Drag reduction and shear resistance properties of ionomer and hydrogen bond systems based on lauryl methacrylate

Based on molecular dynamics simulation results, a lauryl methacrylate polymer with drag reduction and shear resistance properties was designed, and synthesized by emulsion polymerization using 2-vinyl pyridine and methyl methacrylate as the polar polymerization monomer. After ionization of lauryl methacrylate polymer, an ion-dipole interaction based drag reduction agent (DRA) was obtained. The existence of ion-dipole interaction was proven through characterization of the drag-reducing agent from its infrared (IR) spectrum. The pilot-scale reaction yield of the DRA under optimum conditions was investigated, and the drag reduction and shear resistance properties were measured. The results show that: 1) The ion-dipole or hydrogen bonding interaction can form ladder-shaped chains, therefore the synthesized DRA has shear resistance properties; 2) The larger the molecular weight (MW) and more concentrated the distribution of MW, the better the drag reduction efficiency and the performance of the ionomer system was superior to that of the hydrogen bonding system; 3) With increasing shear frequency, the drag-reduction rates of both the DRAs decreased, and the drag reduction rate of the ionomer system decreased more slowly than of the corresponding hydrogen bonding system. From the point of view of drag reduction rate and shear resistance property, the ionomer system is more promising than the hydrogen bonding system.