Patent ID: 7501008

Claim:
A storage and dispensing system for storing and dispensing a target gas, comprising: (a) a housing for containment of carrier material for the target gas, said housing comprising a gas collection compartment and a gas storage compartment, and being adapted to hold a volume of said carrier material in isolation from an exterior environment of the housing; (b) a plurality of microtubular elements disposed in said housing i) having an outer diameter in a range of from 10 micrometers to 1 millimeter, ii) one or more open ends in fluid communication with either the gas collection compartment or the gas storage compartment and iii) extending from said compartment with which it is in fluid communication and into the other compartment, wherein each of said microtubular elements comprises a tubular wall defining a bore side and a shell side, and wherein the bore side of each of said microtubular elements is sealed from the shell side thereof; (c) a seal which, together with the tubular walls, sealingly isolates the gas collection compartment from the gas storage compartment; and (d) a carrier material for storing said target gas, wherein said carrier material is disposed in said gas storage compartment and stored in said housing in isolation from the exterior environment of said housing, and wherein the gas storage compartment is at either the bore sides or the shell sides of said microtubular elements.