Rajnish Kumar, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Tarak Patra, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Nanobubbles, which are gas-filled structures with sizes typically below 200 nm, display exceptional stability in water. In supercooled water, the dissociation of nanobubbles plays a key role in initiating the formation of gas hydrates, which are crystalline structures where gas molecules become enclosed within cages formed by water molecules. Here, we investigates the correlations between nanobubble dissociation and gas hydrate formation in supercooled water via molecular dynamic simulations. We find that the nanobubble dissociation in supercooled water provides localized zones of gas supersaturation, facilitating the formation of gas hydrates by acting as nucleation sites. The work shows how variations in pressure, temperature, and gas content influence the rate of nanobubble dissociation and subsequent hydrate formation. Additionally, we examine how factors like gas composition, nanobubble surface energy, and interface dynamics affect the interaction between the nanobubbles and the supercooled water environment. The findings implicates that controlling nanobubble stability could provide a method for regulating gas hydrate formation, with implications for energy storage, carbon capture, and the prevention of pipeline blockages in the oil and gas industries.
