Memory effect in tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide semiclathrate hydrate reformation: the existence of solution structures after hydrate decomposition

A large degree of supercooling is necessary to form the tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide (TBAB) semiclathrate hydrate. One of the effective methods to suppress supercooling is the utilization of a kind of hysteresis called the "memory effect". Generally, the memory effect reduces supercooling and/or the induction period in clathrate hydrate formation. In the present study, we have observed the solution structure of TBAB aqueous solutions in the formation and decomposition processes of TBAB semiclathrate hydrate by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with the freeze-fracture replica method. The relationship between the memory effect and the solution structures of the TBAB supercooled aqueous solution was elucidated. The memory effect in the TBAB semiclathrate hydrate reformation is derived from the existence of residual clusters of 10-20 nm in the TBAB aqueous solution at 286.2 K, which is 1.0 K higher than the equilibrium decomposition temperature, even after the TBAB semiclathrate hydrate was completely decomposed.