We propose a new definition of excess adsorption for use in
molecular models of adsorption. This definition
implies the calibration of theoretical models in a manner mimicking the
experimental calibration procedure.
The method of theoretical calibration is developed on the example
of helium calibration. The notions of
the He calibrated pore volume and the He calibrated pore size are
introduced, and the He calibrated
theoretical excess isotherms are defined. The proposed method
diminishes the discrepancies between the
theoretical and the experimental excess adsorption isotherms and makes
the theory and the experiment
entirely consistent. The quantitative estimates are made by means
of the nonlocal density functional
theory (NLDFT) applied to the adsorption of He, N2, and
CH4 in micropores of active carbons at liquid
nitrogen and ambient temperatures. It is shown that the
experimental He calibration affects significantly
the excess isotherms of vapors and supercritical fluids in microporous
carbons. The nonmonotonous excess
isotherms in molecular size pores are predicted. The theoretical
predictions of He adsorption are in
qualitative agreement with the experimental isotherm measured on the
BPL active carbon at 77 K. The
theoretical calibration is recommended for adjustment of any molecular
model of adsorption phenomena,
such as density functional theory, molecular dynamics, and grand
canonical and other Monte Carlo
simulations.