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Updated: Aug 11, 2025

A Microfluidic Approach for the Study of Ice and Clathrate Hydrate Crystallization
Published on: August 18, 2022
Topological dual and extended relations between networks of clathrate hydrates and Frank-Kasper phases
Yong Chen1,2,3,4,5, Satoshi Takeya6, Amadeu K Sum7
1Phases to Flow Laboratory, Chemical & Biological Engineering Department, Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois Street, Golden, CO, 80401, USA.
Abstract:
Clathrate hydrates are a class of ordered structures that are stabilized via the delicate balance of hydrophobic interactions between water and guest molecules, of which the space-filling network of hydrogen-bonded (H-bonded) water molecules are closely related to tetrahedrally close-packed structures, known as Frank-Kasper (FK) phases. Here we report an alternative way to understand the intricate structures of clathrate hydrates, which unveils the diverse crystalline H-bonded networks that can be generated via assembly of one common building block. In addition to the intrinsic relations and pathways linking these crystals, we further illustrate the rich structural possibilities of clathrate hydrates. Given that the topological dual relations between networks of clathrate hydrates and tetrahedral close-packed structures, the descriptors presented for clathrate hydrates can be directly extended to other ordered materials for a more thorough understanding of their nucleation, phases transition, and co-existence mechanisms.
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