A review on the recent development of cyclodextrin-based materials used in oilfield applications

Cyclodextrin has been studied for more than 120 years. Due to the special structure and selectivity of the cyclodextrin cavity, native cyclodextrins, cyclodextrin derivatives and inclusion complexes have received extensive attention and are widely used in medicine, food, the environment, cosmetics, chemical analysis, separation technology, catalysts and other fields. Cyclodextrin-based materials have been applied to oilfields since the early 1980s and performed well in enhancing the performance of petroleum chemicals and improving the efficiency of oil exploration. This review introduces the characteristics of cyclodextrin-based materials, including cyclodextrin polymers, inclusion complexes and new cyclodextrin nanocomposites, and summarizes their applications in oilfields for the first time, such as retarded acid solution, enhanced oil recovery, clay stabilizers, corrosion and scale inhibitors, wastewater treatment, etc. Meanwhile, the action mechanisms, major challenges and development tendencies of cyclodextrin-based materials in oilfields are also comprehensively discussed.