title: Assembly of porous hierarchical copolymers/resin proppants: New approaches to smart proppant immobilization via molecular anchors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The assembly of temperature/pH sensitive complex microparticle structures through chemisorption and physisorption provides a responsive system that offers application as routes to immobilization of proppants in-situ.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) along with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) have been used to characterize a series of bi-functionalized monolayers and/or multilayers grown on alumina microparticles and investigate the reactive nature of both temperature sensitive cross-linker (epoxy resin) with the layers and pH-responsive bridging layer (polyetheramine).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The bifunctional acids, behaving as molecular anchors, allow for a controlled reaction with a cross-linker (resin or polymer) with the formation of networks, which is either irreversible or reversible based on the nature of the cross-linker. The networks results in formation of porous hierarchical particles that offer a potential route to the creation of immobile proppant pack.
authors.affiliation: Energy Safety Research Institute (ESRI), Swansea University Bay Campus, Fabian Way, Swansea, SA1 8EN Wales, UK.
authors.forename: Shirin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.affiliation: Energy Safety Research Institute (ESRI), Swansea University Bay Campus, Fabian Way, Swansea, SA1 8EN Wales, UK.
authors.forename: Charles W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Dunnill
authors.affiliation: Energy Safety Research Institute (ESRI), Swansea University Bay Campus, Fabian Way, Swansea, SA1 8EN Wales, UK; Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; Department of Materials Science and Nanoengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA. Electronic address: a.r.barron@swansea.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Barron
keywords: Assembly/disassembly; Molecular anchors; Proppant; Surface modification; pH responsive polymers