Inorganic fullerene-like particles and inorganic tubular-like particles in fluids and lubricants and applications to subterranean drilling

A drilling fluid comprising:

• a drilling fluid medium selected from the group consisting of water, air and water, air and foaming agent, a water based mud, an oil based mud, a synthetic based fluid, and a combination thereof;
• and
• at least one intercalation compound of a metal chalcogenide having molecular formula MX2, where M is a metallic element selected from the group consisting of titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), technetium (Tc), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), rhenium (Re), osmium (Os), iridium (Ir), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), mercury (Hg) and a combination thereof, and X is a chalcogen element selected from the group consisting of sulfur (S), selenium (Se), tellurium (Te), oxygen (O) and a combination thereof, wherein the intercalation compound has a fullerene-like structure or tubular-like structure, and the intercalation compound is present in the drilling fluid in an amount of greater than 0.1 wt % by weight.

A subterranean drilling method comprising:

• providing a drilling member;
• applying the drilling member to a terrane an surface to form a subterranean wellbore;
• and lubricating at least one of the subterranean wellbore and the drilling member with a drilling fluid including at least one intercalation compound of a metal chalcogenide having molecular formula MX2, where M is a metallic element selected from the group consisting of titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), technetium (Tc), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), rhenium (Re), osmium (Os), iridium (Ir), platinum (Pt), gold (Au) and mercury (Hg), and X is a chalcogen element selected from the group consisting of Sulfur (S), selenium (Se), tellurium (Te) and oxygen (O), wherein the intercalation compound has a fullerene-like structure or tubular-like structure.