Hydroxyl polymer polymeric structures comprising ammonium alkylsulfonate salts and methods for making same

Abstract

Polymeric structures, for example fibrous elements, such as filaments and / or fibers, and more particularly to fibrous elements that contain an ammonium alkylsulfonate salt, fibrous structures made therefrom, and methods for making same are provided.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to hydroxyl polymer polymeric structures, for example fibrous elements, such as filaments and / or fibers, and more particularly to hydroxyl polymer filaments that comprise an ammonium alkylsulfonate salt, fibrous structures made therefrom, and methods for making same.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Hydroxyl polymer polymeric structures, such as fibrous elements, produced from crosslinked hydroxyl polymers are known in the art. It is generally known to crosslink hydroxyl polymers together via a crosslinking agent, such as dihydroxyethyleneurea (DHEU), to produce a hydroxyl polymer polymeric structure. This crosslinking is facilitated by a crosslinking facilitator that prevents unacceptable crosslinking of the hydroxyl polymers by the crosslinking agent to occur. The challenge of managing the crosslinking of the hydroxyl polymers is especially problematic when spinning fibrous elements from a hydroxyl polymer melt composition, ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a solution for improving the physical properties of polymeric structures, such as fibrous elements, by incorporating an ammonium alkylsulfonate salt into the aqueous polymer melt composition and performing the curing step after the polymeric structure is formed. The resulting polymeric structure has acceptable physical properties, such as strength, both dry and wet, and does not yellow. The invention also provides a method for making a fibrous structure comprising a plurality of fibrous elements and a polymeric structure derived from an aqueous polymer melt composition of the present invention. The polymeric structure can be used in various applications such as fibrous tissue products.

Problems solved by technology

The challenge of managing the crosslinking of the hydroxyl polymers is especially problematic when spinning fibrous elements from a hydroxyl polymer melt composition, for example an aqueous hydroxyl polymer melt composition.

However, introduction of a kosmotropic salt, such as ammonium sulfate, and / or ammonium citrate, in the hydroxyl polymer melt composition at the level necessary for complete curing of the polymeric structure during the curing step, can induce salting out of the hydroxyl polymer, which results in weaker polymeric structures formed therefrom during the polymer processing step.

In addition to the negatives discussed above, the presence of ammonium sulfate in the hydroxyl polymer melt composition lowers the Critical Micelle Concentration of any fast wetting surfactants present in the hydroxyl polymer melt composition, which in turn decreases the fast wetting surfactants' wetting ability and thus their ability to increase drying of the polymeric structures.

Finally other salts, such as ammonium chloride, tend to also impart an undesirable yellow color to the polymeric structure during the high temperature of the curing step.

Additionally, ammonium chloride causes corrosion of the processing equipment used to make the polymeric structure.

In light of the above, one problem associated with the known crosslinking facilitators is that they do not facilitate sufficient crosslinking of the hydroxyl polymers during the production of the hydroxyl polymer polymeric structures to provide the polymeric structures with improved physical properties, such as strength, and color properties compared to known hydroxyl polymer polymeric structures comprising known crosslinking facilitators.

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