Water-soluble unit dose product comprising a water-soluble fiber structure and particles

Abstract

Described herein are home care compositions for delivering active agents to fabrics or hard surfaces in the form of water-soluble unit dose articles comprising a water-soluble fibrous structure and one or more particles, and methods of making the same.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Described herein are home care compositions for delivering active agents to fabrics or hard surfaces in the form of water-soluble unit dose articles comprising a water-soluble fibrous structure and one or more particles, and methods of making the same. Background Art

[0002] Consumers desire water-soluble unit-dose products because they provide a convenient, effective, and clean way to dose fabric or hard surface treatment compositions. Water-soluble unit-dose products provide a measured dose of the treatment composition, thus avoiding overdosing or underdosing. Consumers are increasingly interested in fibrous water-soluble unit-dose products. The technology associated with these products continues to advance in providing the desired active agents with the products, enabling consumers to accomplish the tasks they desire.

[0003] Consumers need a fibrous, water-soluble unit-dose product that cleans as well as or better than conventional fabric treatment compositions, such as liquids, powders, and unit-dose products comprised of water-soluble films. Formulators of conventional fabric detergents know that incorporating more than one surfactant into a detergent improves the detergent's cleaning performance. For example, formulators can incorporate a more hydrophilic surfactant, such as an alkyl alkoxy sulfate, in combination with a less hydrophilic surfactant, such as a linear alkylbenzene sulfonate, to treat a wider variety of stains. However, in the context of a fibrous, water-soluble unit-dose product, formulators have encountered challenges in formulating with more hydrophilic surfactants, such as alkyl alkoxy sulfates.

[0004] Water-soluble fibers (and the corresponding structures made therefrom) are prepared from aqueous processing mixtures comprising active agents such as surfactants and filament-forming polymers. The production of water-soluble fibers is advantageous because the fibers have a very high surface area to weight ratio when spun, which significantly reduces the drying energy and time required for producing solid forms while still providing a highly open pore structure to improve solubility. However, filament-forming polymers comprising fibers that promote elongational rheology may also contribute to gel-like rheology (i.e., hexagonal or blocky gel structures), which may inhibit the dispersion and dissolution of more hydrophilic surfactants in the processing mixture. Furthermore, the resulting fiber structure may dissolve less readily in the wash (leaving residue on the fabric).

[0005] Therefore, there is a need to formulate fibrous water-soluble unit dose articles that contain more hydrophilic surfactant without inhibiting the processability of the fibers or the dissolution of the resulting article in the wash. Surprisingly, it has been discovered that by providing a fibrous water-soluble unit dose article comprising a water-soluble fibrous structure and active agent-containing particles, wherein the particles contain more hydrophilic surfactant and the fibers of the fibrous structure contain less hydrophilic surfactant, better dissolving and better cleaning fibrous water-soluble unit dose articles can be prepared. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a water-soluble unit dose product comprising a water-soluble fiber structure and a plurality of particles distributed throughout the structure, wherein the water-soluble fiber structure comprises a plurality of fiber elements and each fiber element comprises at least one filament-forming material and a first surfactant, wherein the first surfactant is characterized by a hydrophilic index (HI) of not greater than about 7.5; and wherein each of the particles comprises a second surfactant, wherein the second surfactant is characterized by a HI greater than 7.5.

[0007] The present disclosure also relates to a method for preparing a water-soluble unit dose product, the method comprising the steps of: spinning a filament-forming composition comprising at least one filament-forming material and a first surfactant, the first surfactant being characterized by a hydrophilic index (HI) of not greater than about 7.5, forming a plurality of fibrous elements from a spinning die; combining a plurality of particles together, wherein each of the particles comprises a second surfactant, characterized by an HI greater than 7.5, providing fibrous elements from a particle source to form a particle-fiber layer having a mixture of particles and fibrous elements; and collecting the mixture of particles and fibrous elements on a collecting belt.

[0008] The present invention also relates to a method for washing using an article according to the invention, comprising the steps of placing at least one article according to the invention together with laundry in a washing machine and performing a washing or cleaning operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of a multi-fiber structure.

[0010] Figure 2 is a micro-CT scan image showing a cross-sectional view of an example of a water-soluble unit dose article.

[0011] Figure 3 A method of making layers of material. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] definition

[0013] The features and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, which includes examples intended to provide a broad representation of the invention. Various modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this description and from practice of the invention. The scope is not intended to be limited to the specific forms disclosed, and the invention encompasses all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

[0014] As used herein, the articles including "the," "a," and "an," when used in the claims or specification, are understood to mean one or more of what is claimed or described.

[0015] As used herein, the terms "including," "comprising," and "containing" are intended to be non-limiting.

[0016] As used herein, the term "substantially free" or "substantially free of" refers to an ingredient being completely absent or present only in minimal amounts as impurities or unintended byproducts of another ingredient. A composition that is "substantially free of / free of" a component means that the composition comprises less than about 0.5%, 0.25%, 0.1%, 0.05%, or 0.01%, or even 0%, of the component by weight of the composition.

[0017] It is to be understood that the term "comprising" also includes embodiments wherein the term "comprising" means "consisting of" or "consisting essentially of.

[0018] All patents and other documents cited are, in relevant part, incorporated by reference as if restated herein. Citation of any patent or other document is not to be construed as an admission that the cited patent or other document is prior art with respect to the present invention.

[0019] Throughout this specification, all concentrations and ratios are by weight of the composition unless otherwise specified.

[0020] It should be understood that every maximum numerical limitation given throughout this specification includes every lower numerical limitation, as if such lower numerical limitations were expressly written herein. Every minimum numerical limitation given throughout this specification will include every higher numerical limitation, as if such higher numerical limitations were expressly written herein. Every numerical range given throughout this specification will include every narrower numerical range that falls within such larger numerical range, as if such narrower numerical ranges were all expressly written herein.

[0021] Fibrous water-soluble unit dose products

[0022] As used herein, the phrases "water-soluble unit dose product," "water-soluble fibrous structure," and "water-soluble fibrous element" mean that the unit dose product, fibrous structure, and fibrous element are miscible with water. In other words, the unit dose product, fibrous structure, or fibrous element is capable of forming a homogeneous solution with water under ambient conditions. As used herein, "ambient conditions" means 23°C ± 1.0°C and a relative humidity of 50% ± 2%. The water-soluble unit dose product may contain insoluble materials that are dispersible into a suspension under aqueous washing conditions, with an average particle size of less than about 20 microns, or less than about 50 microns.

[0023] These fibrous water-soluble unit dose articles can dissolve under various wash conditions, such as low temperature, low water and / or one or more short wash cycles, where consumers have overloaded the machine, particularly with items with high water absorption capacity, while providing sufficient active agent to achieve the desired effect on the target consumer substrate (with performance similar to that of current liquid products). In addition, the water-soluble unit dose articles described herein can be produced in an economical manner by spinning fibers containing the active agent. The water-soluble unit dose articles described herein also have improved cleaning performance.

[0024] The surface of the fibrous water-soluble unit dose article may include a printed area. The printed area may cover approximately 10% to approximately 100% of the article surface. The printed area may include ink, pigment, dye, bluing agent, or mixtures thereof. The printed area may be opaque, translucent, or transparent. The printed area may include a single color or multiple colors. The printed area may be on more than one side of the article and include instructional text and / or graphics. The surface of the water-soluble unit dose article may include an aversive agent, such as a bittering agent. Suitable bittering agents include, but are not limited to, naringin, sucrose octaacetate, quinine hydrochloride, denatonium benzoate, or mixtures thereof. Any suitable amount of the aversive agent may be used. Suitable amounts include, but are not limited to, 1 ppm to 5000 ppm, or even 100 ppm to 2500 ppm, or even 250 ppm to 2000 ppm.

[0025] The water-soluble unit dose products disclosed herein comprise a water-soluble fiber structure and one or more particles. The water-soluble fiber structure may comprise a plurality of fiber elements, such as a plurality of filaments. One or more particles, such as one or more particles containing an active agent, may be distributed throughout the structure. The water-soluble unit dose products may comprise a plurality of two or more and / or three or more fiber elements, the fiber elements being entangled with each other or otherwise associated with each other to form a fiber structure and one or more particles, the particles being distributed throughout the fiber structure.

[0026] Surprisingly, it has been found that by isolating the relatively more hydrophilic surfactant present in each water-soluble product to the fibers of the particle rather than the fiber structure, a better dissolving and better cleaning water-soluble unit dose product can be prepared. Therefore, the fibers of the structure include a relatively less hydrophilic first surfactant, while the particles include a relatively more hydrophilic second surfactant. More specifically, the water-soluble unit dose product disclosed herein may include a water-soluble fiber structure and a plurality of particles distributed throughout the structure, wherein the water-soluble fiber structure includes a plurality of fiber elements, and each fiber element includes at least one filament-forming material and a first surfactant, wherein the first surfactant is characterized in that the hydrophilic index (HI) is not greater than about 7.5; wherein each of the particles includes a second surfactant, wherein the second surfactant is characterized in that the HI is greater than 7.5.

[0027] The first surfactant may be selected from, for example, unalkoxylated C6-C20 linear or branched alkyl sulfates (AS), C6-C20 linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS), and combinations thereof. The second surfactant may be selected from, for example, C6-C20 linear or branched alkyl alkoxylated sulfates (AAS) having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of about 0.1 to about 10, C6-C20 alkyl alkoxylated alcohols (AA) having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of about 5 to about 15, and combinations thereof.

[0028] As used herein, the "hydrophilic index" or "HI" of a surfactant is calculated by the following equation:

[0029]

[0030] Among them, M h is the molecular weight of all hydrophilic groups in the surfactant, where M T is the total molecular weight of the surfactant. h and M T All refer to weight average molecular weight. For example, a linear alkylbenzene sulfonate having an average alkyl chain length of about 11.8 has an HI value of about 4.97. As another example, a C12-C14 alkyl sulfate has an HI value of about 6.98. As another example, a C12-C14 alkyl ethoxylated sulfate having an average degree of ethoxylation of about 1 has an HI value of about 8.78, and a C12-C14 alkyl ethoxylated sulfate having an average degree of ethoxylation of about 3 has an HI value of about 11.57. As another example, a C14-C15 alkyl ethoxylated alcohol having an average degree of ethoxylation of about 7 has an HI value of about 12.73, and a C12-C14 alkyl ethoxylated alcohol having an average degree of ethoxylation of about 9 has an HI value of about 14.72.

[0031] The first surfactant and / or the second surfactant can be the primary surfactant of each fiber element and / or particle, respectively. The first surfactant can be a C6-C20 linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS). The second surfactant can be a C6-C20 linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of about 0.1 to about 10. 20 A linear or branched AAS surfactant, or a C having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of about 1 to about 5 10 -C 16 Linear or branched alkyl ethoxylated sulfate (AES). As used herein, the term "primary surfactant" refers to a surfactant that is present in a formulation in an amount of 50% or more by weight of the total weight of all surfactants in the formulation.

