The design and properties study of a novel styryl‐pyridinium‐based water‐soluble fluorescent copolymer as tracing agent

Abstract

ABSTRACTA water‐soluble fluorescent copolymer poly(acrylamide‐acrylic acid‐styrene pyridinium) (PAAS) for detecting polymer concentration in real time was synthesized via micellar free‐radical polymerization by acrylamide, acrylic acid, and styryl‐pyridinium salt derivative (SP‐4). The special Donor‐π‐Acceptor unit and ionic structure of SP‐4 endued the copolymer with excellent fluorescent properties and remarkable water solubility. The fluorescent copolymer was fully characterized by Fourier transform infrared, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, thermogravimetry, Ubbelohde viscosity, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and fluorescence measurements. Furthermore, the fluorescence intensity and the concentration of PAAS were verified to have ideal linear relationship with a correlation coefficient up to 0.9993, indicating that the copolymer's concentration can be easily measured by detecting its fluorescence intensity. Most importantly, the introduction of water‐soluble fluorescent monomer SP‐4 endowed the PAAS with good fluorescent stability in a wide range of temperature, pH, and brine concentrations. This study demonstrated that the fluorescent copolymer PAAS exhibits great potential application in detecting polymer concentration in various environments. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47062.