Octylphenol Polyoxyethylene Acrylate Research Articles

Synthesis, Characterization, and Property Evaluation of a Hydrophobically Modified Polyacrylamide as Enhanced Oil Recovery Chemical

A novel hydrophobically modified polyacrylamide p(AM/NaA/OP-10-AC/BOAM) was successfully synthesized via an aqueous micellar copolymerization method from acrylamide (AM), sodium acrylate (NaA), octylphenol polyoxyethylene acrylate (OP-10-AC), and small amounts of N-benzyl-N-octylacrylamide (BOAM), with the aim of investigating the copolymer's rheological behaviors under various conditions such as polymer concentration, shearing, temperature, and salinity. The copolymer was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscope. Scanning electron micrographs show large aggregates in solution formed by the association from the hydrophobic groups of the copolymer. Compared with partially hydrolyzed polyacryamide (HPAM), the copolymer shows a much higher thickening capability and a much greater ability to resist shearing, heat, and salts. This good property of the copolymer is attributed to its three-dimensional dimensional network structure. According to the core flooding test, it can be obtained that oil recovery is enhanced about 4.3% by the copolymer flooding contrasted to the HPAM flooding in mid-low permeability cores under conditions of 1500 mg/L of polymers and 45°C. All the results prove that the copolymer has the capability of increasing oil recovery by improving waterflood sweep efficiency in high-salinity reservoirs.

Tensile Mechanical Properties of Hydrophobic Association Hydrogels: Effect of Crosslinking Method, Synthesis Temperature, Mineral Salt and Swelling

Hydrophobic association hydrogels (HA-gels) were prepared through micellar copolymerization of acrylamide (AM) and a small amount of octylphenol polyoxyethylene acrylate (OP-10-AC) in an aqueous solution containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). For the P(AM/OP-10-AC) HA-gels, the effect of crosslinking method, synthesis temperature, mineral salt (NaCl) and swelling on their tensile mechanical properties was investigated in detail. The experimental results show that crosslinking method, synthesis temperature, NaCl and swelling powerfully influenced tensile mechanical properties of the P(AM/OP-10-AC) HA-gels. In addition, according to the tensile experimental results of the P(AM/OP-10-AC) HA-gels swollen, an effective crosslinking density change model is proposed. The effect of swelling on tensile mechanical properties of the P(AM/OP-10-AC) HA-gels was discussed on the basis of the model.

Effect of Mineral Salts on Steady Rheological Properties of Nonionic Hydrophobically Modified Polyacrylamide and Its Stress-Relaxation Behavior

A micelle-forming polymerizable surfactant monomer, octylphenol polyoxyethylene acrylate (OP-10-AC), was synthesized, and then OP-10-AC was copolymerized with acrylamide (AM) to form nonionic hydrophobically modified polyacrylamide P(AM/OP-10-AC) through micellar copolymerization. In the absence of surfactants, it was investigated in detail that the effect of mineral salts and temperature on steady rheological properties of P(AM/OP-10-AC) solutions and the effect of concentrations on reduced viscosity of P(AM/OP-10-AC) in a dilute solution. The results indicate that concentrations of the copolymer, mineral salts and temperature had a strong influence on shear viscosity of P(AM/OP-10-AC) solutions, and the trend of reduced viscosity of P(AM/OP-10-AC) solutions was distinctly different from polyacrylamide with increasing concentrations of testing solutions. In addition, it was also investigated that stress-relaxation behavior of an aqueous solution of P(AM/OP-10-AC)/KCl. As a result, a stress-relaxation model of the copolymer solutions was proposed, which can further verify the correctness of the conclusion on stress-relaxation behavior of hydrophobic association hydrogels in the paper reported previously.

