This study focuses on the synthesis and evaluation of three innovative nanocomposites—carbon nanotube/titanium dioxide (CNT/TiO 2 ), graphene nanoporous/titanium dioxide (GNP/TiO 2 ), and carbon/titanium dioxide (C/TiO 2 )—for their potential application in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The synthesized nanocomposites were thoroughly characterized using advanced techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The study further explores the efficacy of nanofluids containing CNT/TiO 2 , GNP/TiO 2 , and C/TiO 2 nanocomposites in enhancing oil recovery in oil-wet porous media. Nanofluids were dispersed in seawater (SW) and 10-fold diluted seawater (10SW) to evaluate their impact on interfacial tension (IFT) reduction, wettability alteration, and oil recovery. Results show that nanofluids significantly reduce IFT —by up to 75% for CNT/TiO 2 and GNP/TiO 2 at 0.1 wt.% concentration— and shift wettability from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, with contact angles decreasing from ∼137° to ∼47° after 4 days. Higher nanomaterial concentrations (0.1% wt.) and lower salinity (SW) enhance these effects, with CNT/TiO 2 and GNP/TiO 2 achieving ∼75% IFT reduction. Wettability alteration, assessed through contact angle measurements, demonstrated equilibrium after 4 days, with 10SW-based solutions exhibiting superior hydrophilicity. Oil recovery experiments revealed that 10SW + 0.1% nanocomposite solutions consistently achieved the highest recovery factors (∼65%), highlighting the critical roles of salinity and nanoparticle concentration. This research underscores the potential of optimized nanofluid formulations in enhanced oil recovery applications.
Razavirad et al. (Mon,) studied this question.