Numerical study of multilayer adsorption on fractal surfaces

We report a numerical study of van der Waals adsorption and capillary condensation effects on self-similar fractal surfaces. An assembly of uncoupled spherical pores with a power-law distribution of radii is used to model fractal surfaces with adjustable dimensions. We find that the commonly used fractal Frankel-Halsey-Hill equation systematically fails to give the correct dimension due to crossover effects, consistent with the findings of recent experiments. The effects of pore coupling and curvature dependent surface tension were also studied.