[0032] The fibrous water-soluble unit dose article may exhibit a thickness of greater than 0.01 mm and / or greater than 0.05 mm and / or greater than 0.1 mm and / or to about 100 mm and / or to about 50 mm and / or to about 20 mm and / or to about 10 mm and / or to about 5 mm and / or to about 2 mm and / or to about 0.5 mm and / or to about 0.3 mm as measured by the Thickness Test Method described herein.

[0033] The fibrous water-soluble unit dose article may have a Basis Weight of about 500 grams / m2 as measured according to the Basis Weight test method described herein. 2 About 5,000 g / m 2 , or about 1,000 g / m 2 About 4,000 g / m 2 , or about 1,500 g / m 2 About 3,500 g / m 2 , or about 2,000 g / m 2 About 3,000 g / m 2 basis weight.

[0034] The fibrous water-soluble unit dose product may comprise a water-soluble fiber structure and a plurality of particles distributed throughout the structure, wherein the water-soluble fiber structure comprises a plurality of identical or substantially identical fiber elements from a compositional perspective. The water-soluble fiber structure may comprise two or more different fiber elements. Non-limiting examples of the differences in fiber elements may be physical differences, such as differences in diameter, length, texture, shape, rigidity, elasticity, etc.; chemical differences such as cross-linking level, solubility, melting point, Tg, active agent, filament-forming material, color, active agent content, basis weight, filament-forming material content, whether there is any coating on the fiber element, whether it is biodegradable, whether it is hydrophobic, contact angle, etc.; differences in whether the fiber element loses its physical structure when the fiber element is exposed to the conditions of intended use; differences in whether the morphology of the fiber element changes when the fiber element is exposed to the conditions of intended use; and differences in the rate at which the fiber element releases one or more of its active agents when the fiber element is exposed to the conditions of intended use. Two or more fiber elements in the fiber structure may comprise different active agents. This may be a situation where different active agents may be incompatible with each other, such as anionic surfactants and cationic polymers. When different fibrous elements are used, the resulting structure can exhibit different wetting, absorption, and dissolution characteristics.

[0035] The fibrous water-soluble unit dose product may exhibit different regions, such as different regions of basis weight, density, thickness and / or wetting properties. The fibrous water-soluble unit dose product may be compressed at the edge seal. The fibrous water-soluble unit dose product may include a texture on one or more surfaces thereof. The surface of the fibrous water-soluble unit dose product may include a pattern, such as a non-random repeating pattern. The fibrous water-soluble unit dose product may include holes. The fibrous water-soluble unit dose product may include a fibrous structure having discrete areas of fibrous elements that are different from other areas of fibrous elements in the structure. The fibrous water-soluble unit dose product may be used as is or may be coated with one or more active agents.

[0036] The fibrous water-soluble unit dose product may comprise one or more plies. The fibrous water-soluble unit dose product may comprise at least two and / or at least three and / or at least four and / or at least five plies. The fiber plies may be a fibrous structure. Each ply may comprise one or more layers, such as one or more fiber element layers, one or more particle layers, and / or one or more fiber element / particle mixture layers. The layers may be sealed. Specifically, the particle layer and the fiber element / particle mixture layer may be sealed so that the particles do not leak. The water-soluble unit dose product may comprise a plurality of plies, wherein each ply comprises two layers, one of which is a fiber element layer and the other is a fiber element / particle mixture layer, and the plurality of plies are sealed (e.g., at the edges) together. The seal may inhibit leakage of the particles and help the unit dose product maintain its original structure. However, after the water-soluble unit dose product is added to water, the unit dose product dissolves and releases the particles into the wash solution.

[0037] Figure 2 is a microCT scan image showing a cross-sectional view of an example of a water-soluble unit dose article comprising three plies, wherein each ply is formed from two layers: a fibrous element layer and a fibrous element / particle blend layer. Each of the three plies includes a plurality of fibrous elements 30, in this case filaments, and a plurality of particles 32. The multi-ply, multi-layer article is sealed at edge 200 to prevent particle leakage. The outer surface of the article 202 is the fibrous element layer.

[0038] The fibrous elements and / or particles can be arranged in a single layer or multiple layers within a water-soluble unit dose article to provide the article with two or more regions containing different active agents. For example, one region of the article may contain a bleaching agent and / or a surfactant, and another region of the article may contain a softening agent.

[0039] The fibrous water-soluble unit dose product can be viewed hierarchically starting from the form in which the consumer interacts with the water-soluble product and working backward to the raw materials, such as plies, fibrous structures, and particles, from which the water-soluble product is made. The fibrous plies can be fibrous structures. For example, Figure 1 A first ply 10 and a second ply 15 associated with the first ply 10 are shown, wherein the first ply 10 and the second ply 15 each include a plurality of fibrous elements 30, in this case filaments, and a plurality of particles 32. In the second ply 15, the particles 32 are randomly dispersed in the x, y, and z axes, and in the first ply, the particles 32 are in pockets.

[0040] fiber structure

[0041] The fibrous structure comprises one or more fibrous elements. The fibrous elements may be associated with each other to form a structure. The fibrous structure may include particles within and / or on the structure. The fibrous structure may be uniform, layered, integral, partitioned, or, if desired, have different active agents defining the various sections.

[0042] The fibrous structure may comprise one or more layers which together form a ply.

[0043] Fiber components

[0044] The fibrous element may be water-soluble. The fibrous element may comprise one or more filament-forming materials and / or one or more active agents, such as surfactants. The one or more active agents may be released from the fibrous element, for example, when the fibrous element and / or the fibrous structure comprising the fibrous element is exposed to conditions of the intended use.

[0045] The fibrous elements of the present invention may be spun from a filament-forming composition (also referred to as a fibrous element-forming composition) via a suitable spinning process, such as meltblowing, spunbonding, electrospinning, and / or rotary spinning.

[0046] As used herein, "filament forming composition" and / or "fiber element forming composition" refer to compositions suitable for preparing fiber elements of the present invention, such as by meltblowing and / or spunbonding. The filament forming composition comprises one or more filament forming materials, and the filament forming material exhibits characteristics that make it suitable for spinning into fiber elements. The filament forming material may include a polymer. In addition to one or more filament forming materials, the filament forming composition may also include one or more active agents, such as surfactants. In addition, the filament forming composition may include one or more polar solvents such as water, and before spinning the fiber element, such as before spinning the filament from the filament forming composition, one or more, for example all, of the filament forming materials and / or one or more, for example all, of the active agents are dissolved and / or dispersed therein.

[0047] Filament formation composition can comprise two or more different filament formation materials.Therefore, fiber element can be single component (a kind of long filament formation material) and / or multicomponent, for example bicomponent.Two or more different long filament formation materials are to be randomly combined to form fiber element.For the purpose of the present disclosure, two or more different long filament formation materials can be orderly mixed to form fiber element such as core-shell bicomponent fiber element, and it is considered that different long filaments are not formed by random mixture of material.Bicomponent fiber element can be any form, for example side by side type, core-shell type, island type etc.

[0048] The fiber element can each comprise at least one filament forming material and a first surfactant (as an active agent). The first surfactant can have a relatively low hydrophilicity (compared with the second surfactant included in the particle), and can be characterized in that the hydrophilic index (HI) is not more than about 7.5. Compared with the second surfactant, this first surfactant is unlikely to form a viscous gel-like hexagonal phase when diluted. By using this first surfactant in forming long filaments (rather than particles), the gel formation during washing can be effectively reduced, which in turn can result in faster dissolution and low residue or no residue in washing.

[0049] The first surfactant as described above can be the primary surfactant in each fiber element, i.e., it is present in an amount of about 50% or more of the total weight of all surfactants in the fiber element. The first surfactant can be characterized by an HI of not greater than about 7.5, or from about 4 to about 7.5, or from about 4.5 to about 7. The first surfactant can be selected from, for example, unalkoxylated C6-C20 linear or branched alkyl sulfates (AS), C6-C20 linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS), and combinations thereof. The first surfactant can be a C6-C20 linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS). LAS surfactants are well known in the art and can be readily obtained by sulfonating commercially available linear alkylbenzenes. Exemplary C6-C20 linear or branched alkyl sulfates (AS) that can be used are C6-C20 linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS). 20 Linear alkylbenzene sulfonates include alkali metal, alkaline earth metal or C6-C 20 Ammonium salts of linear alkylbenzenesulfonic acids, such as C 11 -C 18 or C 11 -C 14 Sodium, potassium, magnesium and / or ammonium linear alkylbenzenesulfonic acid. 12 Sodium or potassium salts of linear alkylbenzenesulfonic acids, such as C 12 The sodium salt of linear alkylbenzenesulfonic acid, ie, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, can be used as the first surfactant.

[0050] The fibrous element may comprise at least about 5%, and / or at least about 10%, and / or at least about 15%, and / or at least about 20%, and / or less than about 80%, and / or less than about 75%, and / or less than about 65%, and / or less than about 60%, and / or less than about 55%, and / or less than about 50%, and / or less than about 45%, and / or less than about 40%, and / or less than about 35%, and / or less than about 30%, and / or less than about 25% by weight based on the dry fibrous element and / or dry fibrous structure. The filament-forming material and greater than about 20%, and / or at least about 35%, and / or at least about 40%, and / or at least about 45%, and / or at least about 50%, and / or at least about 55%, and / or at least about 60%, and / or at least about 65%, and / or at least about 70%, and / or less than about 95%, and / or less than about 90%, and / or less than about 85%, and / or less than about 80%, and / or less than about 75% of the first surfactant based on the weight of the dry fibrous elements and / or dry fibrous structure. The fibrous elements may contain greater than about 80% of the first surfactant based on the weight of the dry fibrous elements and / or dry fibrous structure.

[0051] Each fibrous element can be characterized by a sufficiently high total surfactant content, for example at least about 30%, or at least about 40%, or at least about 50%, or at least about 60%, or at least about 70% first surfactant by weight based on the dry fibrous element and / or dry fibrous structure.

[0052] The total amount of filament-forming material present in the fibrous element may be from about 5% to less than about 80% by weight based on the dry fibrous element and / or dry fibrous structure, and the total amount of first surfactant present in the fibrous element may be from greater than about 20% to about 95% by weight based on the dry fibrous element and / or dry fibrous structure.

