An Advanced Material with Synergistic Viscoelasticity Enhancement of Hydrophobically Associated Water-Soluble Polymer and Surfactant

In order to prepare materials with controllable properties, changeable microstructure, and high viscoelasticity solution with low polymer and surfactant concentration, a composite is constituted by adding surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) to hydrophobically associated water-soluble polymer (abbreviated as PAAC) solution. The viscoelasticity, aggregate microstructure, and interaction mechanism of the composite are investigated by rheometery, Cryo-transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM), and fluorescence spectrum. The results show that when the mass ratio of polymer to surfactant is 15:1, the viscosity of the composite reaches the maximum. The viscosity of the composite system increases hundredfold. The viscosity plateau under dynamic shear is generated. The composite has the properties of high viscoelasticity, strong shear thinning behavior, and good salt tolerance, and temperature resistance. The maximum viscosity of the composite is shown at the salinity of 20000 mg L-1. In addition, there is no phase separation in the composite with the increase of polymer and surfactant concentration, which indicates the good stability of the system. It is proposed a method to obtain a high viscoelasticity solution by adding surfactants without wormlike micelles to a hydrophobically associated water-soluble polymer solution.

Automated summary

By adding surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) to a hydrophobically associated water-soluble polymer solution, a composite with high viscoelasticity, strong shear thinning behavior, and good salt tolerance can be prepared. The viscosity of the composite reaches the maximum when the mass ratio of polymer to surfactant is 15:1, increasing hundredfold.