Opticoanalytical devices with capacitance-based nanomaterial detectors

• US 10,260,946 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2015
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Price, James M., Nayak, Aditya B., Perkins, David L., Pelletier, Michael T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Que Tan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bennett, Jennifer D
• Application Number:
  US15/306,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20170268926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/00 Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/46 using a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/1226 Interference filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/1282 Spectrum tailoring
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/00 Spectrometry; Spectrophotometry; Monochromators; Measuring colours
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0286 Constructional arrangements for compensating for fluctuations caused by temperature, humidity or pressure, or using cooling or temperature stabilization of parts of the device; Controlling the atmosphere inside a spectrometer, e.g. vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0297 Constructional arrangements for removing other types of optical noise or for performing calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/12 Generating the spectrum; Monochromators
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/42 Absorption spectrometry; Double beam spectrometry; Flicker spectrometry; Reflection spectrometry beam switching arrangements G01J3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/457 Correlation spectrometry, e.g. of the intensity G01J3/453 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/251 Colorimeters; Construction thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/31 Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry G01N21/72 takes precedence

Abstract

Optical computing devices may include capacitance-based nanomaterial detectors. For example, an optical computing device may include a light source that emits electromagnetic radiation into an optical train extending from the light source to a capacitance-based nanomaterial detector; a material positioned in the optical train to optically interact with the electromagnetic radiation and produce optically interacted light; and the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector comprising one or more nano-sized materials configured to have a resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum and being configured to receive the optically interacted light, apply a vector related to the characteristic of interest to the optically interacted light using the resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum, and generate an output signal indicative of the characteristic of interest.

Claims

1. An optical computing device, comprising:

a light source that emits electromagnetic radiation into an optical train that extends from the light source to a capacitance-based nanomaterial detector that comprises one or more nano-sized materials that have an absorption spectrum;

a material and an integrated computational element (ICE) core positioned in the optical train to optically interact with the electromagnetic radiation, thereby generating modified electromagnetic radiation,

wherein the material includes a characteristic of interest and the ICE core applies a vector to the electromagnetic radiation that is related to the characteristic of interest,

wherein the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector receives the modified electromagnetic radiation and generates an output signal indicative of the characteristic of interest, and

wherein the absorption spectrum of the one or more nano-sized materials corresponds to a spectrum of the modified electromagnetic radiation.

2. The optical computing device of claim 1, wherein the output signal of the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector positively correlates to the characteristic of interest.

3. The optical computing device of claim 1, wherein the output signal of the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector negatively correlates to the characteristic of interest.

4. The optical computing device of claim 1, wherein the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector is a first detector, and wherein the optical computing device further comprises a second detector and a beam splitter, the beam splitter being positioned in the optical train direct the modified electromagnetic radiation to the first and second detectors.

5. The optical computing device of claim 4, wherein the second detector is a second capacitance-based nanomaterial detector.

6. The optical computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more nano-sized materials comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, Si_xGe_y (x+y=1, 0<

x<

1), GaAs, and GaSb.

7. The optical computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more nano-sized materials comprise at least one nanoparticle having a shape selected from the group consisting of a film, a wire, a rod, a tube, a stars, and a disc.

8. A method comprising:

emitting electromagnetic radiation with a light source into an optical train that extends from the light source to a capacitance-based nanomaterial detector comprising one or more nano-sized materials configured to have an absorption spectrum;

optically interacting the electromagnetic radiation with a material and an integrated computational element (ICE) core positioned in the optical train, thereby producing modified electromagnetic radiation, wherein the material includes a characteristic of interest and the ICE core applies a vector to the electromagnetic radiation that is related to the characteristic of interest;

receiving the modified electromagnetic radiation with the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector; and

generating an output signal from the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector indicative of the characteristic of interest,

wherein the absorption spectrum of the one or more nano-sized materials corresponds to a spectrum of the modified electromagnetic radiation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector is a first detector, and wherein the method further comprises directing the modified electromagnetic radiation with a beam splitter to the first detector and a second detector.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second detector is a second capacitance-based nanomaterial detector.

11. An optical computing device, comprising:

a light source that emits electromagnetic radiation into an optical train extending from the light source to a capacitance-based nanomaterial detector;

a material having a characteristic of interest and being positioned in the optical train to optically interact with the electromagnetic radiation and produce optically interacted light; and

the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector comprising one or more nano-sized materials configured to have a resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum and being configured to receive the optically interacted light, apply a vector related to the characteristic of interest to the optically interacted light using the resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum, and generate an output signal indicative of the characteristic of interest,

wherein the resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum corresponds to a spectrum of the optically interacted light.

12. The optical computing device of claim 11, wherein the output signal of the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector positively correlates to the characteristic of interest.

13. The optical computing device of claim 11, wherein the absorption spectrum of the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector is resonantly-tuned to negatively correlate to the characteristic of interest.

14. The optical computing device of claim 11, wherein the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector is a first detector, and wherein the optical computing device further comprises a second detector and a beam splitter, the beam splitter being positioned in the optical train to receive the optically interacted light and direct the optically interacted light to the first and second detectors.

15. The optical computing device of claim 14, wherein the second detector is a second capacitance-based nanomaterial detector comprising one or more nano-sized materials configured to have a resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum and being configured to receive the optically interacted light, apply a vector related to the characteristic of interest to the optically interacted light using the resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum, and generate an output signal indicative of and negatively correlated to the characteristic of interest, and wherein the first detector is positively correlated to the characteristic of interest.

16. The optical computing device of claim 11, wherein the one or more nano-sized materials comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge, Si_xGe_y (x+y=1, 0<

x<

1), GaAs, and GaSb.

17. The optical computing device of claim 11, wherein the one or more nano-sized materials comprise at least one nanoparticle having a shape selected from the group consisting of a film, a wire, a rod, a tube, a stars, and a disc.

18. A method comprising:

emitting electromagnetic radiation with a light source into an optical train that extends from the light source to a capacitance-based nanomaterial detector comprising one or more nano-sized materials configured to have a resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum;

optically interacting the electromagnetic radiation with a material having a characteristic of interest and being positioned in the optical train, thereby producing optically interacted light;

receiving the optically interacted light with the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector;

apply a vector related to the characteristic of interest to the optically interacted light using the resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum; and

generating an output signal from the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector indicative of the characteristic of interest,

wherein the resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum corresponds to a spectrum of the optically interacted light.