Resumen de Clathrate-Mediated Gas Storage in Nanoporous Materials
Gas clathrates are solid structures constituted by water molecules forming 3D networks through hydrogen bonding and isolated gas molecules trapped in their inner cavities. These structures have been well known for the last 30–40 years due to their abundance in nature (preferentially methane hydrates) and their relevance as a future fuel source. Similar hydrate structures have been reproduced at lab scale either in bulk conditions (pure water) or in the presence of additives, including the presence of nanoporous materials. It is highly accepted in the literature that the presence of confinement effects in the cavities of these nanoporous materials must exert an important influence in the gas hydrate nucleation and growth process. This chapter summarizes some of the last achievements in the gas hydrate formation process (mainly focusing in methane hydrates) in the presence of high-surface area nanoporous materials (e.g., activated carbons, metal-organic frameworks, zeolites, clays, and silicas) and the effect of the confined space in the formation/dissociation process.