[0053] The fibrous elements may include a small amount of a surfactant having a relatively high hydrophilicity (compared to the first surfactant mentioned above), characterized by a hydrophilic index (HI) greater than 7.5, i.e., a second surfactant as described below. The amount of this second surfactant in each fibrous element is sufficiently small so as not to affect its processing stability and film dissolution, for example, from about 0% to about 15%, or from about 0% to about 10%, or from about 0% to about 5%, or from about 0% to about 1%, based on the weight of the dry fibrous element and / or dry fibrous structure. The fibrous elements may be substantially free of alkyl alkoxylated sulfates, which are a preferred choice for the second surfactant (in the granules). Alkyl alkoxylated sulfates, when dissolved in water, can undergo a high-viscosity hexagonal phase at certain concentrations (e.g., 30% to 60% by weight), resulting in a gel-like substance. Therefore, if incorporated into the fibrous elements in significant amounts, alkyl alkoxylated sulfates can significantly slow the dissolution of a water-soluble unit dose formulation in water, or worse, result in undissolved solids. Accordingly, most such surfactants are formulated as granules.

[0054] One or more fibrous elements may comprise at least one additional surfactant selected from other anionic surfactants (ie, other than AS and LAS), nonionic surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, cationic surfactants, and combinations thereof.

[0055] Other suitable anionic surfactants include C6-C 20 Linear or branched alkyl sulfonates, C6-C 20 Straight chain or branched chain alkyl carboxylates, C6-C 20 Linear or branched alkyl phosphate, C6-C 20 Linear or branched alkyl phosphonates, C6-C 20 Alkyl N-methylglucamide, C6-C 20 Methyl ester sulfonate (MES), and combinations thereof.

[0056] Suitable nonionic surfactants include alkoxylated fatty alcohols. Nonionic surfactants may be selected from the free formula R(OC2H4) n OH, wherein R is selected from aliphatic hydrocarbon groups containing from about 8 to about 15 carbon atoms and alkylphenyl groups wherein the alkyl group contains from about 8 to about 12 carbon atoms, and n has an average value of from about 5 to about 15. Non-limiting examples of nonionic surfactants useful herein include: C8-C 18 Alkyl ethoxylates, such as those from Shell Nonionic surfactant; C6-C 12Alkylphenol alkoxylates, wherein the alkoxylate units may be ethyleneoxy units, propyleneoxy units or mixtures thereof; C 12 -C 18 Alcohol and C6-C 12 Condensates of alkylphenols with ethylene oxide / propylene oxide block polymers, such as BASF C 14 -C 22 Medium-chain branched alcohol, BA; C 14 -C 22 Mid-chain branched alkyl alkoxylate, BAE x , wherein x is 1 to 30; alkyl polysaccharides; specifically alkyl polyglycosides; polyhydroxy fatty acid amides; and ether-terminated poly (alkoxy) alcohol surfactants. Suitable nonionic detersive surfactants also include alkyl polyglucosides and alkyl alkoxylated alcohols. Suitable nonionic surfactants also include those sold by BASF under the trade name Those that are sold.

[0057] Non-limiting examples of cationic surfactants include: quaternary ammonium surfactants, which may have up to 26 carbon atoms, including: alkoxylated quaternary ammonium (AQA) surfactants; dimethylhydroxyethyl quaternary ammonium; dimethylhydroxyethyl lauryl ammonium chloride; polyamine cationic surfactants; ester cationic surfactants; and amino surfactants, such as amidopropyl dimethylamine (APA). Suitable cationic detersive surfactants also include alkyl pyridinium compounds, alkyl quaternary ammonium compounds, alkyl quaternary phosphonium compounds, alkyl ternary sulfonium compounds, and mixtures thereof.

[0058] Suitable cationic detersive surfactants are quaternary ammonium compounds having the general formula:

[0059] (R)(R1)(R2)(R3)N + X -

[0060] Wherein, R is a linear or branched, substituted or unsubstituted C 6-18 Alkyl or alkenyl moiety, R1 and R2 are independently selected from methyl or ethyl moiety, R3 is hydroxyl, hydroxymethyl or hydroxyethyl moiety, X is an anion that provides electroneutrality, suitable anions include: halide (such as chloride); sulfate; and sulfonate. Suitable cationic detersive surfactants are mono C 6-18 Alkyl monohydroxyethyl dimethyl quaternary ammonium chloride. Highly suitable cationic detersive surfactants are mono-C 8-10 Alkyl mono-hydroxyethyl bis-methyl quaternary ammonium chloride, mono-C 10-12 Alkyl mono-hydroxyethyl di-methyl quaternary ammonium chloride and mono-C 10 Alkyl mono-hydroxyethyl di-methyl quaternary ammonium chloride.

[0061] Suitable examples of zwitterionic surfactants include: derivatives of secondary and tertiary amines, including derivatives of heterocyclic secondary and tertiary amines; derivatives of quaternary ammonium, quaternary phosphonium or tertiary sulfonium compounds; betaines, including alkyl dimethyl betaine, coconut dimethylaminopropyl betaine, sulfo and hydroxy betaines; C8 to C 18 (For example, C 12 to C 18 ) amine oxide; N-alkyl-N, N-dimethylamino-1-propane sulfonate, wherein the alkyl group may be C8 to C 18 .

[0062] Suitable amphoteric surfactants include aliphatic derivatives of secondary or tertiary amines, or aliphatic derivatives of heterocyclic secondary and tertiary amines, wherein the aliphatic group can be straight or branched chain, and wherein one of the aliphatic substituents contains at least about 8 carbon atoms, or from about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms, and at least one of the aliphatic substituents contains a water-solubilizing anionic group, such as carboxyl, sulfonate, sulfate. Suitable amphoteric surfactants also include sarcosinates, glycinates, taurates, and mixtures thereof.

[0063] The fibrous elements may include a surfactant system comprising only anionic surfactants, such as a single anionic surfactant or a combination of two or more different anionic surfactants. Alternatively, the fibrous elements may include a complex surfactant system, for example, comprising a combination of one or more anionic surfactants with one or more nonionic surfactants, or a combination of one or more anionic surfactants with one or more zwitterionic surfactants, or a combination of one or more anionic surfactants with one or more amphoteric surfactants, or a combination of one or more anionic surfactants with one or more cationic surfactants, or a combination of all of the above types of surfactants (i.e., anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, and cationic surfactants).

[0064] Typically, a fibrous element is an elongated particle having a length that greatly exceeds the average diameter, for example, a length-to-average diameter ratio of at least about 10. The fibrous element can be a filament or a fiber. The filament is relatively longer than the fiber. The filament can have a length greater than or equal to about 5.08 cm (2 inches), and / or greater than or equal to about 7.62 cm (3 inches), and / or greater than or equal to about 10.16 cm (4 inches, and / or greater than or equal to about 15.24 cm (6 inches). The fiber can have a length less than about 5.08 cm (2 inches), and / or less than about 3.81 cm (1.5 inches), and / or less than about 2.54 cm (1 inch).

[0065] One or more long filaments form that material and activating agent can long filament form the weight ratio of the total content of material and activating agent for about 2.0 or less, and / or about 1.85 or less, and / or less than about 1.7, and / or less than about 1.6, and / or less than about 1.5, and / or less than about 1.3, and / or less than about 1.2, and / or less than about 1, and / or less than about 0.7, and / or less than about 0.5, and / or less than about 0.4, and / or less than about 0.3, and / or greater than about 0.1, and / or greater than about 0.15, and / or greater than about 0.2 amount is present in fiber element.One or more long filaments form that material and activating agent can long filament form the weight ratio of the total content of material and activating agent for about 0.2 to about 0.7 is present in fiber element.

[0066] The fiber element may comprise a filament-forming material of about 10% to less than about 80% by weight based on the dry fiber element and / or dry fiber structure, such as a polyvinyl alcohol polymer, a starch polymer and / or a carboxymethyl cellulose polymer, and an active agent greater than about 20% to about 90% by weight based on the dry fiber element and / or dry fiber structure. The fiber element may also comprise a plasticizer such as glycerol and / or a pH regulator such as citric acid. The fiber element may have a weight ratio of filament-forming material to active agent of about 2.0 or less. The filament-forming material may be selected from polyvinyl alcohol, starch, carboxymethyl cellulose, polyethylene oxide and other suitable polymers, especially hydroxyl-containing polymers and derivatives thereof. The weight-average molecular weight of the filament-forming material may be in the range of about 100,000 g / mol to about 3,000,000 g / mol. It is believed that within this range, the filament-forming material can provide tensile rheology without elasticity, thereby suppressing fiber attenuation during fiber manufacturing.

[0067] The one or more active agents may be releasable and / or released when the fibrous element and / or the fibrous structure comprising the fibrous element is exposed to conditions of intended use. The one or more active agents in the fibrous element may be selected from surfactants, organic polymeric compounds, and mixtures thereof. The one or more active agents in the fibrous element may be selected from anionic surfactants, alkoxylated amines, and mixtures thereof. The one or more active agents in the fibrous element may be selected from: alkyl alkoxy sulfates (e.g., alkyl ethoxy sulfates or AES); alkoxylated polyamines; ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymers, wherein x1 and x2 are each in the range of about 2 to about 140, and y is in the range of about 15 to about 70; and mixtures thereof. Suitable active agents are described in more detail below.

[0068] The fibrous elements may exhibit a diameter of less than about 300 μm, and / or less than about 75 μm, and / or less than about 50 μm, and / or less than about 25 μm, and / or less than about 10 μm, and / or less than about 5 μm, and / or less than about 1 μm, as measured according to the Diameter Test Method described herein. The fibrous elements may exhibit a diameter greater than about 1 μm, as measured according to the Diameter Test Method described herein. The diameter of the fibrous elements can be used to control the release rate and / or loss rate of one or more active agents present in the fibrous elements and / or to modify the physical structure of the fibrous elements.

[0069] The fibrous element may comprise two or more different activating agents that are compatible or incompatible with each other. The fibrous element may comprise an activating agent in the fibrous element and an activating agent on the outer surface of the fibrous element, such as an activating agent coating on the fibrous element. The activating agent on the outer surface of the fibrous element may be the same as or different from the activating agent present in the fibrous element. If different, the activating agents may be compatible or incompatible with each other. One or more activating agents may be evenly distributed or substantially evenly distributed throughout the fibrous element. One or more activating agents may be distributed as discrete regions within the fibrous element.

[0070] particles

[0071] The water-soluble unit dose preparations disclosed herein can comprise one or more particles within or on a fibrous structure. The particles can be water-soluble. The particles can comprise soluble and / or insoluble materials, wherein the insoluble materials are dispersible into a suspension under aqueous washing conditions and have an average particle size of less than about 20 microns. The particles can be water-soluble, e.g., substantially free of insoluble materials.

[0072] The particles may be discrete. As used herein, the term "discrete" refers to particles that are structurally distinct from one another under the naked eye or under an electronic imaging device (e.g., a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM)). Under the naked eye, the particles may be discrete from one another.

