Aligned with the national "dual carbon" strategic goals, green and efficient capture and storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) has become a focal point of current scientific research. Recently, the team led by Associate Professor Cheng Chuanxiao from the New Energy College at our university published a high-level paper titled "Carbon dioxide hydrate formation synergistically enhanced by calcium hydroxide and tetrafluoroethane under low-pressure conditions" in Chemical Engineering Journal (CAS Q1, Impact Factor 13.4).

Associate Professor Cheng Chuanxiao's team has long been dedicated to research on clathrate hydrate phase-change energy storage technology and applications, systematically conducting studies on phase-change cold storage, H₂-CO₂ mixed gas separation, and composite hydrogen storage. In this paper, the team innovatively proposed a synergistic nucleation approach using Ca(OH)₂ and R134a, dramatically reducing the CO₂ hydrate formation pressure from the conventional 2.5 MPa to 0.74 MPa, breaking through the high-pressure limitation challenge. Through dual thermodynamic and kinetic driving forces, the CO₂ conversion rate reached as high as 63%, representing an improvement of over 50% compared to existing technologies, achieving "low energy consumption, high efficiency" carbon sequestration. The study innovatively utilized nano-scale calcium carbonate particles (10-1000 nm) generated from the reaction between Ca(OH)₂ and CO₂ as nucleation sites to accelerate hydrate growth, overcoming the slow nucleation bottleneck of traditional technologies. Additionally, through in situ Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, the study systematically revealed for the first time the stable nucleation and growth mechanism of SII + SI type CO₂ hydrate structures under dual thermodynamic and kinetic driving conditions. This research enriches the theoretical methodology in the field of CO₂ hydrate formation and provides new strategies and technical support for practical applications of CO₂ hydrates in cold storage, gas separation, food preservation, and other fields.

In the future, the team will further investigate the microscopic mechanisms during hydrate nucleation, formation, transformation, and release processes, systematically studying their structural evolution and conversion mechanisms. Meanwhile, the team will actively promote the practical application of this technology in the storage and transportation of clean energy sources such as natural gas and H₂, as well as in carbon capture and storage, providing solid technical support for advancing the nation's energy transition and achieving the "dual carbon" strategic goals.

This research was supported by the Henan Province University Science and Technology Innovation Talent Program, the Henan Province Key Research and Development Special Project, and other programs.