The influence of thermal fluctuations on adsorption isotherms is calcu
lated within the context of a self consistent mean-held theory, and it
is found that such fluctuations cannot be neglected in the analysis o
f adsorption data. This result arises from our observation that substr
ate-induced hindrance of thermal fluctuations can significantly alter
the form of an adsorption isotherm, particularly in the thin-film regi
me (approximate to 0-5 nm) which is most commonly probed by adsorption
experiments. Previous experiments involving room-temperature adsorpti
on on flat surfaces have been reanalyzed, and the reported discrepanci
es with the Lifshitz theory of van der Waals forces are found to be mu
ch reduced when thermal fluctuations of the thickness of the adsorbed
layer are taken into account. Recently published data for nitrogen ads
orption on rough substrates have also been reanalyzed, and the thermal
fluctuations are found to be more important for thin adsorbed layers
than undulations of the film induced by the roughness of the substrate
. The analysis reveals that, as long suspected, the scaling regime of
asymptotic divergence has not yet been reached for film thicknesses re
maining below 5 nm.