Associative polymers and related compositions, methods and systems

A method to control resistance to flow and/or flow rate enhancement of a non-polar composition alone or in combination another physical and/or chemical property of the non-polar composition, the method comprising

• providing a host composition having a dielectric constant equal to or less than about 5;
• providing at least one framing associative polymer substantially soluble in the host composition, the at least one framing associative polymer having a weight averaged molecular weight equal to or higher to 200,000 g/mol and equal to or lower than 2,000,000 g/mol the at least one framing associative polymer comprising
• a linear, branched, or hyperbranched hydrocarbon polymer backbone comprising a polyolefin and having at least two ends;
• and
• a functional group presented at two or more ends of the at least two ends of the linear, branched, or hyperbranched polymer backbone;
• wherein a number of functional groups presented at the two or more ends of the at last one associative polymer is formed by associative functional groups each capable of undergoing an associative interaction with another associative functional group in the non-polar composition with an association constant (k) log10k≤14
• the association constant (k) being provided by
• k
• ⁡
• (
• M
• -
• 1
• )
• ≥
• 4
• 3
• ⁢
• π
• ⁡
• (
• R
• g
• 2
• )
• 3
• 2
• ⁢
• N
• a
• n
• F
• ×
• 1
• ⁢
• 0
• -
• 2
• ⁢
• 3
• in which Rg is the radius of gyration of the framing associative polymer in the non-polar composition in nanometers, Na is Avogadro's constant;
• and nF is the average number of the associative functional groups in the at least one framing associative polymer;
• the method further comprising
• combining the host composition and the at least one framing associative polymer at a concentration c being about 0.5 c* or less, depending on the weight averaged molecular weight and/or Radius of gyration of the at least one framing associative polymer and on a physical and/or chemical property to be controlled,
• wherein
• c
• *
• =
• 3
• ⁢
• M
• w
• 4
• ⁢
• π
• ⁡
• (
• R
• g
• 2
• )
• 3
• /
• 2
• ⁢
• N
• a
• ,
• in which Mw is the weight averaged molecular weight, Rg is the radius of gyration, and Na is Avogadro's constant and
• wherein the concentration of the at least one associative polymer is suitable to control resistance to flow and/or flow rate enhancement of the non-polar composition alone or in combination another physical and/or chemical property.