(57f) Designing Brine-Stable, Transportable Nanoparticles for Downhole Sensing

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.