Characterization and demulsification of poly(ethylene oxide)–block–poly(propylene oxide)–block–poly(ethylene oxide) copolymers

Four poly(ethylene oxide)–block–poly(propylene oxide)–block–poly(ethylene oxide) copolymers with different molecular weights and PPO/PEO composition ratios were synthesized. The characterization of the PEO–PPO–PEO triblock copolymers was studied by surface tension measurement, UV–vis spectra, and surface pressure method. These results clearly showed that the CMC of PEO–PPO–PEO was not a certain value but a concentration range, in contrast to classical surfactant, and two breaks around CMC were reflected in both surface tension isotherm curves and UV–vis absorption spectra. The range of CMC became wider with increasing PPO/PEO composition ratio. Surface pressure π– A curves revealed that the amphiphilic triblock copolymer PEO–PPO–PEO molecule was flexible at the air/water interface. We found that the minimum area per molecule at the air/water interface increased with the proportion of PEO chains. The copolymers with the same mass fractions of PEO had similar slopes in the isotherm of the π– A curve. From the demulsification experiments a conclusion had been drawn that the dehydration speed increased with decreased content of PEO, but the final dehydration rate of four demulsifiers was approximate. We determined that the coalescence of water drops resulted in the breaking of crude oil emulsions from the micrograph.