SBIR-STTR Award

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to develop chitosan-derivatives through proprietary chemistries for use as additives in oil and gas drilling fluids. For this specific application, it is important to tailor the viscoelastic properties of the chitosan derivatives. Since little is known about how polymer structure affects polymer properties, a combinatorial approach will be used on this project to screen for the viscoelastic properties of the derivatives. Specifically, a high throughput mechanical screen will be adapted and examined, with the results from the screen correlated with more extensive viscoelastic measurements. The commercial application of this project will be in the additives market for oil and gas exploration

This SBIR Phase II project proposes to use simple chemistries to develop biopolymer derivatives based on chitosan with controlled macromolecular architectures for oil and gas drilling applications. This Phase II project will focus on the following objectives : (1) Show how chemistries common in food processing can be extended for the simple and safe modification of polymers ; (2) Use data on rheological characterization to better understand the structure-property relations of polymers; (3) Use the proposed high throughput screening to demonstrate how combinatorial screening can be adapted to materials development ; and (4) develop an entirely new class of high performance and environmentally-friendly products for oil and gas drilling. The commercial application of this project is in the area of industrial bioproducts