Advanced Water Shut Off Application Using 2D Filler-Reinforced Polymer Gel Nanocomposite

Abstract The current work reports the successful preparation of polymer gel-based nanocomposite using 2D-nanofillers for water shutoff applications. Polyacrylamide (PAM)-2D nanofiller composites were prepared by mixing a 4 wt% of aqueous PAM solution with a specific amount of organic cross-linkers of hydroquinone (HQ) and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT), potassium chloride (KCl) solution, and 2D-nanofillers. Subsequently, the PAM solution and sand particles were well mixed and cured at 150 °C for 8 hours to prepare the nanocomposite gels. The prepared samples were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for successful nanocomposite formation. The samples’ equilibrium water absorption has reached as high as 90 g/g. Based on the results, the prepared PAM-2D-nanofiller composites can be potential candidates for water shutoff applications in the oil and gas industries.