Crystallographic alignment and phonon corridors: Enhanced hydrogen production via engineered thermal pathways in ultramafic rocks

Shad Abdelmoumen SERROUNE 1, *, Ir Khasani 2, 3, Jan Sopaheluwakan 4, 5 and Marc Boulivier 6

1 Nanogeios Laboratories, Nanofoam N2 Hybrid Engineering Division, Incheon, South Korea.
2 Research Professor, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
3 Nanotechnology Consultant, Nanogeios Technologies, Miami, Florida, USA.
4 Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (BMKG), Jakarta, Indonesia.
5 Professor of Geology, Institute for Sustainable Earth and Resources, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.
6 Nanofoam N2 Hybrid Engineering Division, Incheon, South Korea.
 
Research Article
International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 2024, 13(02), 1434–1490.
Article DOI: 10.30574/ijsra.2024.13.2.2070
Publication history: 
Received on 17 September 2024; revised on 22 December 2024; accepted on 24 December 2024
 
Abstract: 
The optimization of subsurface hydrogen generation is limited by fundamental heat transport constraints affecting water-rock reactions. Here, we experimentally validate the Supracrystalline Phonon-Aligned Reaction Corridor (SPARC) framework, demonstrating that crystallographic fabric alignment at mesoscopic scales (10⁻⁶ to 10⁻² m) creates preferential thermal pathways, significantly enhancing hydrogen yields from serpentinization and radiolytic processes. Using a proprietary nitrogen hybrid nanofoam (95% N₂, 0.6–0.8% Al₂O₃, 0.3–0.5% SiO₂ nanoparticles), we engineered aligned fracture networks in olivine-rich cores, achieving pronounced thermal anisotropy. Directional thermal conductivity along SPARC-aligned corridors reached 30.5 ± 1.2 W/m·K—over three times higher than perpendicular orientations and conventional systems. Phonon coherence lengths extended to ~50 nm in aligned systems, compared to <1 nm in isotropic matrices.
Flow-through experiments at 200°C and 100 bar over 60 days showed SPARC-treated samples retained 88% of fracture aperture and produced 78% more hydrogen than controls (32 vs. 18 mmol/kg). Reaction front propagation increased by 63% in aligned domains, directly correlating with higher hydrogen yields. Introducing CO₂ resulted in a six-fold increase in methane generation in SPARC systems (170 vs. 30 μmol/kg), indicating improved catalytic efficiency.
Comprehensive characterization—using electron backscatter diffraction, micro-CT, laser flash analysis, thermoreflectance, and fluid chemistry monitoring—established the link between structural alignment, thermal transport, and reaction productivity. These results demonstrate that SPARC transforms thermal barriers into conductive channels, overcoming limitations in serpentinization. This engineered approach offers significant potential for geothermal energy, subsurface hydrogen development, and carbon mineralization, accelerating the deployment of geological hydrogen as a clean energy carrier.
 
Keywords: 
Geological hydrogen; Serpentinization; Phonon transport; Thermal conductivity anisotropy; Nanofoam; Crystallographic fabric
 
Full text article in PDF: 
 
Copyright information: 

Copyright © 2024 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0