Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COAL GEOLOGY
Volume 122, Issue -, Pages 105-109Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.coal.2013.12.015
Keywords
Shale; Turvostratic nanostructure; TEM; Basic structural unit; EELS; Conductivity
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Shales spanning a range of thermal maturity (similar to 0.6 to >4.5%R-e) were examined by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) in order to characterize the occurrence of turbostratic carbon nanostructures. Such structures, termed Basic Structural Units (BSU), were found in both demineralized and whole-rock samples. Highly aromatic turbostratic nanostructures found in a pre-oil window shale were verified by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Turbostratic nanostructures increase in abundance with increasing thermal maturity with their greatest frequency occurring in high maturity (>3.6%R), natural and artificially matured organic rich shales that exhibit anomalously high electrical conductivity in well logs. We hypothesize that these turbostratic carbon nanostructures initially form upon oil generation, increase in frequency with increasing thermal maturation, and eventually become numerous enough to establish mutual contact, either directly or through graphene-like sheets, so that the shale becomes conductive on a macroscopic scale. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available