OU Study Unveils Growth in Ice-like Materials

Researchers discover an unusual interfacial layer that impacts the growth rate of clathrate hydrates, crystalline structures with potential for energy storage and desalination.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 2:26am

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A University of Oklahoma researcher, Alberto Striolo, co-authored a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that addresses a key challenge toward utilizing clathrate hydrates - their slow growth rates. The researchers discovered an unusual interfacial layer on the hydrate that impacts its growth rate, finding that by adsorbing additives, the quasi-liquid layer increased in thickness, promoting higher growth rates by allowing carbon dioxide molecules to move faster.

Why it matters

Clathrate hydrates have qualities similar to ice but can be more stable, making them appealing for technological uses such as energy storage and desalination. However, their slow growth rate has stunted progress toward addressing their properties and utilizing their potential. This new discovery could help unlock the applications of these materials, which can be both an extensive energy resource as well as a nuisance for the energy industry by blocking oil and gas pipelines.

The details

Striolo and his fellow researchers used computer models to simulate the behavior of clathrate hydrates in the presence of chemical additives near the hydrate's surface. They discovered that the quasi-liquid layer, a structure that exists between ice and water, increased in thickness when adsorbing additives. This promoted higher growth rates by allowing carbon dioxide molecules to move faster in the quasi-liquid layer compared to in liquid water.

  • The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in March 2026.

The players

Alberto Striolo

A professor in the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, the Asahi Glass Chair in Chemical Engineering, the Lloyd and Jane Austin Presidential Professor, and the director of the college's Online Master of Science in Sustainability and the Materials Science and Engineering doctoral program.

Matteo Salvalaglio

A co-author of the study, from the Thomas Young Centre and University College London's Department of Chemical Engineering.

Xinrui Cai

A co-author of the study, previously worked as a doctoral student with Alberto Striolo.

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What they’re saying

“The implication is that CO 2 molecules move faster in this quasi-liquid layer compared to in liquid water. That's exactly key to the discovery.”

— Alberto Striolo, Professor, University of Oklahoma

What’s next

Striolo and his fellow researchers aim to explore larger hydrate structures that possess "cages" large enough to trap more molecules within the crystalline structure. Those larger structures could then be used to develop technology that stores gases at lower pressures, making gas transport cheaper and more environmentally benign. With further research, the team hopes to find ways that hydrates could help with water desalination, gas separation, and carbon dioxide containment.

The takeaway

This study represents a significant breakthrough in understanding the growth dynamics of clathrate hydrates, which have long been an underutilized material with potential applications in energy storage, desalination, and carbon capture. By uncovering the role of the quasi-liquid interfacial layer, the researchers have opened new avenues for engineering these ice-like materials to overcome their historically slow growth rates and unlock their real-world potential.