Preparation of heat resisting poly(methyl methacrylate)/silica fume composite microspheres used as ultra‐lightweight proppants

Abstract

Ultra-lightweight heat resisting poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/silica fume microspheres were successfully prepared via in-situ suspension polymerisation. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that PMMA/silica fume composite microspheres had good sphericity and the silica fume particles were evenly dispersed in microspheres and formed lots of macroporous material. Furthermore, density analysis illustrated that the density of composites was about 1.06-1.24 g/cm 3 with good suitability for water carrying. Thermal stability of the PMMA/silica fume composite particles was significantly better than pure for PMMA. Therefore, PMMA/silica fume composite microspheres possess an entirely feasible application in oil exploitation as ultra-lightweight proppants.

Facile and Controllable Preparation of Poly(St-co-MMA)/FA Microspheres Used as Ultra-Lightweight Proppants

“…The density of proppants depends on the composition, which can be adjusted by choosing the most suitable materials [ 18 ]. In our previous study, a series of organic–inorganic composite microspheres were prepared by suspension polymerization and used as ULW proppants, such as PMMA/AG [ 19 ], PMMA/SF [ 20 , 21 ], PMMA/FA [ 22 ], and PS/graphite [ 23 ]. However, only the PMMA or PS were used as the organic component in these proppants.…”

Influence of ionic liquid on glass transition, dynamic rheology, and thermal stability of poly(methyl methacrylate)/silica nanocomposites

“…Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) having high stiffness and excellent dimensional stability is widely used in production of transparent artifacts to replace inorganic glasses. The introduction of silica can further improve rigidity and dimensional stability while the polymer dynamics are highly dependent on the filler dispersion . PMMA could form hydrogen bonds with silanols on the surface of silica nanoparticles, which tends to immobilize a thin layer (2 nm) of polymer chains surrounding the nanoparticles .…”