[0073] As used herein, the term "particle" refers to a trace solid substance. The particle can be a powder, granule, agglomerate, capsule, microcapsule and / or pellet. Particles can be prepared using many methods well known in the art, such as spray drying, agglomeration, extrusion, granulation, encapsulation, tableting, and combinations thereof. The shape of the particle can be spherical, rod-shaped, plate-shaped, tubular, square, rectangular, disc-shaped, star-shaped, or a regularly or irregularly shaped flake. The particles disclosed herein are generally non-fibrous.

[0074] Each particle may contain a second surfactant having a relatively high hydrophilicity (compared to the first surfactant contained in the fibrous elements described above), characterized by a hydrophilic index (HI) greater than 7.5. Due to its high HI value, the second surfactant is very effective in cleaning fabrics and removing stains, and therefore it is desirable to include it in the water-soluble unit-dose articles disclosed herein. However, such a second surfactant having a relatively high hydrophilicity can form a viscous, gel-like hexagonal phase when dissolved in water. This makes it difficult to formulate the second surfactant into the above-described fibrous elements because the viscous hexagonal phase formed by the second surfactant can adversely affect the processing of the fibrous elements and the formation of the fiber structure. This processing challenge can be easily avoided by formulating the second surfactant into particles distributed throughout the fiber structure. In addition, because the viscous hexagonal phase formed by the second surfactant can slow the dissolution of the water-soluble unit-dose article in water during use, it is also helpful to formulate the second surfactant into particles that can be easily dispersed in water, which improves the overall dissolution of the water-soluble unit-dose article during the wash process.

[0075] The particles can have a relatively low water / moisture content (e.g., no more than about 10% by weight of the total water / moisture, or no more than about 8% by weight of the total water / moisture, or no more than about 5% by weight of the total moisture), and particularly a relatively low free / unbound water content (e.g., no more than about 3% by weight of free or unbound water, or no more than about 1% by weight of free or unbound water), such that water from the particles does not compromise the structural integrity of the fibrous structure. In addition, the controlled moisture content in the particles reduces the risk of gelling of the particles themselves. The water / moisture content present in the particles is measured using the following Moisture Content Test Method.

[0076] The bulk density of the particles may range from about 500 g / L to about 1000 g / L, or from about 600 g / L to about 900 g / L, or from about 700 g / L to about 800 g / L.

[0077] As with the fibrous structures and fibrous elements described above, the particles are also characterized by a sufficiently high surfactant content, such as at least about 30%, or at least about 50%, or at least about 60%, and / or at least about 70%, based on the total weight of each particle.

[0078] Each particle may comprise a second surfactant, wherein the second surfactant is characterized by an HI greater than about 7.5. The second surfactant may be selected from, for example, C6-C20 linear or branched alkyl alkoxylated sulfates (AAS) having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of about 0.1 to about 10, C6-C20 alkyl alkoxylated alcohols (AA) having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of about 5 to about 15, and combinations thereof. The second surfactant may be a C6-C20 linear or branched alkyl alkoxylated sulfate (AAS) having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of about 0.1 to about 10, a C6-C20 alkyl alkoxylated alcohol (AA) having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of about 5 to about 15, and combinations thereof. 20 A linear or branched AAS surfactant, or a C having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of about 1 to about 5 10 -C 16 Linear or branched alkyl ethoxylated sulfate (AES). Such AAS (e.g., AES) surfactants can be used alone or in combination with other surfactants. The AAS (e.g., AES) surfactant can be used as the primary surfactant in each particle, i.e., it is present in an amount of 50% or more based on the total weight of all surfactants in the particle, while one or more other surfactants (anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants and / or cationic surfactants) can be present as co-surfactants of such AAS (e.g., AES).

[0079] The second surfactant in the particle can be a nonionic surfactant. Suitable nonionic surfactants include alkyl alkoxylated alcohols, such as alkyl ethoxylated alcohols and formula R (OC2H4) n OH, wherein R is selected from aliphatic hydrocarbon groups containing from about 8 to about 15 carbon atoms and alkylphenyl groups, wherein the alkyl group contains from about 8 to about 12 carbon atoms and the average value of n is from about 5 to about 15. The nonionic surfactant can be selected from ethoxylated alcohols having an average of about 12 to 14 carbon atoms in the alcohol and an average degree of ethoxylation of about 9 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol. Other non-limiting examples of nonionic surfactants useful herein include: C8-C 18 Alkyl ethoxylates, such as those from Shell Nonionic surfactant; C6-C 12 Alkylphenol alkoxylates, wherein the alkoxylate units may be ethyleneoxy units, propyleneoxy units or mixtures thereof; C 12 -C 18 Alcohol and C6-C 12 Condensates of alkylphenols with ethylene oxide / propylene oxide block polymers, such as BASF C 14 -C 22 mid-chain branched alcohol; C 14 -C 22Mid-chain branched alkyl alkoxylate, BAE x , wherein x is 1 to 30; alkyl polysaccharides, and specifically alkyl polyglycosides; polyhydroxy fatty acid amides; and ether-terminated poly (alkoxy) alcohol surfactants. Suitable nonionic surfactants also include those sold by BASF under the trade name Those that are sold.

[0080] The nonionic surfactant used as the second surfactant may be a C6-C8 surfactant having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of 5 to 15. 20 Alkyl alkoxylated alcohol (AA), which may be present in the particle alone or in combination with an AAS or AES surfactant as described above. The AA may be present as the primary surfactant or as a co-surfactant of the AAS or AES in the particle. The AAS (e.g., AES) surfactant may be present in the particle as the primary surfactant and the AA surfactant as a co-surfactant of the AAS or AES surfactant in a weight ratio, for example, ranging from about 1:15 to about 1:2, or from about 1:10 to about 1:3, and / or from about 1:8 to about 1:4.

[0081] The second surfactant may be present in each particle in an amount ranging from about 20% to about 90%, or from about 30% to about 90%, or from about 40% to about 90%, or from about 50% to about 90%, based on the total weight of each particle.

[0082] In addition to the second surfactant having a relatively high HI value (i.e., greater than 7.5) as described above, the particles described herein may contain one or more additional surfactants selected from other anionic surfactants (i.e., other than AAS and AES), amphoteric surfactants, cationic surfactants, and combinations thereof as described above for use in the fibrous structure. These additional surfactants may be present in each particle in an amount ranging from about 0% to about 50%, or from about 1% to about 40%, or from about 2% to about 30%, or from about 5% to about 20%, based on the total weight of each particle. These additional surfactants may be characterized by an HI value lower than the HI value of the second surfactant (i.e., not exceeding 7.5). For example, such additional surfactants may be selected from C6-C 20 Straight chain or branched LAS, C6-C 20 Straight chain or branched AS, C6-C 20 Linear or branched alkyl sulfonates, C6-C 20 Straight chain or branched chain alkyl carboxylates, C6-C 20 Linear or branched alkyl phosphate, C6-C 20 Linear or branched alkyl phosphonates, C6-C 20 Alkyl N-methylglucamide, C6-C 20Each particle may further comprise from about 0% to about 50%, or from about 0% to about 30%, or from about 0% to about 20%, or from about 0% to about 15% of a first surfactant as described above, based on the total weight of each particle.

[0083] The above surfactants may form a surfactant system that may be present in an amount ranging from about 5% to about 90%, or from about 10% to about 90%, or from about 20% to about 90%, or from about 30% to about 90%, and or from about 50% to about 90%, based on the total weight of the granule. The second surfactant may be present in the granule as the primary surfactant, i.e., it is present in an amount of 50% or more based on the total weight of the surfactant system in the granule.

[0084] The particles described herein may comprise one or more additional active agents (in addition to the surfactants described above).

[0085] When the second surfactant is an AAS or AES, each particle may further comprise from about 0.5% to about 20%, or from about 1% to about 15%, or from about 2% to about 10%, of a rheology modifier, based on the total weight of such particle. As used herein, the term "rheology modifier" refers to a material that interacts with a concentrated surfactant, preferably a concentrated surfactant having a mesomorphic phase structure, in a manner that substantially reduces the viscosity and elasticity of the concentrated surfactant. Suitable rheology modifiers include, but are not limited to: sorbitol ethoxylates; glycerol ethoxylates; sorbitan esters; tallow alkyl ethoxylated alcohols; ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymers, wherein x1 and x2 are each in the range of about 2 to about 140, and y is in the range of about 15 to about 70; polyethyleneimine (PEI); alkoxylated variants of PEI, and preferably ethoxylated PEI; N,N,N',N'-tetraethoxyethylenediamine; and mixtures thereof.

[0086] The rheology modifier is preferably a "functional rheology modifier," meaning that the rheology modifier has additional detergent functionality. In some cases, the dispersant polymers described below may also serve as functional rheology modifiers. The rheology modifier is preferably selected from: alkoxylated polyalkyleneimines; ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymers, wherein x1 and x2 are each in the range of about 2 to about 140, and y is in the range of about 15 to about 70; N,N,N',N'-tetraethoxyethylenediamine; and mixtures thereof.

[0087] The rheology modifier may include one of the above-mentioned polymers, such as a combination of ethoxylated PEI and a polyalkylene glycol. When the second surfactant is an AAS or AES, each particle may further comprise, based on the total weight of each discrete particle, about 0.5% to about 20%, or about 1% to about 15%, or about 2% to about 10% of a polyalkylene glycol. The polyalkylene glycol may be a polyethylene glycol having a weight average molecular weight in the range of 500 Daltons to 20,000 Daltons, or about 1000 Daltons to 15,000 Daltons, and / or 2000 Daltons to 8000 Daltons.

[0088] Alkoxylated polyalkylene imine :The empirical formula of alkoxylated polyalkylene imine can be (PEI) a (CH2CH2O) b (CH2CH2CH2O) c , where PEI is the polyethyleneimine core; a is the number average molecular weight of the PEI core before modification (MW n ), which is in the range of about 100 Daltons to about 100,000 Daltons, or about 200 Daltons to about 5000 Daltons, or about 500 Daltons to about 1000 Daltons; b is the weight average number of ethylene oxide (CH2CHO) units per nitrogen atom in the PEI core, which is in the range of 0 to about 60, or about 1 to about 50, or about 5 to about 40, or about 10 to about 30; and c is the weight average number of propylene oxide (CH2CHO) units per nitrogen atom in the PEI core, which is in the range of 0 to about 60, or 0 to about 40, or 0 to about 30, or 0 to about 20.

[0089] Ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer : In the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer, x1 and x2 are each in the range of about 2 to about 140, and y is in the range of about 15 to about 70. The ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer preferably has an average propylene oxide chain length of 20 to 70, preferably 30 to 60, more preferably 45 to 55 propylene oxide units.

