Fast methane diffusion at the interface of two clathrate structures

Methane hydrates naturally form on Earth and in the interiors of some icy bodies of the Universe, and are also expected to play a paramount role in future energy and environmental technologies. Here we report experimental observation of an extremely fast methane diffusion at the interface of the two...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inNature communications Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 1076 - 7
Main Authors Ranieri, Umbertoluca, Koza, Michael Marek, Kuhs, Werner F., Klotz, Stefan, Falenty, Andrzej, Gillet, Philippe, Bove, Livia E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 20.10.2017
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Subjects
639/638/440
639/766/94
Diffusion
Diffusion rate
Gas exchange
Humanities and Social Sciences
Hydrates
Kinetics
Methane
Methane hydrates
Mobility
multidisciplinary
Neutron scattering
Neutrons
Planetary cryospheres
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Sciences of the Universe
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Methane hydrates naturally form on Earth and in the interiors of some icy bodies of the Universe, and are also expected to play a paramount role in future energy and environmental technologies. Here we report experimental observation of an extremely fast methane diffusion at the interface of the two most common clathrate hydrate structures, namely clathrate structures I and II. Methane translational diffusion—measured by quasielastic neutron scattering at 0.8 GPa—is faster than that expected in pure supercritical methane at comparable pressure and temperature. This phenomenon could be an effect of strong confinement or of methane aggregation in the form of micro-nanobubbles at the interface of the two structures. Our results could have implications for understanding the replacement kinetics during sI–sII conversion in gas exchange experiments and for establishing the methane mobility in methane hydrates embedded in the cryosphere of large icy bodies in the Universe. Methane dynamics at the interface of ice clathrate structures is expected to play a role in phenomena ranging from gas exchange to methane mobility in planetary cryospheres. Here, the authors observe extremely fast methane diffusion at the interface of the two most common clathrate hydrate structures.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-017-01167-2