摘要：SummaryViscosification of carbon dioxide by polymers can make large scale CO2sequestration safe and efficient. We present solubility of branched hydrocarbon oligomers in CO2and viscosification measurements at relevant subsurface conditions. Polymers of 1-decene (P1D) with about 20 repeating units are found to be effective in CO2viscosification, increasing it by 6.5-fold at 1.8 wt% concentration at 308 K and 31 MPa. We reason that methyl groups and branching promote solubility and viscosification. Low molecular weight oligomers can have lower solubility in CO2than higher molecular weight ones and the trend in solubility is non-monotonic at constant pressure and temperature. Analysis of solubility trend of P1D oligomers in CO2advances our understanding of molecular structure and functionality and opens the path to engineering of oligomers effective in viscosification and widespread use of CO2.Graphical abstractDisplay OmittedHighlights•Increasing P1D size has non-monotonic solubility trend in CO2at moderate pressures•P1D solubility in CO2has monotonic trend at higher pressures•Methyl groups enhance solubilization in CO2•An exponential trend observed for relative viscosity with polymer molecular sizeChemical engineering; Organic chemistry; Polymers
