# US 10,480,281 B2 · Nanoparticle-based shear-thickening materials

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- Number: US 10,480,281 B2
- Document ID: US10480281B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/812,720
- Filed: 2017-11-14
- Published: 2018-05-17
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2016-11-15
- Assignees: Saudi Arabian Oil Company; Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Applicants: Saudi Arabian Oil Company; Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Inventors: Abeer Mohammad Saleh Al-Olayan; Alfredo Alexander-Katz; Jason R. Cox
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480281B2

## CPC

- E21B 33/14: for cementing casings into boreholes
- C04B 24/42: Organo-silicon compounds
- C04B 28/02: containing hydraulic cements other than calcium sulfates
- C04B 40/0039: {Premixtures of ingredients}
- C09K 8/42: Compositions for cementing, e.g. for cementing casings into boreholes; Compositions for plugging, e.g. for killing wells (compositions for plastering C09K8/50)
- C09K 8/467: containing additives for specific purposes
- C09K 8/506: containing organic compounds
- C09K 8/516: characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. encapsulated material
- C09K 8/588: characterised by the use of specific polymers {(polymeric surfactants C09K8/584)}
- C09K 2208/10: Nanoparticle-containing well treatment fluids
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- C04B: LIME, MAGNESIA; SLAG; CEMENTS; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS; ARTIFICIAL STONE {(roofing granules E04D7/005)}; CERAMICS (devitrified glass-ceramics C03C10/00); REFRACTORIES; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE
- C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE

## Abstract

A composition includes an aqueous colloidal dispersion of a nanomaterial. The nanomaterial includes, disposed on a surface of the nanomaterial, a first coupling agent including silane and a functional group including an amino acid. The nanomaterial includes, disposed on the surface of the nanomaterial, a second coupling agent including silane and a polymer with a molecular weight between 1,000 and 20,000.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
introducing an aqueous colloidal dispersion to a subterranean zone, wherein the aqueous colloidal dispersion is a shear thickening material, and the aqueous colloidal dispersion comprises a plurality of silica nanoparticles, each of the plurality of silica nanoparticles comprising:
a first coupling agent disposed on a surface of the silica nanoparticle, the first coupling agent comprising silane and a functional group comprising an amino acid; and
a second coupling agent disposed on the surface of the silica nanoparticle, the second coupling agent comprising silane and a polymer with a molecular weight between 1,000 and 20,000; and
applying shear to the aqueous colloidal dispersion, thereby causing (i) the second coupling agent on each of the silica nanoparticles to collapse and (ii) the first coupling agent on each of the silica nanoparticles to bond with the first coupling agent on the neighboring silica nanoparticles, resulting in an increase in a viscosity of the aqueous colloidal dispersion.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a ratio between the first coupling agent and the second coupling agent disposed on the surface of the silica nanoparticle is between 1:1 and 20:1.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising mixing the aqueous colloidal dispersion with a cement before introducing the aqueous colloidal dispersion to the subterranean zone.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein applying the shear on the aqueous colloidal dispersion causes the viscosity of the aqueous colloidal dispersion to reversibly increase by a factor of 1.1 to 3.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein heating the aqueous colloidal dispersion to above 90° C. causes the viscosity of the aqueous colloidal dispersion to reversibly increase by a factor of 1.5 to 15.