Designing Brine-Stable, Transportable Nanoparticles for Downhole Sensing

Tuesday, April 3, 2012: 11:00 AM
Grand Ballroom H (Hilton of the Americas)
Michael S. Wong, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, James M. Tour, Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX and Mason B. Tomson, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX

The continuing increase in worldwide energy demand has motivated recent efforts of designing nanomaterials with signaling, sensing, and detection capabilities for oil exploration. 

Contrast-enhancing agents help detect specific targets at threshold levels and through nanoscale properties, enhance response and resolution of existing x-ray, electromagnetic and seismic-based detection methods. We recently synthesized carbon-based nanoparticles with hydrocarbon sensing capability, in which a hydrophobic compound is released when transporting through oil-containing rock (Berlin et al., Energy Environ. Sci., 4:2, 505-509, 2011).  I will discuss the design and synthesis of this material, and present evidence for their colloidal stability and transport in briny fluids.


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