Synthesis and characterization of a series of modified polyacrylamide

We present the synthesis and the characterization of a new class of modified polyacrylamides (MPAM) with the unusual trait of strong emulsification ability, viscosity enhancement capacity, and significant salt tolerance. Besides, the synthesized polymers have the peculiar aggregation behaviors in aqueous solution. The synthesis was carried out by polymerizing the monomers such as acrylamide (AM), acrylic acid (AA), unsaturated amphiphilic functional moieties, and high steric hindrance functional units. Their aggregation behaviors were investigated by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The emulsion, formed by 10 ml of MPAM (with the polymer concentration of 1,000 mg/L) and the 10 ml of crude oil, was very stable, which indicates that the synthesized polymers have unique emulsification properties. The strong hydrophobic interaction between molecules and the three-dimensional network formed in aqueous solution were exhibited by the experimental results of steady fluorescence and SEM experiments. It could be concluded that the performance of polymers for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) can be remarkably enhanced by introducing functional monomers to polymer backbone, which allows the new class of modified polymers to have more promising application in enhanced oil recovery.