Novel hydrophobically associative polyacrylamide with tunable viscosity

Hydrophobically associative polyacrylamide (HAPAM) were prepared in aqueous solution by radical copolymerization of novel cationic surface-active monomer, dimethylhexadecyl(3-acrylamidopropyl)ammonium bromide (DMHAB), with acrylamide (AM) in the presence of DMHAB/CTAB mixed micelles. The length of hydrophobic microblock (NH) in HAPAM is controlled by the molar fraction of DMHAB in mixed micelles, which can be mediated by the ratio of CTAB to DMHAB. The results of steady-state fluorescence probe and viscometry experiments showed the ability of HAPAM association was determined by the length of the hydrophobic microblock. HAPAM with tunable association ability are promising materials for thickening agent.