[0090] Preferably, the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer has a molecular weight of about 1000 Daltons to about 10,000 Daltons, preferably about 1500 Daltons to about 8000 Daltons, more preferably about 2000 Daltons to about 7000 Daltons, even more preferably about 2500 Daltons to about 5000 Daltons, and most preferably about 3500 Daltons to about 3800 Daltons.

[0091] Preferably, each ethylene oxide block or chain independently has an average chain length of 2 to 90, preferably 3 to 50, more preferably 4 to 20 ethylene oxide units. Preferably, the copolymer comprises 10% to 90%, preferably 15% to 50%, most preferably 15% to 25% of the combined ethylene oxide blocks by weight of the copolymer. Most preferably, the total ethylene oxide content is equally divided over the two ethylene oxide blocks. Equal division herein means that each ethylene oxide block comprises, on average, 40% to 60%, preferably 45% to 55%, even more preferably 48% to 52%, most preferably 50% of the total number of ethylene oxide units, the % of the two ethylene oxide blocks totaling 100%. Some ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymers, wherein x1 and x2 are each in the range of about 2 to about 140, and y is in the range of about 15 to about 70, improve cleaning.

[0092] Preferably, the copolymer has a molecular weight of about 3500 to about 3800 Daltons, a propylene oxide content of 45 to 55 propylene oxide units, and an ethylene oxide content of 4 to 20 ethylene oxide units per ethylene oxide block.

[0093] Preferably, the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer has a molecular weight of 1000 Dalton to 10,000 Dalton, preferably 1500 Dalton to 8000 Dalton, more preferably 2000 Dalton to 7500 Dalton. Preferably, the copolymer comprises 10% to 95%, preferably 12% to 90%, most preferably 15% to 85% of the combined ethylene oxide blocks based on the weight of the copolymer. Some ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymers, wherein x1 and x2 are each in the range of about 2 to about 140, and y is in the range of about 15 to about 70, improve solubility.

[0094] Suitable ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide triblock copolymers are commercially available from BASF under the tradename Pluronic PE series or from Dow Chemical under the Tergitol L series. A particularly suitable material is Pluronic PE 9200.

[0095] N,N,N',N'-Tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine : N,N,N',N'-Tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine is a suitable functional rheology modifier which also has chelating activity.

[0096] The size distribution of particles characterized according to the Particle Size Distribution test method can have a D50 greater than about 150 μm and less than about 1600 μm, or a D50 greater than 205 μm and less than about 1000 μm, or a D50 greater than about 300 μm and a D90 less than about 850 μm, or a D50 greater than about 350 μm and less than about 700 μm.

[0097] The particle size distribution of particles characterized according to the Particle Size Distribution Test Method may have a D20 greater than about 150 μm and a D80 less than about 1400 μm, or a D20 greater than about 200 μm and a D80 less than about 1180 μm, or a D20 greater than about 250 μm and a D80 less than about 1000 μm.

[0098] The particle size distribution of particles characterized according to the Particle Size Distribution Test Method may have a D10 greater than about 150 μm and a D90 less than about 1400 μm, or a D10 greater than about 200 μm and a D90 less than about 1180 μm, or a D10 greater than about 250 μm and a D90 less than about 1000 μm.

[0099] The particles disclosed herein may optionally include one or more other active agents (e.g., adjunct detergent ingredients) for assisting or enhancing cleaning performance or modifying its aesthetics. Illustrative examples of such adjunct detergent ingredients include: (1) inorganic and / or organic builders such as carbonates (including bicarbonates and sesquicarbonates), sulfates, phosphates (e.g., tripolyphosphates, pyrophosphates, and glassy polymeric metaphosphates), phosphonates, phytic acid, silicates, zeolites, citrates, polycarboxylates and their salts (e.g., mellitic acid, succinic acid, oxydisuccinic acid, polymaleic acid, benzene 1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid, carboxymethoxysuccinic acid, and soluble salts thereof), ether hydroxypolycarboxylates, copolymers of maleic anhydride with ethylene or methyl vinyl ether, 1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene 2,4,6-trisulfonic acid, 3,3-dicarboxy 4-oxa-1,6-adipate, polyacetic acids (e.g., ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and nitrilotriacetic acid) and their salts, fatty acids (e.g., C 12 -C 18monocarboxylic acids); (2) chelating agents such as iron and / or manganese chelating agents selected from aminocarboxylates, aminophosphonates, polyfunctionally substituted aromatic chelating agents, and mixtures thereof; (3) clay removal / anti-redeposition agents such as water-soluble ethoxylated amines (particularly ethoxylated tetraethylenepentamine); (4) polymeric dispersants such as polymeric polycarboxylates, acrylic acid / maleic acid based copolymers and their water-soluble salts, hydroxypropyl acrylate, maleic acid / acrylic acid / vinyl alcohol terpolymers, polyaspartates, and polyglutamates; (5) fluorescent whitening agents including, but not limited to, derivatives of stilbene, pyrazoline, coumarin, carboxylic acids, methine cyanine, dibenzothiophene 5,5-dioxide, azoles, 5- and 6-membered heterocycles, and the like; (6) suds suppressors such as monocarboxylic fatty acids and their soluble salts, high molecular weight hydrocarbons (e.g., paraffin waxes, halogenated paraffin waxes, fatty acid esters, fatty acid esters of monovalent alcohols, aliphatic C 18 -C 40 ketone, etc.), N-alkylated aminotriazine, propylene oxide, monostearyl phosphate, silicone or its derivatives, secondary alcohols (such as 2-alkyl alcohols) and mixtures of such alcohols and silicone oils; (7) foam boosters, such as C 10 -C 16 Alkanolamide, C 10 -C 14Monoethanol and diethanolamides, high foaming surfactants (e.g., amine oxides, betaines and sulfobetaines) and soluble magnesium salts (e.g., MgCl2, MgSO4, etc.); (8) fabric softeners such as montmorillonite clay, amine softeners and cationic softeners; (9) pigment transfer inhibitors such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone polymers, polyamine N-oxide polymers, copolymers of N-vinyl pyrrolidone and N-vinylimidazole, manganese phthalocyanine, peroxidases, and mixtures thereof; (10) enzymes such as proteases, amylases, lipases, cellulases and peroxidases, and mixtures thereof; (11) enzyme stabilizers including water-soluble sources of calcium and magnesium ions, boric acid or borates (e.g., boric oxide, borax and other alkali metal borates); (12) bleaching agents such as percarbonates (e.g., sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate, sodium pyrophosphate peroxyhydrate, urea peroxyhydrate, and sodium peroxide), persulfates, perborates, magnesium monoperoxyphthalate hexahydrate, magnesium salt of m-chloroperbenzoic acid, 4-nonylamino 4-oxoperoxybutyric acid and diperoxydodecanedioic acid, 6-nonylamino 6-oxoperoxyhexanoic acid, and photoactivated bleaching agents (e.g., sulfonated zinc and / or aluminum phthalocyanines); (13) bleach activators such as nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate (NOBS), tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED), amide-derived bleach activators including (6-octanamidohexanoyl)oxybenzenesulfonate, (6-nonanamidohexanoyl)oxybenzenesulfonate, (6-decamidohexanoyl)oxybenzenesulfonate, and mixtures thereof, benzoxazine activators, acyl lactam activators (especially acyl caprolactam and acyl valerolactam); and (14) any other known detergent adjunct ingredients, including but not limited to carriers, hydrotropes, processing aids, dyes or pigments (especially hueing dyes), perfumes (including pure perfumes and perfume microcapsules) and solid fillers.

[0100] Other particles

[0101] In addition to the surfactant-containing particles described above, the water-soluble unit dose preparations described herein may also contain other particles distributed throughout the fibrous structure. For example, such other particles may include soluble and / or insoluble materials, wherein the insoluble materials are dispersible into a suspension under aqueous washing conditions and have an average particle size of less than about 20 microns.

[0102] Other particles can be powders, granules, agglomerates, capsules, microcapsules and / or pellets. Other particles can be prepared using many methods known in the art, such as spray drying, agglomeration, extrusion, granulation, encapsulation, tableting, and combinations thereof. The shape of other particles can be in the form of spheres, rods, plates, tubulars, squares, rectangles, discs, stars, fibers, or have regular or irregular random shapes.

[0103] Other particles may have a D50 particle size of about 150 μm to about 1600 μm as measured according to the Particle Size Distribution Test Method.

[0104] The other particles can be any solid, free-flowing particles and can include mixtures of chemically different particles, such as: surfactant particles (those particles that are substantially free of a second surfactant), including surfactant agglomerates, surfactant extrudates, surfactant needles, surfactant noodles, surfactant flakes; phosphate particles; zeolite particles; silicate particles, especially sodium silicate particles; carbonate particles, especially sodium carbonate particles; polymer particles, such as carboxylate polymer particles, cellulosic polymer particles, starch particles, polyester particles, polyamine particles, terephthalic acid polymer particles, polyethylene glycol particles; aesthetic particles, such as colored strips, needles, lamellar particles and ring particles; enzyme particles, such as protease particles, amylase particles, lipase particles, cellulase particles, mannanase particles, pectate lyase particles, xyloglucanase particles, bleaching enzyme particles and co-particles of any of these enzymes, which enzyme particles may contain sodium sulfate; bleaching agent particles, Such as percarbonate particles, especially coated percarbonate particles, such as percarbonate coated with carbonate, sulfate, silicate, borosilicate, or any combination thereof, perborate particles, bleach activator particles such as tetraacetylethylenediamine particles and / or alkyloxybenzenesulfonate particles, bleach catalyst particles such as transition metal catalyst particles, and / or isoquinolinium bleach catalyst particles, preformed peracid particles, especially coated preformed peracid particles; filler particles, such as sulfate particles and chloride particles; clay particles, such as montmorillonite particles and clay and silicone particles; flocculant particles, such as polyethylene oxide particles; wax particles, such as wax agglomerates; silicone particles, brightener particles; dye transfer inhibitor particles; dye fixing agent particles; perfume particles, such as perfume microcapsules and starch-encapsulated perfume accord particles, and pro-perfume particles, such as Schiff base reaction product particles; hueing dye particles; chelant particles, such as chelant agglomerates; and any combination thereof.

[0105] Active agent

[0106] The water-soluble unit dose products described herein may include one or more active agents. The active agent may be present in the fiber element (as described above), in the particles (as described above), or in the product as a premix. For example, the premix may be an active agent slurry combined with an aqueous absorbent. The active agent may be selected from surfactants, structuring agents, builders, organic polymer compounds, enzymes, enzyme stabilizers, bleach systems, brighteners, toners, chelating agents, foam suppressants, conditioners, wetting agents, spices, spice microcapsules, fillers or carriers, alkaline systems, pH control systems, buffers, alkanolamines, and mixtures thereof.

