Polyacrylamide-Based Solutions: A Comprehensive Review on Nanomaterial Integration, Supramolecular Design, and
Moamen Hassan Mohamed1, Mysara Eissa Mohyaldinn1,2
1Petroleum Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Malaysia.
Polymers
|August 28, 2025
Summary
Advanced polyacrylamide (PAM) systems, enhanced with nanomaterials and supramolecular chemistry, offer improved hydrocarbon recovery. These sustainable PAM solutions are crucial for complex reservoirs despite ongoing scalability challenges.
Area of Science:
- Petroleum Engineering
- Polymer Science
- Materials Science
Background:
- Mature reservoirs face challenges like heterogeneity, sand production, and harsh conditions, limiting hydrocarbon recovery.
- Polyacrylamide (PAM)-based systems are key for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), conformance control, and sand management.
- A comprehensive review of PAM advancements is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically analyze the evolution and multifunctional capabilities of PAM-based materials for EOR, conformance control, and sand management.
- To highlight the impact of nanomaterial integration and supramolecular chemistry on PAM performance.
- To discuss the shift towards integrated reservoir management and sustainable PAM solutions.
Main Methods:
- Review of scientific literature on PAM-based materials for oil recovery.
- Analysis of advancements in nanomaterial integration (e.g., magnetic NPs, nanoclays) within PAM systems.
- Examination of supramolecular chemistry applications for enhanced PAM resilience and adaptive performance.
Main Results:
- Nanomaterial integration significantly improves PAM's rheological control, stability (thermal, salinity), interfacial properties, and wettability alteration.
- Supramolecular chemistry imparts resilience, self-healing, and adaptive capabilities to PAM under extreme conditions.
- Sustainable and bio-inspired PAM materials offer environmentally responsible solutions with enhanced biodegradability.
Conclusions:
- Advanced PAM systems, incorporating nanomaterials and supramolecular chemistry, are vital for maximizing hydrocarbon recovery in complex reservoirs.
- Integrated reservoir management, combining chemical designs with mechanical strategies and analytics, is a key paradigm shift.
- Despite challenges in scalability and predictability, continually re-engineered PAM systems represent an indispensable and sustainable cornerstone for future hydrocarbon recovery.
