From biomedical to oil industry: Promising mesoporous materials for oil field applications

Developing nanocarriers deliver molecules to targeted locations has received widespread attention in different fields ranging from biomedical to oil and gas industries. Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (MSNs), where the pore size diameter ranges from 2-50 nm, have become attractive in many fields including biomedicine. One advantage is the ability to control the size, morphology of the particles, and the internal and external surfaces properties which enable encapsulating molecules of different size and charges. Moreover, it is possible to functionalize the pores and the surface of the MSNs, which make them suitable to host different molecules and release them in situ in a controlled manner. Despite the numerous studies of MSNs, little has been devoted to subsurface applications. This review will highlight some of the interesting characteristics of MSNs that make them promising carriers of molecules for slow and/or stimuliresponsive delivery for oil field applications. For example, they could be utilized for the controlled release of surfactants for enhanced oil recovery applications to minimize surfactant losses near the well-bore area. The mesoporous materials can be designed to harvest the ions normally present in oil field water, and the high temperatures encountered when travelling deep in the reservoir to release the surfactant. The ion exchange process makes it possible to engineer the MSNs to release their cargo for efficient and stimuli responsive delivery applications. The ion-responsive release was analyzed by the interfacial tension behavior between crude oil and high salinity water (HSW). It is concluded that the interfacial tension could be reduced up to 0.0045 mN/m when the mesoporous silica particles are suspended in HSW in comparison to 0.9 mN/m when suspended in DI water.