Insights into the Storage of Adsorption–Hydration Natural Gas in Preadsorbed Water Nanoporous Materials

Although methane-dense storage is anticipated in wet nanoporous materials using the synergy of adsorption and hydration (the so-called adsorption–hydration natural gas, AHNG), the understanding of this technology is still insufficient, which limits its large-scale application. Here, new insights into the AHNG technology are presented, including new findings, phenomena, problems, and solutions, which are helpful to improve the understanding of this technology, enhance methane storage density, and pave the way for its application. Both synergy and antagonism between adsorption and hydration were observed; the synergy increases methane storage capacity, while the antagonism weakens the adsorption and hydration efficiency. In addition, two special phenomena were discussed, which have never been noticed by the hydrate community, and artificial intelligence was thought to provide an effective method for material design, while a storage cell was suggested to improve inner mass transfer of AHNG storage tanks.