[0107] surfactants

[0108] The surfactant may be selected from anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, ampholytic surfactants, and mixtures thereof.

[0109] Anionic surfactants

[0110] Suitable anionic surfactants can exist in acid form, and the acid form can be neutralized to form a surfactant salt. Typical reagents for neutralization include alkaline metal counterions such as hydroxides, for example, NaOH or KOH. Other suitable reagents for neutralizing the anionic surfactants in their acid form include ammonia, amines, or alkanolamines. Non-limiting examples of alkanolamines include monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, and other straight or branched alkanolamines known in the art; suitable alkanolamines include 2-amino-1-propanol, 1-aminopropanol, monoisopropanolamine, or 1-amino-3-propanol. Amine neutralization can be completed in whole or in part, for example, sodium or potassium can be used to neutralize a portion of the anionic surfactant mixture and an amine or alkanolamine can be used to neutralize a portion of the anionic surfactant mixture.

[0111] The anionic surfactant may be supplemented with salts as a means of adjusting the phase behavior; suitable salts may be selected from sodium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, sodium carbonate, sodium citrate, sodium silicate, and mixtures thereof.

[0112] Non-limiting examples of suitable anionic surfactants include any conventional anionic surfactants. This may include sulfate detersive surfactants (e.g., alkoxylated and / or non-alkoxylated alkyl sulfate materials) and / or sulfonic acid detersive surfactants (e.g., alkylbenzene sulfonates). Suitable anionic surfactants may be derived from renewable resources, waste, petroleum, or mixtures thereof. Suitable anionic surfactants may be linear, partially branched, or branched, or mixtures thereof.

[0113] Alkoxylated alkyl sulfate materials include ethoxylated alkyl sulfate surfactants, also known as alkyl ether sulfates or alkyl polyethoxylated sulfates. Examples of ethoxylated alkyl sulfates include water-soluble salts of organic sulfuric acid reaction products, specifically alkali metal, ammonium, and alkanolammonium salts, which have an alkyl group containing about 8 to about 30 carbon atoms in their molecular structure and sulfonic acids and their salts. (Included in the term "alkyl" is the alkyl portion of the acyl group). In some examples, the alkyl group contains about 15 carbon atoms to about 30 carbon atoms. In other examples, the alkyl ether sulfate surfactant can be a mixture of alkyl ether sulfates having an average (arithmetic mean) carbon chain length ranging from about 12 to 30 carbon atoms; in some examples, having an average carbon chain length of about 12 to 15 carbon atoms and an average (arithmetic mean) degree of ethoxylation of about 1 mol to 4 mol ethylene oxide; in some examples, having an average (arithmetic mean) degree of ethoxylation of 1.8 mol ethylene oxide. In further examples, the alkyl ether sulfate surfactant can have a carbon chain length of about 10 carbon atoms to about 18 carbon atoms and a degree of ethoxylation of about 1 mol to about 6 mol ethylene oxide. In other examples, the alkyl ether sulfate surfactant can comprise a peak ethoxylate distribution.

[0114] Non-ethoxylated alkyl sulfates can also be added to the disclosed detergent compositions and used as the anionic surfactant component. Examples of non-alkoxylated (e.g., non-ethoxylated) alkyl sulfate surfactants include those obtained by high C8-C 20 In some examples, primary alkyl sulfate surfactants have the general formula: ROSO3-M+, where R is typically a linear C8-C 20 A hydrocarbon group, which may be linear or branched, and M is a water-solubilizing cation. In some examples, R is C 10 -C 18 alkyl, and M is an alkali metal. In other examples, R is C 12 / C 14 alkyl, and M is sodium, such as those derived from natural alcohols.

[0115] Other available anionic surfactants can include alkali metal salts of alkylbenzene sulfonic acids in straight (linear) or branched configurations, wherein the alkyl group contains from about 9 to about 15 carbon atoms. In some examples, the alkyl group is straight chain. Such linear alkylbenzene sulfonates are referred to as "LAS". In other examples, linear alkylbenzene sulfonates can have an average number of carbon atoms of about 11 to 14 in the alkyl group. In a specific example, linear straight chain alkylbenzene sulfonates can have an average number of carbon atoms of about 11.8 carbon atoms in the alkyl group, which can be abbreviated as C11.8 LAS.

[0116] Suitable alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) can be obtained by sulfonating commercially available linear alkylbenzenes (LAB); suitable LABs include lower 2-phenyl LABs such as those sold under the trade name Those supplied by Sasol, or under the trade name Other suitable LABs include those supplied by Petresa, higher 2-phenyl LABs such as those sold under the trade name Those supplied by Sasol. Suitable anionic detersive surfactants are alkylbenzene sulfonates obtained by the DETAL catalysed process, although other synthesis routes such as HF may also be suitable. In one aspect, the magnesium salt of LAS is used.

[0117] Another example of a suitable alkylbenzene sulfonate is modified LAS (MLAS), which is a positional isomer containing branching, such as methyl branching, wherein the aromatic ring is attached at position 2 or 3 of the alkyl chain.

[0118] Anionic surfactants may include 2-alkyl branched primary alkyl sulfates having 100% branching at the C2 position (C1 is the carbon atom to which the alkoxylated sulfate moiety is covalently attached). 2-alkyl branched alkyl sulfates and 2-alkyl branched alkyl alkoxy sulfates are typically derived from 2-alkyl branched alcohols (as the hydrophobe). 2-alkyl branched alcohols derived from the oxo process, such as 2-alkyl-1-alkanols or 2-alkyl primary alcohols, are commercially available from Sasol, for example, (Its C14 / C15 branched chain primary alkyl sulfates are also commercially available, e.g. 145 sulfate.

[0119] The anionic surfactant may include a mid-chain branched anionic surfactant, for example a mid-chain branched anionic detersive surfactant, such as a mid-chain branched alkyl sulfate and / or a mid-chain branched alkylbenzene sulfonate.

[0120] Other suitable anionic surfactants include methyl ester sulfonates, paraffin sulfonates, alpha-olefin sulfonates, and internal olefin sulfonates.

[0121] nonionic surfactants

[0122] Suitable nonionic surfactants include alkoxylated fatty alcohols. Nonionic surfactants may be selected from the free formula R(OC2H4) n OH represented ethoxylated alcohols and ethoxylated alkylphenols wherein R is selected from aliphatic hydrocarbon groups containing from about 8 to about 15 carbon atoms and alkylphenyl groups wherein the alkyl group contains from about 8 to about 12 carbon atoms, and n has an average value of from about 5 to about 15.

[0123] Other non-limiting examples of nonionic surfactants useful herein include: C8-C 18 Alkyl ethoxylates, such as those from Shell Nonionic surfactant; C6-C 12 Alkylphenol alkoxylates, wherein the alkoxylate units may be ethyleneoxy units, propyleneoxy units or mixtures thereof; C 12 -C 18 Alcohol and C6-C 12 Condensates of alkylphenols with ethylene oxide / propylene oxide block polymers, such as BASF C 14 -C 22 Medium-chain branched alcohol, BA; C 14 -C 22 Mid-chain branched alkyl alkoxylate, BAE x , wherein x is 1 to 30; alkyl polysaccharides; specifically alkyl polyglycosides; polyhydroxy fatty acid amides; and ether-terminated poly(alkoxy) alcohol surfactants.

[0124] Suitable nonionic detersive surfactants also include alkyl polyglucosides and alkyl alkoxylated alcohols. Suitable nonionic surfactants also include those sold by BASF under the trade name Those that are sold.

[0125] Cationic surfactants

[0126] Non-limiting examples of cationic surfactants include: quaternary ammonium surfactants, which can have up to 26 carbon atoms, including: alkoxylated quaternary ammonium (AQA) surfactants; dimethyl hydroxyethyl quaternary ammonium; dimethyl hydroxyethyl lauryl ammonium chloride; polyamine cationic surfactants; ester cationic surfactants; and amino surfactants, such as amidopropyl dimethylamine (APA).

[0127] Suitable cationic detersive surfactants also include alkyl pyridinium compounds, alkyl quaternary ammonium compounds, alkyl quaternary phosphonium compounds, alkyl ternary sulfonium compounds, and mixtures thereof.

[0128] Suitable cationic detersive surfactants are quaternary ammonium compounds having the general formula:

[0129] (R)(R1)(R2)(R3)N + X -

[0130] Wherein, R is a linear or branched, substituted or unsubstituted C 6-18Alkyl or alkenyl moiety, R1 and R2 are independently selected from methyl or ethyl moiety, R3 is hydroxyl, hydroxymethyl or hydroxyethyl moiety, X is an anion that provides electroneutrality, suitable anions include: halide (such as chloride); sulfate; and sulfonate. Suitable cationic detersive surfactants are mono C 6-18 Alkyl monohydroxyethyl dimethyl quaternary ammonium chloride. Highly suitable cationic detersive surfactants are mono-C 8-10 Alkyl mono-hydroxyethyl bis-methyl quaternary ammonium chloride, mono-C 10-12 Alkyl mono-hydroxyethyl di-methyl quaternary ammonium chloride and mono-C 10 Alkyl mono-hydroxyethyl di-methyl quaternary ammonium chloride.

[0131] Zwitterionic surfactants

[0132] Suitable zwitterionic surfactants include secondary and tertiary amine derivatives, heterocyclic secondary and tertiary amine derivatives, or derivatives of quaternary ammonium, quaternary phosphonium or tertiary sulfonium compounds. Examples of suitable zwitterionic surfactants include betaines, including alkyl dimethyl betaine and coconut dimethylamidopropyl betaine, C8 to C 18 (For example, C 12 to C 18 ) amine oxides and sulfo- and hydroxybetaines, such as N-alkyl-N,N-dimethylamino 1-propane sulfonates, in which the alkyl group can be C8 to C 18 .

[0133] Amphoteric surfactants

[0134] Suitable amphoteric surfactants include aliphatic derivatives of secondary or tertiary amines, or aliphatic derivatives of heterocyclic secondary and tertiary amines, wherein the aliphatic group can be straight or branched chain, and wherein one of the aliphatic substituents contains at least about 8 carbon atoms, or from about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms, and at least one of the aliphatic substituents contains a water-solubilizing anionic group, such as carboxyl, sulfonate, sulfate. Suitable amphoteric surfactants also include sarcosinates, glycinates, taurates, and mixtures thereof.

