Methane storage in bottle-like nanocapsules

Because the traditional storage of methane in the condensed state in high-pressure vessels is rather dangerous, and to store a large amount of gas using adsorbents is impossible at normal ambient conditions, we have developed a nanocapsule, which combines the advantages of a high-pressure vessel and adsorbents--a large methane mass content and safe-keeping. A nanocapsule is a system of combined nanotubes forming bottle-like pores, the entrance to which is closed by a positively charged endohedral complex (K@C60) with the help of an electric field. In normal ambient conditions, the nanocapsule can retain the amount of methane adsorbed under charging conditions. The processes taking place during the storage of methane and the methane desorption from the nanocapsule are analysed and the value of the electric field intensity necessary for the transfer of the K@C60 in the nanocapsule is determined. The nanocapsule discussed can retain approximately 17.5 mass% of methane at an internal pressure of 10 MPa and a temperature of 300 K.