“…Acrylic acid (AA), N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP), acrylamide (AM), N,N′-Methylenebis(acrylamide)(MBA), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium Carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ), sodium sulfite (Na 2 SO 3 ), calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ), sodium chloride (NaCl), and potassium persulfate (K 2 S 2 O 8 ) were obtained from Sinopharm Group Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China) in analytical purity. Sodium bentonite (code as Na-bent, montmorillonite content: 90%, specific surface area: 702 m 2 g -1 , cation exchange capacity (CEC): 18.1 meq/100 g of clay) was purchased from Weifang Huawei Bentonite Group Co., Ltd. (Weifang, China) following the American Petroleum Institute (API) standards [37]. Technical-grade sodium formate (HCOONa), polyanionic cellulose (PAC-LV), and hyperbranched polymer (HBP) were provided by Jingzhou Jiahua Tech.…”