Patent ID: 9404030
Filing Date: 2016-08-02
CPC Classification: C09K,E21B

Claim Text:
1. A swellable article, comprising: a matrix material; an exfoliatable graphene-based material disposed in the matrix material, wherein the exfoliatable graphene-based material is operatively arranged to expand upon application of ultrasonic frequencies to the graphene-based material and to facilitate swelling of the swellable article upon exposure to a selected fluid by sorbing hydrocarbons in the fluid, the swelling enabling the swellable article to engage an adjacent structure, and an intercallant disposed between layers of the graphene-based material; and wherein the intercallant is one or more of the following: a metal selected from an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, rare earth metal, transition metal, and post-transition metal; a binary alloy of an alkali metal with mercury or thallium; a binary compound of an alkali metal with a Group V element; a metal chalcogenide comprising a metal oxide; a metal sulfide; a metal selenide; or a combination thereof a metal peroxide; a metal hyperoxide; a metal hydride; a metal coordinated by a nitrogenous compound; a halogen comprising Cl an acid comprising CF an oxidant comprising a permanganate ion, a chlorite ion, a chlorate ion, a perchlorate ion, a hypochlorite ion, a chromate ion, a dichromate ion; or a combination thereof; or a solvent comprising benzene, toluene, o-xylene, dimethyl sulfoxide, furan, tetrahydrofuran, o-dioxane, m-dioxane, p-dioxane, dimethoxyethane, n-methyl-pyrrolidone, n,n-dimethylacetamide, γ-butyrolactone, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, benzyl benzoate, hexafluorobenzene, octafluorotoluene, pentafluorobenzonitrile, pentafluoropyridine, pyridine, dimethylformamide, hexamethylphosphoramide, nitromethane, and benzonitrile, or a combination thereof.