A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) was assembled to gather adsorption data of various gases on zeolite A. Zeolite A was bonded to a 5-MHz quartz crystal and was subjected to various gases at low-pressure conditions. Based on the piezoelectric effect, the QCM acts as a mass balance capable of measuring mass changes on the nanogram scale by recording the change of the frequency of the quartz crystal. Experimentation was carried out on a plain quartz crystal to verify the working state of the system and also through adsorbing various gases onto activated Zeolite A. Frequency changes were recorded on a frequency counter and stored in a spreadsheet through a fully automated data acquisition system. From the collected data, adsorption graphs were constructed as well as calculations of diffusivity and weight fraction for adsorption of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, ethylene, and butene. Through experimentation, it was concluded that the quartz crystal microbalance is capable of measuring adsorption due to frequency changes of a quartz crystal.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Duffy, Sean Killian
• Pilsbury, Joseph R.
• Jones, J. Matthew
• John, Jeremy William

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 99D046M

Advisor

• Ma, Yi Hua
• Scala, Alfred A.

Year

• 1999

Date created

• 1999-01-01

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2021-10-11