Preparation of a new polymeric surfactant and its thickening of the Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate system

In general, the viscosity of aqueous surfactant solutions is low and does not meet the elevated viscosity operating requirements of some practical applications. Inorganic salts are the most widely used thickeners, but they are not suitable for all application systems, such as the Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS) system. Polymer thickeners are comb-like compounds with many hydrophobic groups. These groups in solution through intermolecular forces form a network, increasing the viscosity of the system. In addition, non-ionic surfactant fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether has an excellent surface activity. If the product is combined with surfactants and polymers, it is possible to increase the viscosity of the system without degrading the application performance. A new type of polymeric surfactant (P-AA-AEO9) with thickening properties was synthesized by fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO9) and acrylic acid (AA). The structure and molecular weight of P-AA-AEO9 were determined by Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The surface properties of P-AA-AEO9 were investigated by the Krüss K12 surface tension meter and the Krüss bubble pressure tensiometer. Moreover, the thickening properties of the P-AA-AEO9 and the LAS/P-AA-AEO9 mixed solution was studied by rheology. P-AA-AEO9 can be used as a thickener for LAS systems. In addition, the viscosity of the LAS/P-AA-AEO9 mixed solution can be increased, thereby maintaining an excellent application performance of LAS.