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Title: Mechanisms underlying foam-based electronucleation of hydrates
Nucleation of clathrate hydrates at low temperatures is constrained by very long induction (wait) times, which can range from hours to days. Electronucleation (application of an electrical potential difference across the hydrate forming solution) can significantly reduce the induction time. This work studies the use of porous open-cell foams of various materials as electronucleation electrodes. Experiments with tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrates reveal that aluminum and carbon foam electrodes can enable voltage-dependent nucleation, with induction times dependent on the ionization tendency of the foam material. Furthermore, we observe a non-trivial dependence of the electronucleation parameters such as induction time and the recalescence temperature on the water:THF molar ratio. This study further corroborates previously developed hypotheses which associated rapid hydrate nucleation with the formation of metal-ion coordination compounds. Overall, this work studies various aspects of electronucleation with aluminum and carbon foams.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1653412
NSF-PAR ID:
10062017
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Proceedings of the 2018 International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels and Minichannels
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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