Applications of Nanomaterials in Gas Capture, Adsorption, Separation and Storage, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Nanoscience and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 June 2026 | Viewed by 129

Special Issue Editor

State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: nanoconfined hydrocarbon phase behavior; nanoconfined fluid flow mechanism; pore network modeling; numerical simulation on coalbed methane reservoirs; production data analysis method; shale gas/oil development; CO2 storage and utilization; condensate gas reservoir
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Gas capture, adsorption, separation and storage play critical roles in energy utilization efficiency, a key issue that must be addressed in traditional petrochemistry and emerging industries aiming at net-zero CO2 emissions. The development of industry and technology has necessitated greater requirements and has introduced challenges for gas capture, separation and storage materials and technologies.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative represents a common aspiration across countries to achieve the sustainable development of the environment, the economy, society and people's livelihoods. To mitigate global warming and carbon emissions and reach carbon neutrality, CO2 capture and geological storage, hydrogen production, transport and storage projects and hydrocarbon/coal recovery must be realized. The development of nanomaterials with desired properties and corresponding methods for target applications—which can minimize the environmental impact via gas capture, separation and storage—has attracted increasing attention over the last few decades. Green and eco-friendly techniques focus on the relevant mechanisms and technology, which reduce the use of hazardous substances and non-renewable sources. Nanomaterials for gas capture, separation and storage are considered to be energy efficient, low-cost, renewable and environmentally friendly for a sustainable future.

This Special Issue will present the latest research related to CO2 capture, utilization and storage (CCUS); petrophysics; geology and other relevant topics. For this collection, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  • CO2/CH4/H2 geo-storage;
  • Gas transport in nanoporous media;
  • Advanced nanomaterials for gas capture, adsorption, separation and storage;
  • Mechanisms of gas capture, adsorption, separation and storage.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Zheng Sun
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nanomaterials
  • nanophenomenon
  • nanogeology
  • CO2/CH4/H2 geo-storage
  • transport in porous media
  • advanced nanomaterials for gas capture, separation and storage
  • mechanisms of gas capture, separation and storage

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 2493 KB  
Article
Nanoconfined Methane Storage Mechanism in Deep Coal Seams: A Wettability-Coupled Simplified Local Density Model
by Liang Ji, Xianyue Xiong, Zhihong Nie, Zhengchao Zhang, Ming Yuan, Yang Zhang, Chengchao Xu, Xiaolong Zhao, Hongtao Yang, Chengming Zhao and Zheng Sun
Nanomaterials 2025, 15(24), 1892; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15241892 - 17 Dec 2025
Viewed by 106
Abstract
In deep coal seams, where nanopores (~2 nm) dominate, wettability effects, which govern molecule–wall interaction strength, critically control the methane storage, yet remain poorly understood. This work establishes, for the first time, a theoretical framework coupling the Simplified Local Density (SLD) model with [...] Read more.
In deep coal seams, where nanopores (~2 nm) dominate, wettability effects, which govern molecule–wall interaction strength, critically control the methane storage, yet remain poorly understood. This work establishes, for the first time, a theoretical framework coupling the Simplified Local Density (SLD) model with wettability effects to systematically describe nanoconfined methane behavior. Key innovations include modifying the equation of state (EoS) by incorporating a molecule–wall interaction term, correlating the nanopore wall energy parameter and adsorption layer thickness with the interaction strength, and deriving wettability-dependent shifted critical properties. This approach successfully relates the local methane density distribution to the surface contact angle, bridging the knowledge gap between nanoconfined behavior and both pore size and wettability. The results show that (a) the bulk-like gas proportion in deep seams exceeds 35%, far higher than in shallow seams, indicating superior development potential; (b) the bulk-like gas increases faster with pressure than adsorbed gas, while the adsorption amount decreases by up to 46%, as the contact angle rises from 0° to 80°; (c) the modified EoS significantly impacts the bulk-like gas, reducing its amount by about 8% in 3 nm pores due to weakened intermolecular interactions. This study underscores the necessity of integrating wettability to accurately predict the nanoconfined fluid behavior, especially for deep coal seam gas. Full article
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