A study was conducted on the construction of sulfonated poly(aryl ether ketone) nanomicelles and their dispersion–displacement synergistic behavior in deep oil recovery. Unlike conventional surfactant systems, inorganic nanoparticle-based EOR materials, and polymeric nanofluids that mainly rely on interfacial tension reduction, wettability alteration, or
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A study was conducted on the construction of sulfonated poly(aryl ether ketone) nanomicelles and their dispersion–displacement synergistic behavior in deep oil recovery. Unlike conventional surfactant systems, inorganic nanoparticle-based EOR materials, and polymeric nanofluids that mainly rely on interfacial tension reduction, wettability alteration, or viscosity regulation, this study constructs self-assembled sulfonated poly(aryl ether ketone) nanomicelles that integrate a rigid aromatic backbone, ionizable sulfonic acid groups, nanoscale dispersion, and interfacial regulation within one polymeric architecture. Sulfonated poly(aryl ether ketone) nanomicelles were prepared by combining polymer sulfonation with solvent-induced self-assembly, and their structural features, dispersion stability, interfacial behavior, porous-media transport, and displacement performance were systematically evaluated. Spectroscopic characterization confirmed the successful introduction of sulfonic acid groups into the polymer backbone. The resulting nanomicelles exhibited an average hydrodynamic diameter of 117.8 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.186, and a zeta potential of −38.6 mV in deionized water, while a value of −27.4 mV was still maintained at a salinity of 150,000 mg/L, indicating good electrostatic stability under highly mineralized conditions. Further evaluation showed that the 0.30 wt% system retained a transmittance of 97.4% after 15 d of static standing, and its particle size remained at 151.7 nm even under 120 °C and 150,000 mg/L, demonstrating favorable thermal–salinity tolerance. At the same concentration, the oil–water interfacial tension decreased to 6.9 mN/m at 1800 s, while the contact angle of oil-aged quartz was reduced from 118.4° to 58.7°, indicating effective regulation of both the oil–water interface and the solid surface wettability. During microscopic displacement, the residual oil area fraction decreased from 32.8% after water flooding to 14.6%, and cluster-like oil, corner oil, and film-like oil were reduced from 14.6%, 9.8%, and 8.4% to 5.9%, 4.2%, and 4.5%, respectively. In core flooding, the incremental oil recovery reached 13.2%, the final water cut decreased to 81.2%, and the injection pressure increased only from 0.42 MPa to 0.68 MPa. These results indicate that sulfonated poly(aryl ether ketone) nanomicelles promote deep residual-oil mobilization through the combined effects of stable dispersion, interfacial regulation, and effective transport, with 0.30 wt% identified as the preferred concentration range. The main scientific contribution of this work is to establish a structure–dispersion–interface–transport–displacement relationship for SPAEK nanomicelles under deep-reservoir conditions, providing a polymeric nanomicelle-based strategy distinct from conventional surfactant, sulfonated polymer, and nanoparticle flooding systems.
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