Polyacrylamide and its derivatives for oil recovery

Fig. 9 
Dependence of the complex modulus on the concentration of PVA
 
Conclusions 
The objective of this work was to synthesize PAM/PVA IPNs as a high strength 
IPN of polyacrylamide and poly(vinyl alcohol) that could be applied in EOR water 
flooding. A series of PVA/PAM IPN hydrogels were prepared by in situ, free radical 

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solution polymerization and crosslinking of AM with methylene-bisacrylamide, and 
concurrent crosslinking of PVA with glutaraldehyde. As a result of the secondary PVA 
network formation, the mechanical properties were greatly enhanced. Flory-Rehner 
theory was used to study the effect of loading of PVA on the swelling and mechanical 
properties of IPN hydrogel. It was shown that the concentration of the IPN in the 
hydrogel matrix was proportional to the obtained mechanical strength and swelling to 
custom design a product for specific application requirements. The potential of 
PAM/PVA IPN hydrogels for EOR was assessed by evaluating hydrogels swelling 
properties in brine and under stimuli of pH and salt concentrations. The PAM/PVA IPNs 
showed lower swelling ratios but also less sensitivity to salt and pH change than pure 
PAM hydrogel. Both PAM and PVA are biocompatible materials of low toxicity. The 
PAM/PVA IPN hydrogel products were observed to be highly porous in structure, which 
may also be suitable for potential tissue engineering and biomedical applications. 

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References 
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1.Kabiri, K. and M. Zohuriaan
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Mehr, Superabsorbent hydrogel composites. 
Polymers for Advanced Technologies, 2003. 
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(6): p. 438-444. 
2. 
Kopeček, J., Polymer chemistry: swell gels. Nature, 2002.