Study on the optimization of silicone copolymer synthesis and the evaluation of its thickening performance

Silicone polymer shows high performance for thickening supercritical carbon dioxide and has become a well-known target because it is inexpensive and environmentally friendly. In this study, siloxane polymer was synthesized by a copolymerization reaction. The synthesis conditions of the silicone polymer were optimized using a Box–Behnken design, and the yield from the process was considered as an evaluation criterion in the screening of the synthesis process. The thickening effect of the polymer was evaluated using an in-house-built ball viscometer with operation pressure not exceeding 30 MPa. The experiments clearly showed that temperature is the most crucial factor for the synthesis process. At higher preparation temperatures (>90 °C), the yield significantly decreased from the process. The stability of the yield was influenced by the change in the molar ratio and amount of the catalyst used in the preparation. The most optimal preparation parameter for the synthesis was at a temperature of 90 °C, with an aminopropyltriethoxysilane-to-methyl triethoxysilane molar ratio of 2 : 1, and 0.09 g of tetramethylammonium hydroxide as a catalyst. The test yield (84.51%) coordinated well with the predicted yield of 83.72%. Adding 3 wt% siloxane to pure carbon dioxide thickened it 5.7 times at 35 °C and 12 MPa. An enhanced yield trend was observed with increasing pressure and a temperature range of 35–55 °C. The application of CO(2) fracturing technology can help to reduce the greenhouse effect and the environmental pollution caused by fluoropolymers as thickeners when silicone polymer is deployed as a thickener for CO(2).