Synthesis of comb bipolymers and their pour point depressing properties

A bipolymer maleic anhydride-methyl acrylate(MAMA) was synthesized from maleic anhydride and methyl acrylate based on molecular design. MAMA further reacted with oleylamine or octadecyl alcohol to generate two comb polymers called Oleamide-MAMA(NMAMA) and OctadecanolMAMA(OMAMA), respectively. The structure of both the polymers was confirmed by their infrared spectral analysis(IR), gel permeation chromatography analysis(GPC) and differential scanning calorimeter(DSC). Moreover, the pour point depressing(PPD) properties of these comb polymers were examined experimentally. Experimental results showed that besides the molecular weight and concentration of the polymers, the length of side chains and the number of functional groups also had great influence on the pour point depressing performance. The π bonds and hydrogen bonds between depressants were the key factors for improving the pour point depressing properties. These results suggest that both OMAMA and NMAMA are potential pour point depressants for industry.