Associative polymers for use in a flow and related compositions, methods and systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10428286-B2
Application number	US-201615269937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2016
Priority date	Sep 18, 2015
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

Described herein are associative polymers capable of controlling a physical and/or chemical property of non-polar compositions that can be used when the non-polar composition is in a flow, and related compositions, methods and systems. Associative polymers herein described have a non-polar backbone with a longest span having a molecular weight that remains substantially unchanged under the flow conditions and functional groups presented at ends of the non-polar backbone, with a number of the functional groups presented at the ends of the non-polar backbone formed by associative functional groups capable of undergoing an associative interaction with another associative functional group with an association constant (k) such that the strength of each associative interaction is less than the strength of a covalent bond between atoms and in particular less than the strength of a covalent bond between backbone atoms.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A framing associative polymer comprising:
a linear, branched, or hyperbranched polymer backbone having at least two ends and a functional group presented at two or more ends of the at least two ends of the linear, branched, or hyperbranched polymer backbone;

wherein the linear, branched, or hyperbranched polymer backbone is substantially soluble in a host non-polar composition,
wherein a number of the functional groups presented at the two or more ends is formed by associative functional groups each capable of undergoing an associative interaction with another associative functional group in the non-polar composition with an association constant (k), wherein

k
⁡

(

M

-
1

)

≥

4
3

⁢

π
⁡

(

R
g
2

)

3
2

⁢

N
a

n
F

×

10

-
23

in which R g is the radius of gyration of the framing associative polymer in the non-polar composition in nanometers, N a is Avogadro's constant; and n F is the average number of the associative functional groups in the framing associative polymer,

wherein a longest span of the framing associative polymer has a contour length L f , such that ½ L bf ≤L f <L bf ,
wherein L bf is a rupture length of the framing associative polymer in nanometers when the framing associative polymer is comprised within the host non-polar composition at framing associative polymer concentration c to provide an associative non-polar composition in a flow, L bf being given by implicit function

F
bf

=

π
⁢

⁢

μ
2

⁢

Re

3
/
2

⁡

(

L
bf

)

2

4
⁢

⁢
ρ
⁢

⁢

d
2

⁢

ln
⁡

(

L
bf

)

×

10

-
9

in which F bf is the rupture force of the framing associative polymer in nanonewtons, Re is the Reynolds number, d is the characteristic length of the flow in meters, p is the viscosity of the host non-polar composition μ h or the viscosity of the associative non polar composition μ a in Pa·s, and ρ is the density of the host non-polar composition ρ h or the viscosity of the associative non polar composition ρ a in kg/m 3 ,
wherein when c≤2 c*, μ is the viscosity of the host non-polar composition μ h , ρ is the density of the host non-polar composition ρ h , and when c>2 c*, μ is the viscosity of the associative non-polar composition μ a , and ρ is the density of the associative non-polar composition ρ a ,
and wherein

c
*

=

3
⁢

M
w

4
⁢

π
⁡

(

R
g
2

)

3
/
2

⁢

N
a

,

in which M w is the weight-average molecular weight, R g is the radius of gyration, and N a is Avogadro's constant.

2. The framing associative polymer of claim 1 , having a weight-average molecular weight equal to or lower than about 2,000,000 g/mol.

3. The framing associative polymer of claim 1 , having a weight-average molecular weight 400,000<M w [g/mol]≤1,000,000.

4. The framing associative polymer of claim 1 , wherein the association constant is 6≤log 10 k≤14.

5. The framing associative polymer of claim 1 , wherein the association constant is 6.9≤log 10 k≤7.8.

6. The framing associative polymer of claim 1 , wherein the associative functional group is a carboxylic acid and the another associative functional group is a carboxylic acid, or the associative functional group is a carboxylic acid and the another associative functional gro

Assignees

• California Inst Of Techn

Inventors

• Kornfield Julia A
• Wei Ming-Hsin

Classifications

• C10L1/195 Primary

  obtained by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds · CPC title

• C10L2270/026

  for diesel engines, e.g. automobiles, stationary, marine · CPC title

• C10L10/00

  Use of additives to fuels or fires for particular purposes (additives for liquid carbonaceous fuels characterised by their chemical nature C10L1/10; using binders for briquetting solid fuels C10L5/10; using additives to improve the combustion of solid fuels C10L9/10) · CPC title

• C10L1/198

  obtained otherwise than by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds {homo- or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon to carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an acyloxy radical of a saturated carboxylic acid, of carbonic acid} · CPC title

• C08G61/08

  of carbocyclic compounds containing one or more carbon-to-carbon double bonds in the ring · CPC title