Synthesis and Characterization of Homopolymer of Decyl Acrylate and its Copolymer with Styrene and Evaluation of their Performance as a Pour Point Depressant in Lubricating Oil

Abstract

The potential for use of homopolymer of decyl acrylate and its copolymer with styrene as pour point depressant (PPD) additives in lubricating compositions has been investigated. The polymers (homo- and copolymers) were prepared by free radical initiator polymerization in toluene solvent, using benzoyl peroxide (BZP) as initiator and employing different levels of styrene (wt%) in the monomer mixture and were characterized employing TGA, FT-IR, and FT-NMR techniques. The homopolymer showed higher viscometric molecular weight (Mv) compared to the copolymers. A gradual decrease of Mv with the increase in styrene concentration is also observed in the case of copolymers. The resulting copolymers were evaluated for potential use as PPD in lubricant compositions through ASTM method and the results indicated that the prepared copolymer samples are more efficient as PPD than the homopolymer and the efficiency increases with the increase in concentration of additive up to a certain limit.