Preparation of novel amphoteric polyacrylamide and its synergistic retention with cationic polymers

A novel amphoteric polyacrylamide (PDAA) was prepared by inverse emulsion polymerization. The influence of its cationic degree and molecular weight on retention property was discussed. Then, the chemical structure and micromorphology of the obtained PDAA were characterized by Fourier infrared spectrum (FTIR), NMR hydrogen spectrum (1H NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Finally, the synergistic retention effects of polydimethyldiallylammonium chloride (PDADMAC), cationic starch (CS), cationic guar gum (CHPG), cationic chitosan (CTS), and polyamine (PA) on the novel PDAA were investigated. The results showed that the optimum cationic degree and molecular weight of PDAA were 25% and 4 million, respectively. The chemical structure of PDAA was confirmed by FTIR, 1H NMR, and GPC. SEM showed that the particle size of PDAA was between 150 and 600 nm, and the particles were very stable because no broken particles were found. In addition, most of the five cationic polymers have good synergistic retention effect on PDAA, and the order of synergistic effect was PDAA/PDADMAC > PDAA/CTS > PDAA/CS > PDAA/CHPG > PDAA/PA.