{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]],"date-time":"2026-09-07T15:09:00Z","timestamp":1788793740031,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,5]],"date-time":"2026-09-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788566400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Gels"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Lost circulation in fractured formations remains a critical challenge in petroleum engineering, significantly hindering drilling efficiency and increasing operational risks. To overcome the limitations of conventional plugging materials under high-temperature and complex fracture conditions, a nanomaterial L-modified thermally expandable thixotropic gel system was developed. By incorporating a nanomaterial with strong thixotropic characteristics and multifunctional monomers, multiscale network regulation and interfacial enhancement were achieved. Systematic rheological and performance evaluations were conducted to optimize the formulation, enabling a balanced combination of flowability, structural recovery, and plugging performance. Experimental results demonstrate that the gel exhibits pronounced shear-thinning behavior and excellent thixotropic recovery, ensuring superior injectability under high shear and strong structural integrity under low-shear conditions. The system also maintains good thermal stability below 150 \u00b0C and achieves effective plugging across varying fracture scales. In addition, moderate salinity enhances network strength, whereas excessive salt concentration weakens structural stability and recovery capability. This study provides a novel design strategy for nanomaterial-regulated thermally expandable gels and offers a promising solution for lost circulation control in complex fractured formations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/gels12090813","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]],"date-time":"2026-09-07T13:53:28Z","timestamp":1788789208000},"page":"813","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Nanomaterial-Modified Thermally Expandable Thixotropic Gel for Enhanced Plugging Performance in High-Temperature Fractured Formations"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Dong","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Natural Resources Survey Institute of Hunan Province, Changsha 410007, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xian","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Natural Resources Survey Institute of Hunan Province, Changsha 410007, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiangwei","family":"Cai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Natural Resources Survey Institute of Hunan Province, Changsha 410007, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gang","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Natural Resources Survey Institute of Hunan Province, Changsha 410007, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xu","family":"Luo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Natural Resources Survey Institute of Hunan Province, Changsha 410007, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wenjun","family":"Shan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oil and Gas Survey, China Geological Survey, Beijing 100083, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2941","DOI":"10.1016\/j.petsci.2022.08.004","article-title":"Plugging performance and mechanism of an oil-absorbing gel for lost circulation control while drilling in fractured formations","volume":"19","author":"Bai","year":"2022","journal-title":"Pet. Sci."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"128244","DOI":"10.1016\/j.colsurfa.2021.128244","article-title":"High temperature resistant polymer gel as lost circulation material for fractured formation during drilling","volume":"637","author":"Bai","year":"2022","journal-title":"Colloids Surf. A Physicochem. Eng. Asp."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110404","DOI":"10.1016\/j.petrol.2022.110404","article-title":"Lost circulation materials for deep and ultra-deep wells: A review","volume":"214","author":"Pu","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Pet. Sci. Eng."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Han, J.L., Sun, J.S., Lv, K.L., Yang, J.B., and Li, Y.H. (2022). Polymer gels used in oil-gas drilling and production engineering. Gels, 8.","DOI":"10.3390\/gels8100637"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"483","DOI":"10.1007\/s13369-019-04315-6","article-title":"Deep Illustration for Loss of Circulation While Drilling","volume":"45","author":"Elkatatny","year":"2020","journal-title":"Arab. J. Sci. Eng."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"134","DOI":"10.2118\/181747-PA","article-title":"A Review on Fracture-Initiation and -Propagation Pressures for Lost Circulation and Wellbore Strengthening","volume":"31","author":"Feng","year":"2016","journal-title":"SPE Drill. Complet."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106653","DOI":"10.1016\/j.petrol.2019.106653","article-title":"Loss circulation in drilling and well construction: The significance of applications of crosslinked polymers in wellbore strengthening: A review","volume":"185","author":"Magzoub","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Pet. Sci. Eng."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1197","DOI":"10.1007\/s13202-023-01607-4","article-title":"Laboratory study of plugging mechanism and seal integrity in fractured formations using a new blend of lost circulation materials","volume":"13","author":"Elahifar","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Pet. Explor. Prod. Technol."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"732","DOI":"10.1016\/S1876-3804(21)60059-9","article-title":"Research progress and prospect of plugging technologies for fractured formation with severe lost circulation","volume":"48","author":"Sun","year":"2021","journal-title":"Pet. Explor. Dev."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"173","DOI":"10.1016\/S1876-3804(19)30017-5","article-title":"Lost circulation material for abnormally high temperature and pressure fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs in Tazhong block, Tarim Basin, NW China","volume":"46","author":"Su","year":"2019","journal-title":"Pet. Explor. Dev."