanding of catalytic materials and their properties. These characterization methods have become our "eyes" and are indispensible in the development of new catalytic materials. It is hard to conceive of a modern heterogeneous catalysis activity, be it research or manufacturing, without the aid of these new characterization techniques.