Made to order
- Installation & training on-site setup and BELCONTROL/BELMASTER onboarding
- a measurement on your own sample before sign-off
Microtrac BELSORP MAX X Gas and Vapor Adsorption Analyzer
BET surface area and pore size from 0.35 to 500 nm on up to four samples at once — gas and vapor isotherms from P/P₀ = 10⁻⁸.
- Surface area from 0.01 m²/g with N₂, from 0.0005 m²/g with krypton
- Micropore to macropore analysis: BET, BJH, HK, SF, NLDFT / GCMC
- Installation and on-site training included · free test analysis of your sample
- Configured to order · lead time from 4 weeks
What your process engineer actually checks
Resolution you can trust
Adsorption from P/P₀ 10⁻⁸ with NLDFT and GCMC models resolves micropores that bench-top analyzers average over. Every isotherm is traceable to ISO 9277 and ISO 15901-2 — not a marketing curve.
An applications engineer on the line
Configuration, method development and troubleshooting from engineers who run powder and porosity analysis in-house at Additive Plus.
- BELSORP MAX X, MAX X HT (manifold to 80 °C, vapor to 70 °C) or MAX X HP (gas adsorption to 900 kPa)
- Up to 4 measurement ports (3 on the HP model) with 133 kPa, 1.33 kPa and 0.0133 kPa pressure transducers
- 3 corrosion-resistant gas ports as standard; gas selector expands them to 6, 9 or 12
- Dewar, water bath (−10 to 80 °C) or pretreatment heater (50 to 550 °C)
- BELCONTROL operation and BELMASTER analysis software with BELSIM (NLDFT / GCMC); optional adsorption kinetics
- Installation and on-site operator training — included in every quotation
What the BELSORP MAX X is
The BELSORP MAX X is a benchtop gas and vapor adsorption analyzer from Microtrac. It doses gas onto a degassed sample held at a constant temperature and measures, by the manometric (volumetric) method, how much is adsorbed at each pressure. From the resulting isotherm the BELMASTER software calculates BET specific surface area, pore size distribution and pore volume. Three pressure transducer ranges (133.3 kPa, 1.333 kPa and 0.0133 kPa), hard-sealing pneumatic valves and metal gaskets let it start the isotherm at P/P0 = 10−8, which is what micropore analysis needs.
Up to four samples run at the same time. The patented AFSM™ method follows changes of the free space in a reference cell during the run, so drift in the liquid nitrogen level, room temperature and pressure is compensated. All gas lines sit in an air chamber held at 50 °C, which allows water and organic vapor isotherms as well as gas adsorption. The instrument complies with ISO 9277, ISO 15901-2 and ISO 18852 and takes powders, pellets and molded bodies.
Specifications
| Measuring principle | Manometric (volumetric) method + AFSM™ or AFSM™2 |
| Specific surface area | from 0.01 m²/g (N2) · from 0.0005 m²/g (Kr), depending on sample density |
| Pore size distribution | 0.35 – 500 nm |
| Gas isotherm range | P/P0 = 10−8 – 0.997 (N2 at 77.4 K, Ar at 87.3 K) · MAX X HT from 10−6 |
| Vapor isotherm range | P/P0 up to approx. 0.95 at 40 °C · MAX X HT at 70 °C |
| High-pressure isotherm | MAX X HP only: 10 Pa – 900 kPa |
| Samples at once | 4 (MAX X, MAX X HT) · 3 (MAX X HP) |
| Gas ports | 3 as standard, up to 12 with the gas selector |
| Pressure transducers (MAX X) | 6 × 133 kPa · up to 4 × 1.33 kPa · up to 3 × 0.0133 kPa |
| Thermostatic air chamber | 50 °C · MAX X HT 80 °C |
| Vacuum | turbo molecular pump + rotary (or diaphragm) pump; cold cathode gauge optional |
| Dewar | LN2 or LAr temperature, holding time 80 h |
| Pretreatment heater | 50 – 550 °C |
| Water bath | −10 – 80 °C with constant temperature circulator |
| Sample tubes | outer diameter 9 mm or 14 mm; special tubes for pellets |
| Dimensions (W × H × D) | 360 × 870 × 590 mm (14.2 × 34.3 × 23.2 in) |
| Weight | 50 kg (110 lb), main body |
| Power | AC 100 – 240 V, 400 W (rotary pump not included) |
| Gas supply | He and adsorption gas 0.1 MPa (G), 1/8″ Swagelok · valve operating gas 0.5 – 0.6 MPa (G) |
| Software | BELCONTROL · BELMASTER with BELSIM (NLDFT / GCMC) · Windows 10 or higher |
| Standards | ISO 9277, ISO 15901-2, ISO 18852 · CE |
| Installation and training | on site, included in every quotation |
| Lead time | from 4 weeks, depending on configuration |
Download: BELSORP MAX X datasheet (PDF)
What it tells you about a porous material
One isotherm answers several questions at once. These are the results the MAX X reports, with the sample types Microtrac measured in its own examples:
| BET surface area | the accessible surface of catalysts, battery materials, pigments and powders, per ISO 9277; multi-point BET in less than 20 minutes in Quick BET |
| Micropores, 0.35 – 2 nm | HK, SF, CY, MP and Dubinin-Astakhov methods and NLDFT / GCMC — activated carbon fibre, zeolites, MOFs such as MIL-160 |
| Mesopores, above 2 nm | BJH, DH, CI and INNES methods — ordered mesoporous MCM-41, Pd/C catalyst |
| Low surface areas | krypton adsorption from 0.0005 m²/g for dense, non-porous samples |
| Water vapor isotherm | hydrophilic or hydrophobic — for example the MOF UiO-66 at 25 °C and 40 °C |
| Organic vapors | VOC uptake of methanol, benzene and carbon tetrachloride on activated carbon fibre |
| Adsorption rate | optional kinetics for diffusion analysis |
Every pressure, temperature and valve action is stored as trend data, so an unusual isotherm can be traced back to what happened during the run.