Solution behavior of two novel anionic polyacrylamide copolymers hydrophobically modified with n‐benzyl‐n‐octylacrylamide

AbstractTwo novel hydrophobically modified anionic polyacrylamides (HM‐PAMs), p(AM/NaA/NaAMC12S/BOAM) and p(AM/NaA/OP‐10‐AC/BOAM) have been prepared by an aqueous micellar copolymerization technique from acrylamide, sodium acrylate (NaA), sodium 2‐(acrylamido)dodecane‐1‐sulfonate (NaAMC12S), octylphenol polyoxyethylene acrylate (OP‐10‐AC), and small amounts of N‐benzyl‐N‐octylacrylamide, respectively, with the objective of investigating the copolymers' rheological behaviors and surface activities under various conditions such as polymer concentration, shear rate, temperature, and salinity. As expected, the copolymers exhibit improved thickening properties due to intermolecular hydrophobic associations as the solution viscosity of the copolymers increases sharply with increasing polymer concentration. A decrease in viscosity is observed with increasing temperature, and the solution viscosity of the copolymers decreases with increasing NaCl concentration. Furthermore, the block copolymers exhibit high air–liquid surface activities as the surface tensions (STs) decrease with increasing polymer concentration. This behavior is yet another evidence of polymolecular micelles formation of the copolymers in aqueous solution, and thus the high tendency to adsorb at an interface. The ST exhibited by the copolymers was found to be relatively insensitive to the concentration of salt (NaCl). Scanning electron micrographs showed large aggregates in solutions, which is formed by the association from the hydrophobic groups of the polymers. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers

Dual cross-linked networks hydrogels with unique swelling behavior and high mechanical strength: Based on silica nanoparticle and hydrophobic association

A series of physically cross-linked hydrogels composed poly(acrylic acid) and octylphenol polyoxyethylene acrylate with high mechanical strength are reported here with dual cross-linked networks that formed by silica nanoparticles (SNs) and hydrophobic association micro-domains (HAMDs). Acrylic acid (AA) and octylphenol polyoxyethylene acrylate with 10 ethoxyl units (OP-10-AC) as basic monomers in situ graft from the SNs surface to build poly(acrylic acid) hydrophilic backbone chains with randomly distributed OP-10-AC hydrophobic side chains. The entanglements among grafted backbone polymer chains and hydrophobic branch architecture lead to the SNs and HAMDs play the role of physical cross-links for the hydrogels network structure. The rheological behavior and polymer concentration for gelation process are measured to examine the critical gelation conditions. The correlation of the polymer dual cross-linked networks with hydrogels swelling behavior, gel-to-sol phase transition, and mechanical strength are addressed, and the results imply that the unique dual cross-linking networks contribute the hydrogels distinctive swelling behavior and excellent tensile strength. The effects of SNs content, molecular weight of polymer backbone, and temperature on hydrogels properties are studied, and the results indicate that the physical hydrogel network integrity is depended on the SNs and HAMDs concentration.

Network structure and compositional effects on tensile mechanical properties of hydrophobic association hydrogels with high mechanical strength

Hydrophobic association hydrogels (HA-gels) were successfully prepared through micellar copolymerization of acrylamide (AM) and a small amount of octylphenol polyoxyethylene acrylate (OP-4-AC) in an aqueous solution containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). HA-gels exhibited excellent mechanical properties and transparency. Especially, HA-gels possessed the capability of re-forming, such as self-healing and molding. From Fourier transform infrared, swelling behavior and re-forming capability of HA-gels, the network structure was established. On the basis of the micellar copolymerization theory, the statistical molecular theory of rubber elastic, and using uniaxial stretching data, the length of the hydrophobic microblocks, the effective network chain density and the molecular weight of the chain length between cross-linking points were evaluated for all HA-gels; furthermore, they were also evaluated for the region of medium deformation by the Mooney-Rivlin theory. For HA-gels, we investigated in detail the effects of the content of compositions in the initial solution, OP-4-AC, SDS and AM, on their tensile mechanical properties on the basis of the proposed network structure. The results clearly indicate their tensile strength, fracture energy, elastic modulus, and elongation strongly depended on their composition content.