[0135] enzymes

[0136] Examples of suitable enzymes include, but are not limited to, hemicellulases, peroxidases, proteases, cellulases, xylanases, lipases, phospholipases, esterases, cutinases, pectinases, mannanases, pectate lyases, keratinases, reductases, oxidases, phenoloxidases, lipoxygenases, ligninases, pullulanases, tannases, pentosanases, melanases, β-glucanases, arabinanases, hyaluronidases, chondroitinases, laccases, and amylases, or mixtures thereof. A typical combination is an enzyme mixture that may include, for example, a protease and a lipase in combination with an amylase. When present in the detergent composition, the aforementioned additional enzymes may be present at a level of from about 0.00001% to about 2%, from about 0.0001% to about 1%, or even from about 0.001% to about 0.5% enzyme protein by weight of the composition. The compositions disclosed herein may comprise from about 0.001% to about 1% by weight of an enzyme (as an adjuvant), which may be selected from the group consisting of lipase, amylase, protease, mannanase, cellulase, pectinase, and mixtures thereof.

[0137] detergent

[0138] Suitable builders include aluminosilicates (e.g., zeolite builders such as zeolite A, zeolite P, and zeolite MAP), silicates, phosphates such as polyphosphates (e.g., sodium tripolyphosphate), especially sodium salts thereof; carbonates, bicarbonates, sesquicarbonates, and carbonate minerals other than sodium carbonate or sodium sesquicarbonate; organic monocarboxylates, dicarboxylates, tricarboxylates, and tetracarboxylates, especially water-soluble non-surfactant carboxylates in the form of acid, sodium, potassium, or alkanolammonium salts, and oligomeric or water-soluble low molecular weight polymer carboxylates, including aliphatic and aromatic types; and phytic acid. Other suitable builders may be selected from citric acid, lactic acid, fatty acids, polycarboxylate builders, such as copolymers of acrylic acid, copolymers of acrylic acid and maleic acid, and copolymers of acrylic acid and / or maleic acid with other suitable olefinic monomers having various types of additional functional groups. Alternatively, the composition may be substantially free of builders.

[0139] polymer dispersants

[0140] Suitable polymeric dispersants include: carboxymethyl cellulose; poly(vinyl pyrrolidone); poly(ethylene glycol); ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymers, wherein x1 and x2 are each in the range of about 2 to about 140, and y is in the range of about 15 to about 70; poly(vinyl alcohol); poly(vinyl pyridine-N-oxide); poly(vinylimidazole); polycarboxylates such as polyacrylates; maleic acid / acrylic acid copolymers; and lauryl methacrylate / acrylic acid copolymers.

[0141] Suitable polymeric dispersants include amphiphilic cleaning polymers such as compounds having the following general structure: bis((C2H5O)(C2H4O)n)(CH3)-N + -C x H 2x -N + -(CH3)-bis((C2H5O)(C2H4O)n), wherein n=20 to 30, x=3 to 8, or sulfated or sulfonated variants thereof.

[0142] Suitable polymeric dispersants include amphiphilic alkoxylated grease cleaning polymers that have balanced hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity, allowing them to remove grease particles from fabrics and surfaces. Suitable amphiphilic alkoxylated grease cleaning polymers can include a core structure and multiple alkoxylate groups attached to the core structure. These can include alkoxylated polyalkyleneimines, such as polyalkyleneimines with an inner polyethylene oxide block and an outer polyethylene oxide block. Such compounds can include, but are not limited to, ethoxylated polyethyleneimines, ethoxylated hexamethylenediamine, and sulfated forms thereof. Polypropoxylated derivatives can also be included. Various amines and polyalkyleneimines can be alkoxylated to various degrees. A useful example is a 600 g / mol polyethyleneimine core ethoxylated to 20 EO groups / NH, available from BASF. The detergent compositions described herein can include from about 0.1% to about 10%, and in some examples from about 0.1% to about 8%, and in other examples from about 0.1% to about 6% of the alkoxylated polyamine, based on the weight of the detergent composition.

[0143] Suitable polymeric dispersants include carboxylate polymers. Suitable carboxylate polymers, which may be optionally sulfonated, include maleate / acrylate random copolymers or poly(meth)acrylate homopolymers. In one aspect, the carboxylate polymer is a poly(meth)acrylate homopolymer having a molecular weight of 4,000 to 9,000 Da, or 6,000 to 9,000 Da.

[0144] Suitable polymeric dispersants include alkoxylated polycarboxylates, which can also be used to provide grease removal. Chemically, these materials include poly(meth)acrylates having one ethoxy side chain per every 7-8 (meth)acrylate units. The side chains have the formula -(CH2CH2O) m (CH2) nCH3, wherein m is 2 to 3 and n is 6 to 12. The side chain esters are attached to the polyacrylate "backbone" to provide a "comb-type" polymer structure. The molecular weight can vary, but can range from about 2000 to about 50,000. The detergent compositions described herein can contain from about 0.1% to about 10%, and in some examples from about 0.25% to about 5%, and in other examples from about 0.3% to about 2%, of the alkoxylated polycarboxylate, by weight of the detergent composition.

[0145] Suitable polymeric dispersants include amphiphilic graft copolymers. Suitable amphiphilic graft copolymers comprise (i) a polyethylene glycol backbone; and (ii) at least one pendant moiety selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, and mixtures thereof. Suitable amphiphilic graft copolymers are HP22, supplied by BASF. Suitable polymers include random graft copolymers, such as polyvinyl acetate grafted polyethylene oxide copolymers, having a polyethylene oxide backbone and a plurality of polyvinyl acetate side chains. The polyethylene oxide backbone has a molecular weight of about 6000, and the weight ratio of polyethylene oxide to polyvinyl acetate is about 40 to 60, with no more than one grafting site per 50 ethylene oxide units.

[0146] Detergent polymers

[0147] Suitable soil release polymers have a structure defined by one of the following structures (I), (II), or (III):

[0148] (I) -[(OCHR 1 -CHR 2 ) a -O-OC-Ar-CO-] d

[0149] (II) -[(OCHR 3 -CHR 4 ) b -O-OC-sAr-CO-] e

[0150] (III) -[(OCHR 5 -CHR 6 ) c -OR 7 ] f

[0151] in:

[0152] a, b, and c range from 1 to 200;

[0153] d, e, and f are 1 to 50;

[0154] Ar is 1,4-substituted phenylene;

[0155] sAr is a 1,3-substituted phenylene substituted at position 5 by SO3Me;

[0156] Me is Li, K, Mg / 2, Ca / 2, Al / 3, ammonium, monoalkylammonium, dialkylammonium, trialkylammonium or tetraalkylammonium, wherein the alkyl group is C1-C 18 Alkyl or C2-C 10 hydroxyalkyl or mixtures thereof;

[0157] R 1 、R 2 、R 3 、R 4 、R 5 and R 6 Independently selected from H or C1-C 18 n-alkyl or C1-C 18 isoalkyl; and

[0158] R 7 A straight or branched C1-C 18 Alkyl, or linear or branched C2-C 30 alkenyl, or cycloalkyl having 5 to 9 carbon atoms, or C8-C 30 Aryl, or C6-C 30 Arylalkyl group.

[0159] Suitable soil release polymers are polyester soil release polymers such as Repel-o-tex polymers, including Repel-o-tex SF, SF-2 and SRP6 supplied by Rhodia. Other suitable soil release polymers include Texcare polymers, including Texcare SRA100, SRA300, SRN100, SRN170, SRN240, SRN300 and SRN325 supplied by Clariant. Other suitable soil release polymers are Marloquest polymers, such as Marloquest SL supplied by Sasol.

[0160] Cellulose polymers

[0161] Suitable cellulose polymers include those selected from the group consisting of alkyl celluloses, alkyl alkoxyalkyl celluloses, carboxyalkyl celluloses, and alkyl carboxyalkyl celluloses. The cellulose polymer may be selected from the group consisting of carboxymethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, methyl carboxymethyl cellulose, and mixtures thereof. In one aspect, the carboxymethyl cellulose has a degree of carboxymethyl substitution of 0.5 to 0.9 and a molecular weight of 100,000 to 300,000 Da.

[0162] amine

[0163] Non-limiting examples of amines may include, but are not limited to, polyetheramines, polyamines, oligoamines, triamines, diamines, pentamines, tetraamines, or combinations thereof. Specific examples of suitable additional amines include tetraethylenepentamine, triethylenetetramine, diethylenetriamine, or mixtures thereof.

[0164] bleach

[0165] Suitable bleaching agents other than bleach catalysts include photobleaches, bleach activators, hydrogen peroxide, sources of hydrogen peroxide, preformed peracids, and mixtures thereof. Generally speaking, when a bleaching agent is used, the detergent compositions of the present invention may comprise from about 0.1% to about 50%, or even from about 0.1% to about 25%, of a bleaching agent by weight of the detergent composition.

[0166] bleach catalyst

[0167] Suitable bleach catalysts include, but are not limited to, iminium cations and polyions; iminium zwitterions; modified amines; modified amine oxides; N-sulfonyl imines; N-phosphonyl imines; N-acyl imines; thiadiazole dioxides; perfluoroimines; cyclic sugar ketones, and mixtures thereof.

[0168] Whitening agent

[0169] Commercially available fluorescent brighteners suitable for use in the present disclosure can be divided into subclasses including, but not limited to, stilbenes, pyrazolines, coumarins, benzoxazoles, carboxylic acids, methinecyanines, 5,5-dioxodiophene, azoles, derivatives of 5- and 6-membered heterocycles, and various other agents.

[0170] The fluorescent brightener may be selected from disodium 4,4'-bis{[4-phenylamino-6-morpholino-s-triazin-2-yl]-amino}-2,2'-stilbene disulfonate (brightener 15, commercially available under the trade name Tinopal AMS-GX (BASF)), disodium 4,4'-bis{[4-phenylamino-6-(N-2-bis-hydroxyethyl)-s-triazin-2-yl]-amino}-2,2'-stilbene disulfonate (commercially available under the trade name Tinopal UNPA-GX from BASF), and disodium 4,4'-bis{[4-phenylamino-6-(N-2-hydroxyethyl-N-methylamino)-s-triazin-2-yl]-amino}-2,2'-stilbene disulfonate (commercially available under the trade name Tinopal 5BM-GX from BASF). The fluorescent whitening agent may be disodium 4,4′-bis{[4-phenylamino-6-morpholino-s-triazin-2-yl]-amino}-2,2′-stilbene disulfonate.

[0171] Whitening agents can be added in granular form or as a premix with a suitable solvent, e.g. nonionic surfactant, propylene glycol.

