Studies on Interaction of Hydrophobically Modified Polyacrylamide of a New Family with Cationic Gemini Surfactant

A new family of hydrophobically modified polyacrylamides (HMPAM) was synthesized via homogeneous copolymerization of acrylamide (AM) and anionic surface-active monomer of acrylamide-type, sodium 2-acrylamido-tetradecane sulfonate (NaAMC(14)S) in aqueous solution. The copolymers NaAMC(14)S/AM with microblock structures and with different chain microstructures were obtained by varying the copolymerization factors, such as the feed ratio of NaAMC(14)S to AM and the amount of added electrolyte NaCl and initiator. The interaction between copolymers NaAMC(14)S/AM and cationic gemini surfactants, C12C3C12Br2 and C12C6C12Br2, was studied by using viscosimetry and fluorescent probe technique. The results show this new family of HMPAM, NaAMC(14)S/AM, has very strong interaction with gemini surfactants, and their aqueous solutions exhibit unique rheological properties.