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"He, Z., Fan, S., Fang, J.W., Yu, Y., Zhang, J., Li, S.G., and Xu, P. (2023). Research and Application of Fast Plugging Method for Fault Zone Formation in Tarim Basin, China. Energies, 16.","DOI":"10.3390\/en16114330"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"119743","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fuel.2020.119743","article-title":"Laboratory evaluation on temporary plugging performance of degradable preformed particle gels (DPPGs)","volume":"289","author":"Zhu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Fuel"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Yang, J., Sun, J.S., Bai, Y.R., Lv, K.H., Zhang, G.D., and Li, Y. (2022). Status and Prospect of Drilling Fluid Loss and Lost Circulation Control Technology in Fractured Formation. Gels, 8.","DOI":"10.3390\/gels8050260"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lecolier, E., Herzhaft, B., Rousseau, L., Neau, L., Quilien, B., and Kiedder, J. (2005, January 25\u201327). Development of a nanocomposite gel for lost circulation treatment. Proceedings of the SPE European Formation Damage Conference, Sheveningen, The Netherlands.","DOI":"10.2118\/94686-MS"},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"Zhang, J. (2021). Development and Application of Temperature Resistant and Delayed Crosslinking Polymer Gel Plugging Agent. [Master\u2019s Thesis, Chengdu University of Technology]."},{"key":"ref_16","first-page":"284","article-title":"Preparation and gelation behavior evaluation of ultra-stable chitosan gel plugging agent","volume":"40","author":"Yang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Oilfield Chem."},{"key":"ref_17","first-page":"723","article-title":"Research status of self-healing materials in the field of oil and gas drilling and production","volume":"40","author":"Sang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Oilfield Chem."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"47","article-title":"Lost circulation material and technology research of self-healing hydrogel","volume":"40","author":"Yang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Drill. Fluid Complet. Fluid"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5513","DOI":"10.1016\/j.polymer.2012.10.015","article-title":"Structure optimization of self-healing hydrogels formed via hydrophobic interactions","volume":"53","author":"Tuncaboylu","year":"2012","journal-title":"Polymer"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhong, H.Y., Shen, G.C., Yang, P., Qiu, Z.S., Jin, J.B., and Xing, X.D. (2018). Mitigation of Lost Circulation in Oil-Based Drilling Fluids Using Oil Absorbent Polymers. Materials, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/ma11102020"},{"key":"ref_21","first-page":"127","article-title":"Developing of hydrophobically associated polyacrylamide hydrogels and its self-healing mechanism","volume":"36","author":"He","year":"2020","journal-title":"Polym. Mater. Sci. Eng."},{"key":"ref_22","first-page":"415","article-title":"Review and prospect of bridging plugging technology in fractured formation","volume":"8","author":"Sun","year":"2023","journal-title":"Pet. Sci. Bull."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"134975","DOI":"10.1016\/j.colsurfa.2024.134975","article-title":"Impact of cationic polyacrylamide degradation on flocculation in wastewater treatment","volume":"702","author":"Loukili","year":"2024","journal-title":"Colloids Surf. A Physicochem. Eng. Asp."},{"key":"ref_24","first-page":"1","article-title":"A Nanogel Viscosifier and Plugging Agent for Deep Complex Formations: Performance Evaluation","volume":"22","author":"Luo","year":"2026","journal-title":"Xinjiang Oil Gas."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4075","DOI":"10.1007\/s11696-025-04107-3","article-title":"A review on nanomaterials: Introduction, synthesis, characterization, and applications","volume":"79","author":"Reshma","year":"2025","journal-title":"Chem. Pap."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1184","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.chemrev.9b00220","article-title":"Surface and interface control in nanoparticle catalysis","volume":"120","author":"Xie","year":"2019","journal-title":"Chem. Rev."},{"key":"ref_27","first-page":"1157","article-title":"Research progress of anti-high temperature viscosity raising and cutting agents for solid-free water-based drilling fluids","volume":"52","author":"Ni","year":"2023","journal-title":"Appl. Chem. Ind."},{"key":"ref_28","first-page":"1215","article-title":"Preparation and drug delivery application of zwitterionic polymer nanogels","volume":"45","author":"Wang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Chem. Life"},{"key":"ref_29","first-page":"590","article-title":"Preparation and performance evaluation of composite nano gel self-de-grading temporary plugging agent","volume":"10","author":"Jin","year":"2025","journal-title":"Pet. Sci. Bull."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"44","DOI":"10.2174\/1568026622666220818112728","article-title":"Nanogel-based trans-dermal drug delivery system: A therapeutic strategy with under discussed potential","volume":"23","author":"Tariq","year":"2023","journal-title":"Curr. Top. Med. Chem."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2303849","DOI":"10.1002\/adma.202303849","article-title":"Spiral-structured dielectric polymers exhibiting ultrahigh energy density and charge discharge efficiency at high temperatures","volume":"35","author":"Ran","year":"2023","journal-title":"Adv. Mater."}],"container-title":["Gels"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2310-2861\/12\/9\/813\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]],"date-time":"2026-09-07T14:20:53Z","timestamp":1788790853000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2310-2861\/12\/9\/813"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,5]]},"references-count":31,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]}},"alternative-id":["gels12090813"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/gels12090813","relation":{},"ISSN":["2310-2861"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2310-2861","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,5]]}}}