Patent ID: 8281662

Claim:
A method of determining pore size of porous material comprising the steps of: selecting a liquid based on a condition that an ionic strength of the liquid determines the thickness of double layers on surfaces of pores of a first material with a known pore size being larger than a largest expected pore size, for allowing an assumption of a complete overlap of double layers for describing an electric field structure inside of the pores; saturating the first porous material with the liquid; applying at least one of ultrasound or electric field at a single or multiple frequencies; measuring seismoelectric or electroseismic current in the first porous material; saturating a second porous material with an unknown pore size with the liquid; applying at least one of ultrasound or electric field at a single or multiple frequencies to the second porous material; measuring either seismoelectric or electroseismic current in the second porous material; calculating the pore size of the second porous material using the measurement of the first material as a calibration standard.