Polymer gel systems find applications in diverse areas, ranging from contact lenses to agriculture and oil production. In general, polyacrylamide (PAM) gels are produced by reaction with metallic (low temperatures) and organic (high temperatures) crosslinking agents. In this paper, given crescent environmental concerns, polyethyleneimine (PEI), an organic reactant, was chosen as the crosslinker of PAM, at 65 ºC. The effects of using a solution of water/glycerol as the solvent for preparing the gels and the addition of diethylenetriamine (DETA), a n-alkylamine, on the gelation kinetics and gel stability were evaluated. The data presented in this paper indicate that the solvent mixture provided a more controlled gelling behavior by delaying the gelation time. Also, diethylenetriamine acted both as an efficient anti-syneresis agent, improving gel stability, and by delaying the progress of gel strength.

This work aims to evaluate, from a static and dynamic perspective, the performance of a polycarboxylic acid-based scale inhibitor in the presence of iron ions (FeIII). The static (jar test) and dynamic (tube blocking test) tests were performed according to NACE TM0197-2010 and NACE TM31105-2005 standards, respectively. The lowest inhibition concentration (LIC) was determined under flow conditions of oil wells. In addition, the influence of the concentration of FeIII ions on the precipitation process was also evaluated. The scale deposits were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrated that the scale inhibitor is chemically compatible and efficient with the selected brines, possessing a LIC of 30 mg L 1 in the absence of FeIII ions. In the presence of FeIII ions, the inhibitor proved to be inefficient and incompatible, and it was not possible to determine the LIC. The combined XRD, FTIR, and SEM analyses allowed us to identify the inhibitor’s mechanism of action as being one of complexation, poly(carboxylic acid)-Ca2+. Furthermore, analyses in the presence of FeIII ions demonstrated a significant change in the morphology of the incrustation of CaCO3 crystals. Additionally, it has been proven that FeIII ions significantly affect the performance of the inhibitor. Finally, the results indicated that in the absence of high concentrations of FeIII ions, the poly(carboxylic acid) scale inhibitors can be an option to mitigate operating costs resulting from the deposition of inorganic scale in oil wells.

Mango industry processing disposes 40-60% of this fruit as residues, such as peels and kernels. The exploration of bioproducts from these industrial rejects can reduce environmental impact besides of producing high value-added materials. In this scenario, carboxymethyl starch nanoparticles were produced from mango (Mangifera indica L.) kernel starch. These nanoparticles were then decorated with thermoresponsive chains of the amino terminated poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM-NH2), with the intention of evaluating their applicability in the biomedical area. Elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy confirmed successful grafting of PNIPAM-NH2 onto the carboxymethyl starch backbone. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and dynamic light scattering (DLS) data showed sizes of 100 and 112 nm in the dry state and of 744 and 598 nm in the hydrated state, when the grafting degree (GD) was of 6 and 14.3%, respectively. The degree of swelling was of 41,100 and 15,100% for GD of 6 and 14.3% respectively, suggesting that the nanogels are suitable for drug incorporation. The toxicity of the nanogels to human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and red blood cells (RBCs) was evaluated by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alamarBlue and hemolysis assays. Both nanogels were non-cytotoxic and non-hemolytic, suggesting the suitability of these biomaterials for cell-and blood-contacting applications.

Poli(acrilamida-co-dihexilacrilamida) (PAHM-0) e poli(acrilamida-co-acrilato de sódio-co-dihexilacrilamida) (PAHM-21) foram estudadas por espalhamento de raios-X a baixos ângulos (SAXS), espalhamento de luz (LS) e reologia. Os resultados de SAXS ressaltaram o caráter polieletrolítico da PAHM-21, com uma conformação altamente estendida em solução aquosa devido às repulsões entre as cargas, enquanto a PAHM-0 tem uma conformação em novelo aleatório. As medidas de LS indicaram que a PAHM-0 forma aglomerados intermoleculares em solução, na presença e na ausência de sal, mesmo com um conteúdo hidrofóbico menor que o descrito na literatura para poliacrilamidas associativas. Contudo, os resultados reológicos mostraram que, apesar de haver associação hidrofóbica, não há um aumento da viscosidade. Os resultados de LS da PAHM-21 sugerem que esse polímero forma, predominantemente, associações intramoleculares na presença de sais. Além disso, as medidas viscosimétricas mostram que a sua viscosidade diminui com a blindagem das cargas pela adição de sais.

Poly(acrylamide-co-dihexylacrylamide) (PAHM-0) and poly(acrylamide-co-sodium acrylate-co-dihexylacrylamide) (PAHM-21) were studied through small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), light scattering (LS) and rheology. SAXS results highlighted the polyelectrolyte character of PAHM-21, with highly extended conformation in aqueous solution owing to charge repulsion, while the PAHM-0 has a coil conformation. LS measurements indicated that PAHM-0 makes intermolecular clusters in solution, in presence and absence of salt, even with a lower hydrophobic content than that described in the literature to the associative polyacrylamides. However, the rheological results showed that there is not an enhancement of the viscosity although hydrophobic association takes place. LS results for PAHM-21 suggest that this polymer makes intramolecular associations mainly in the presence of salts. Furthermore, the viscosity measurements show that its viscosity decreases due to screening of the charges by the addition of salts.

Uma poliacrilamida hidrofobicamente modificada e dois dos seus derivados parcialmente hidrolisados, contendo grupos hidrofóbicos e carboxila, foram preparados por polimerização micelar e pós-hidrólise. A massa molar, o segundo coeficiente do virial e o raio de giração foram determinados por espalhamento de luz estático (SLS). O espalhamento de luz dinâmico (DLS) e o espalhamento de raios-X a baixos ângulos (SAXS) foram utilizados respectivamente para determinar a formação de agregados e o tipo de empacotamento das cadeias em regime semi-diluído. O comportamento das soluções, em regime diluído e semi-diluído foi estudado por viscosimetria e reologia. A poliacrilamida modificada hidrofobicamente apresentou tendência à formação de agregados devido aos grupos hidrofóbicos, mas essa agregação não foi suficiente para aumentar a viscosidade aparente. Embora os derivados parcialmente hidrolisados não apresentassem a mesma tendência para agregação, eles apresentaram um comportamento anisotrópico devido à introdução de densidade de carga sobre a cadeia polimérica, a qual levou a uma conformação mais alongada da macromolécula e maior viscosidade.

A hydrophobically-modified polyacrylamide and two partially hydrolyzed derivatives containing hydrophobic and carboxylic groups were prepared by micellar polymerization and post-hydrolysis. The molecular weight, second virial coefficient and radius of gyration were determined by static light scattering (SLS). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) were employed to determine the aggregate formation and type of chain packing in the semidilute regime, respectively. The behavior of solutions in dilute and semidilute regimes was also studied by viscometry and rheology. The hydrophobically-modified polyacrylamide showed a tendency to form aggregates due to the hydrophobic groups, but not enough to increase apparent viscosity. The partially hydrolyzed derivatives did not show the same aggregate-forming tendency. Rather, they exhibited anisotropic behavior, due to the charge density introduced into the polymer chain, which led to a more elongated macromolecular conformation and higher viscosity.