Characterization,solution properties,and morphologies of a hydrophobically associating cationic terpolymer

The acrylamide‐based terpolymers (PADB) with 4‐butylstyrene (BST) as the hydrophobic monomer and dimethyldiallyammonium chloride (DMDAAC) were synthesized by the micellar free radical technique. The polymer was determined by UV, FT‐IR and ¹HNMR, and the hydrophobic microblock structure of PADB was characterized successfully by the conventional DSC measurement. The use of DMDAAC improves the water solubility and intermolecular association of terpolymers. The feed amount of BST affects greatly the apparent viscosity of PADB solution. The polymer exhibits good viscosification property, salt resistance, temperature‐thickening, thixotropy, pseudoplastic behavior and shear‐thickening at low shear rate. The apparent viscosities of PADB solution remarkably increase by the addition of a small amount of surfactant. AFM measurements show that hydrophobic aggregates have been formed in 0.1 g dL^?1 PADB aqueous solution, indicative of strong associations of hydrophobic groups, which are reinforced with increasing PADB concentration. The microstructures of PADB are disrupted by the addition of small amounts of salt, resulting in the decrease in solution viscosity. However, with increasing NaCl concentration, the tree‐like associating structures are formed, leading to the increase in the solution viscosity of PADB. The AFM results reveal that the solution properties of PADB are due to the associating structures in the aqueous solution and brine solution. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 826–839, 2007