Three models of the MAX X
The high-precision mode measures three samples and uses the fourth port as an empty reference cell; the multi-sample mode measures four samples against a stored free-space file, which suits quality control. Gas Dosing Optimization and feedback control of the gas inlet valve cut measurement time by about 50–70%.
Where the MAX X stops — and what to take instead
The MAX X is the research model of the BELSORP line, and it needs liquid nitrogen or argon, helium (or the AFSM™2 helium-free method), a vacuum pump and a degassed sample. If you only need routine BET and mesopore data on several samples, the BELSORP MINI X starts at P/P0 = 10−4 and is smaller. If one micropore sample at a time is enough and you do not need vapors, look at the BELSORP MAX G. For a fast single-point BET number in QC there is the BELSORP MR 1. Pores above 500 nm belong to mercury porosimetry on the BELPORE, true density to the BELPYCNO gas pycnometer, and temperature-programmed catalyst analysis to the BELCAT II. For isotherms at temperatures other than LN2 or LAr, add the BELCRYO X cryogenic unit; to degas samples outside the analyzer, the BELPREP VAC.
In pictures
Availability, payment and delivery
Why buy it through Additive Plus
What usually stops people — and the honest answer
Ready when you are
| Brand | Microtrac |
| Technology | Gas adsorption (manometric / volumetric) |
| Certification | CE, ISO 15901-2, ISO 18852, ISO 9277 |
| Weight | 110 lb / 50 kg |
Product videos
Send us a representative sample. The test measurement in Microtrac's US application lab is free, and we go through the results with you.
Other products teams run alongside Microtrac BELSORP MAX X Gas and Vapor Adsorption Analyzer
Zeta potential and surface charge by streaming potential, with built-in titration — five parameters at every point, particles 0.3 nm to 300 µm, up to 40 % concentration.
- pH, polyelectrolyte and salt titration in 5–15 minutes
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Cryogenic unit for BELSORP analyzers — adsorption isotherms at any temperature from 35 to 473 K without liquid nitrogen, stability to ±0.001 K.
- Add-on for BELSORP MAX X (incl. HP), MAX G and MINI X
- Up to 3 samples, fully automated in BELControl
- Installation and on-site training included · free test analysis of your sample
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Size and shape of coarse, dry particles from 160 µm to 135 mm — more than 40 parameters from one run of more than 2 kg, in about one to five minutes.
- 15 size, 13 shape and 3 surface-roughness parameters, plus density, transparency and 3D
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Particle size and 3D shape measured in your process line, not in the lab — 30 µm to 30 mm, with a result every 5 to 10 minutes in the control room.
- More than 35 3D size and shape parameters, built for correlation with sieving
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Micropore-capable BET surface area and pore size analyzer — isotherms from P/P₀ = 10⁻⁸, pores 0.35 to 500 nm, krypton down to 0.0005 m²/g.
- One measurement port with dedicated p₀ and free-space ports, AFSM™ accuracy
- BET, BJH, HK, SF and NLDFT / GCMC analysis in BELMASTER 7
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Particle size and shape of your powder in one to three minutes — two cameras, 0.9 µm to 8 mm dry, results comparable with sieving and laser diffraction.
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Laser diffraction and dynamic image analysis on the same sample, in the same cell, at the same time — size from 0.01 to 4000 µm and more than 30 shape parameters in a typical 10 to 30 seconds.
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- FLOWSYNC wet and TURBOSYNC dry modules, changed in less than 15 seconds
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Particle size and shape of coarse bulk material measured on the line — 160 µm to 135 mm, 100 images per second, results in the control room.
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- Enclosed optics, explosion proof, works with your sample delivery
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· Lead time from 4 weeks · installation includedWhat our customers say
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Common questions
Don't see yours? Email [email protected] — NDA on request, typical reply within 4 hours.
What surface area and pore size range does the BELSORP MAX X measure?
Which gases and vapors can it use?
How many samples can it measure at once?
Which standards does it comply with?
Which analysis methods does the software include?
How are samples degassed before measurement?
What is the lead time and what is included?
How much does a BELSORP MAX X cost?
Can I test my sample before buying?
Can the MAX X measure water vapor adsorption on MOFs or carbons?
Place your order, or talk to an engineer first
Order Microtrac BELSORP MAX X Gas and Vapor Adsorption Analyzer direct, or talk to materials engineer