Polymer nano-clays as multifunctional mud logging barcode tracers

A method comprising:

• providing at least two different tags, wherein each of the different tags comprises a polymer with a different molecular weight embedded into a clay nanoparticle;
• circulating each of the different tags with a drilling fluid through a well while drilling different sections of the well, wherein the different tags interact with formation cuttings during drilling and circulating, creating different tagged cuttings;
• collecting returned cuttings from the circulating drilling fluid at a surface of the well;
• detecting the presence of the different tags on the returned cuttings to identify the different tagged cuttings;
• correlating each of the different tagged cuttings with the different sections of the well;
• and
• generating a log of the well including properties of the different tagged cuttings mapped along the corresponding different sections of the well.

A method, comprising:

• forming a plurality of tags, comprising:
• providing a polymer solution comprising first polymer molecules having a first molecular weight;
• mixing clay nanoparticles in the polymer solution;
• waiting for an amount of adsorption of the first polymer molecules adsorbing onto the clay nanoparticles;
• separating the polymer adsorbed clay nanoparticles from the polymer solution;
• and
• functionalizing the surface of the polymer adsorbed clay nanoparticles to increase hydrophobicity of the polymer adsorbed clay nanoparticles;
• and
• mixing the tags with a drilling fluid.