Jamal Aalaie - aChemical Engineering Department, Tarbiat Modares University
Ebrahim Vasheghani-Farahani - aChemical Engineering Department, Tarbiat Modares University
Ali Rahmatpour - Polymer Science and Technology Division, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry
Mohammad Ali Semsarzadeh - Chemical Engineering Department, Tarbiat Modares University

Preparation and characterization of novel semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogels based on partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were described. Effects of PVA content on the viscoelastic properties and swelling behavior in tap water and different electrolyte solutions were investigated. Study of the gelation behavior using dynamic rheometery showed that the limiting storage modulus of the semi-IPN gels decreased with increasing PVA content. It was also found that increasing the PVA content increases the loss factor, indicating that the viscous properties of this gelling system increase more strongly than the elastic properties. The swelling ratio of the semi-IPN gels in tap water decreased as the concentration of the PVA increased. However, the semi-IPN gels showed lower salt sensitivity factor in synthetic oil reservoir water as compared with HPAM gels.

Hydrogel, Interpenetrating Polymer Network, Gelation, Swelling, Polyacrylamide, Poly (vinyl alcohol)