Design parameters for carbon nanobottles to absorb and store methane

Abstract

We investigate the internal mechanics for methane storage in a nanobottle, which is assumed to comprise a metallofullerene located inside a carbon nanobottle, which is constructed from a half-fullerene as the base, and two nanotubes which are joined by a nanocone. The interaction potential energy for the metallofullerene is obtained from the 6-12 Lennard-Jones potential and the continuum approximation, which assumes that a discrete atomic structure can be replaced by an average atomic surface density. This potential energy shows that the metallofullerene has two minimum energy positions, which are located close to the neck of the bottle and at the base of the nanobottle, and therefore it may be used as a bottle-stopper to open or to close the nanobottle. At the neck of the bottle, the encapsulated metallofullerene closes the nanobottle, and by applying an external electrical force, the metallofullerene can overcome the energy barrier of the nanotube, and pass from the neck of the nanobottle to the base so that the nanobottle is open. For methane storage, the metallofullerene serves the dual purposes of opening and closing the nanobottle, as well as an attractor for the methane gas. The analytical formulation gives rise to a rapid computational capacity, and enables the direct determination of the optimal dimensions necessary to ensure the correct working function of the nanobottle, and specific ranges for the critical parameters are formulated.