ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Crystallographic analysis of mixed clathrate hydrates in confined nanospace

Abstract: Clathrate hydrates are among the most fascinating crystalline structures found in nature. Under suitable temperature and pressure conditions, water molecules organize into a three-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network that creates cavities, or cages, large enough to host gas molecules. A major limitation of hydrate formation lies in their slow nucleation and growth, restricted by the limited gas water interface under bulk conditions. Our research group has shown this barrier can be overcome using specially engineered porous materials that act as nanoreactors, accelerating hydrate nucleation and growth. Confinement within internal cavities enables rapid, extensive hydrate formation under moderate temperatures, with remarkably fast kinetics at pressures far lower than those required in bulk systems. The main goal of this proposal is to identify the nucleation and growth of mixed clathrates (CH4-H2) in the confined nanospace of high-surface area activated carbon materials. Although these clathrates were identified using INS at TOSCA, quantification of gas molecules within the clathrate hydrate structure has never been identified. This information is crucial to evaluate the potential of this approach to store hydrogen in solid form. The main goal will be to identify methane and hydrogen cage occupation through the Rietveld refinement of the crystalline structure of mixed clathrates hydrates and study their thermal stability.

Principal Investigator: Professor Joaquin Silvestre-Albero
Experimenter: Dr Anibal Ramirez-Cuesta
Experimenter: Mr Víctor Ramírez
Local Contact: Dr Ivan da Silva Gonzalez
Experimenter: Mr Abhijith Prasad
Experimenter: Professor Mi Tian

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2610000

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2610000

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Professor Joaquin Silvestre-Albero et al; (2026): Crystallographic analysis of mixed clathrate hydrates in confined nanospace, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2610000

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.