[0172] fabric toner

[0173] Fabric hueing agents (sometimes referred to as sunscreens, bluing agents, or brighteners) typically provide a blue or purple hue to the fabric. Hueing agents can be used alone or in combination to produce a specific hue and / or to tone different fabric types. This can be provided, for example, by mixing red and cyan dyes to produce a blue or purple hue. Hueing agents can be selected from dyes of any known chemical class, including but not limited to acridines, anthraquinones (including polycyclic quinones), azine, azo (e.g., monoazo, disazo, triazo, tetrakis azo, polyazo), including premetallated azos, benzodifurans and benzodifuranones, carotenoids, coumarins, cyanines, diaza hemicyanines, diphenylmethanes, formazans, hemicyanines, indigos, methane, naphthalimides, naphthoquinones, nitro and nitroso groups, oxazines, phthalocyanines, pyrazoles, stilbenes, styryls, triarylmethanes, triphenylmethanes, xanthenes, and mixtures thereof.

[0174] Suitable fabric hueing agents include dyes, dye-clay conjugates, and organic and inorganic pigments. Suitable dyes also include small molecule dyes and polymeric dyes. Suitable small molecule dyes include those selected from direct, alkaline, reactive, or hydrolyzed reactive, solvent or disperse dyes (e.g., classified as blue, purple, red, green or black) belonging to the Colour Index (CI) classification and providing the desired hue individually or in combination. Suitable polymeric dyes include those selected from following polymeric dyes: polymers (dye-polymer conjugates) (e.g., polymers with a chromogen copolymerized to the polymer backbone) and mixtures thereof comprising a covalently bonded (sometimes referred to as conjugated) chromogen. Suitable polymeric dyes also include those selected from following polymeric dyes: those marketed under the trade names (Milliken, Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA), a fabric-solid colorant, a dye-polymer conjugate formed from at least one reactive dye, and a polymer selected from the group consisting of polymers comprising a moiety selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl moiety, a primary amine moiety, a secondary amine moiety, a thiol moiety, and mixtures thereof. Suitable polymeric dyes also include polymeric dyes selected from the group consisting of: Violet CT, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) covalently bound to a reactive blue, reactive violet or reactive red dye, such as CMC conjugated to CI Reactive Blue 19 (sold by Megazyme, Wicklow, Ireland under the product name AZO-CM-CELLULOSE, product code S-ACMC), alkoxylated triphenyl-methane polymer colorants, alkoxylated thiophene polymer colorants, and mixtures thereof.

[0175] The above fabric hueing agents may be used in combination (any mixture of fabric hueing agents may be used).

[0176] Encapsulation

[0177] The encapsulate may comprise a core, a shell having an inner and outer surface, the shell encapsulating the core. The core may comprise any laundry care adjunct, however, the core may typically comprise a material selected from the group consisting of: perfumes; whitening agents; hueing dyes; insect repellents; silicones; waxes; flavors; vitamins; fabric softeners; skin care agents, in one aspect, paraffin waxes; enzymes; antimicrobial agents; bleaching agents; sensates; and mixtures thereof; and the shell may comprise a material selected from the group consisting of: polyethylene; polyamides; polyvinyl alcohol, optionally containing other comonomers; polystyrene; polyisoprene; polycarbonates; polyesters; polyacrylates; aminoplasts, in one aspect, the aminoplasts may comprise polyureas, polyurethanes, and / or polyureaurethanes, in one aspect, the polyureas may comprise polyoxymethylene ureas and / or melamine formaldehyde resins; polyolefins; polysaccharides, in one aspect, the polysaccharides may comprise alginates and / or chitosans; gelatin; shellac; epoxy resins; vinyl polymers; water-insoluble inorganics; silicones; and mixtures thereof.

[0178] Preferred encapsulates include fragrances. Preferred encapsulates include an outer shell, which may include melamine formaldehyde and / or cross-linked melamine formaldehyde. Other preferred capsules include an outer shell based on polyacrylates. Preferred encapsulates include a core material and an outer shell, with the outer shell at least partially surrounding the core material. At least 75%, 85%, or even 90% of the encapsulates may have a burst strength of 0.2 MPa to 10 MPa, and a benefit agent leakage of 0% to 20%, or even less than 10% or 5%, based on the total benefit agent initially encapsulated. Preferably, at least 75%, 85% or even 90% of the encapsulates may have a particle size of (i) 1 micron to 80 microns, 5 microns to 60 microns, 10 microns to 50 microns, or even 15 microns to 40 microns and / or (ii) at least 75%, 85% or even 90% of the encapsulates may have a particle wall thickness of 30 nm to 250 nm, 80 nm to 180 nm or even 100 nm to 160 nm. Formaldehyde scavengers may be used with the encapsulates, for example in a capsule slurry, and / or added to such compositions before, during or after the encapsulates are added to the composition.

[0179] Suitable capsules prepared by known methods can be used. Alternatively, suitable capsules are available from Encapsys LLC of Appleton, Wisconsin, USA. For example, in addition to the encapsulant, the composition may contain a deposition aid. Preferred deposition aids are selected from cationic polymers and nonionic polymers. Suitable polymers include cationic starch, cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose, polyvinyl formaldehyde, locust bean gum, mannan, xyloglucan, tamarind gum, polyethylene terephthalate, and polymers comprising dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and, optionally, one or more monomers selected from acrylic acid and acrylamide.

[0180] spices

[0181] Non-limiting examples of fragrances and fragrance ingredients include, but are not limited to, aldehydes, ketones, esters, and the like. Other examples include various natural extracts and essential oils, which may contain complex mixtures of ingredients, such as orange oil, lemon oil, rose extract, lavender, musk, patchouli, impatiens essential oil, sandalwood oil, pine oil, cedarwood, and the like. Finished fragrances may contain extremely complex mixtures of such ingredients. The finished fragrance may be included at a concentration ranging from about 0.01% to about 2% by weight of the detergent composition.

[0182] Dye transfer inhibitors

[0183] Dye transfer inhibitors are effective in inhibiting the transfer of dyes from one fabric to another during the cleaning process. Generally, such dye transfer inhibitors can include polyvinyl pyrrolidone polymers, polyamine N-oxide polymers, copolymers of N-vinyl pyrrolidone and N-vinylimidazole, manganese phthalocyanine, peroxidases, and mixtures thereof. If used, these agents can be used at a concentration of from about 0.0001% to about 10% by weight of the composition, in some examples from about 0.01% to about 5% by weight of the composition, and in other examples from about 0.05% to about 2% by weight of the composition.

[0184] chelating agents

[0185] Suitable chelating agents include copper, iron and / or manganese chelating agents and mixtures thereof. Such chelating agents may be selected from phosphonates, aminocarboxylates, aminophosphonates, succinates, polyfunctional substituted aromatic chelating agents, 2-hydroxypyridine-N-oxide compounds, hydroxamic acids, carboxymethyl inulin, and mixtures thereof. Chelating agents may be present in acid or salt form, including alkali metal salts, ammonium salts, and substituted ammonium salts thereof, and mixtures thereof. Other suitable chelating agents for use herein are the commercially available DEQUEST series; chelating agents available from Monsanto, Akzo-Nobel, DuPont, Dow; and chelating agents available from BASF and Nalco. series.

[0186] antifoaming agents

[0187] Compounds for reducing or suppressing foam formation can be incorporated into water-soluble unit dose preparations. Foam suppression may be particularly important in so-called "high concentration cleaning processes" and in front-loading washing machines. Examples of foam suppressors include monocarboxylic fatty acids and their soluble salts, high molecular weight hydrocarbons such as paraffin waxes, fatty acid esters (e.g., fatty acid triglycerides), fatty acid esters of monohydric alcohols, aliphatic C 18 -C 40 Ketones (eg, stearone), N-alkylated aminotriazines, waxy hydrocarbons having a melting point below about 100°C, silicone suds suppressors, and secondary alcohols.

[0188] Other suitable defoamers are those derived from phenylpropylmethyl-substituted polysiloxanes.

[0189] The detergent composition may contain a suds suppressor and a primary filler which is modified silica, the suds suppressor being selected from a combination of an organomodified siloxane polymer having aryl or alkylaryl substituents and a siloxane resin. The detergent composition may contain from about 0.001% to about 4.0% of such suds suppressor, by weight of the composition.

[0190] The detergent composition comprises a suds suppressor selected from: a) a mixture of about 80% to about 92% ethylmethyl(2-phenylpropyl)methicone; about 5% to about 14% MQ resin in octyl stearate; and about 3% to about 7% modified silica; b) a mixture of about 78% to about 92% ethylmethyl(2-phenylpropyl)siloxane methyl ester; about 3% to about 10% MQ resin in octyl stearate; and about 4% to about 12% modified silica; or c) mixtures thereof, wherein the percentages are by weight of the anti-suds.

[0191] Foaming agent

[0192] If high foam is required, a foam booster such as C 10 -C 16 Alkanolamides. Some examples include C 10 -C 14 If desired, water-soluble magnesium and / or calcium salts (such as MgCl2, MgSO4, CaCl2, CaSO4, etc.) may be added at levels of from about 0.1% to about 2% by weight of the detergent composition to provide additional foam and enhance grease removal performance.

[0193] Conditioner

[0194] Suitable conditioning agents include high melting point fatty compounds. High melting point fatty compounds useful herein have a melting point of 25°C or higher and are selected from fatty alcohols, fatty acids, fatty alcohol derivatives, fatty acid derivatives, and mixtures thereof. Suitable conditioning agents also include nonionic polymers and conditioning oils, such as hydrocarbon oils, polyolefins, and fatty esters.

[0195] Suitable conditioning agents include those generally characterized as silicones (e.g., silicone oils, silicone greases, cationic silicones, silicone gums, high refractive silicones, and silicone resins), organic conditioning oils (e.g., hydrocarbon oils, polyolefins, and fatty esters), or combinations thereof, or those conditioning agents that form liquid dispersed particles in the aqueous surfactant matrix herein.

[0196] Fabric-reinforced polymers

[0197] Suitable fabric-enhancing polymers are typically cationic and / or have a high molecular weight. The fabric-enhancing polymer can be a homopolymer or formed from two or more types of monomers. The monomer weight of the polymer is typically in the range of 5,000 to 10,000,000, typically at least 10,000, and preferably in the range of 100,000 to 2,000,000. Preferred fabric-enhancing polymers will have a cationic charge density of at least 0.2 meq / gm, preferably at least 0.25 meq / gm, more preferably at least 0.3 meq / gm, but also preferably less than 5 meq / gm, more preferably less than 3 meq, and most preferably less than 2 meq / gm at the pH of the composition's intended use, which is typically in the range of pH 3 to pH 9, preferably pH 4 to pH 8. The fabric-enhancing polymer can be of natural or synthetic origin.

[0198] Pearlescent Agent

[0199] Non-limiting examples of pearlescent agents include: mica; titanium dioxide coated mica; bismuth oxychloride; fish scale; mono- or diesters of alkylene glycol. The pearlescent agent may be ethylene glycol distearate (EGDS).

[0200] Hygiene and bad odor

[0201] Suitable hygiene and malodor active agents include zinc ricinoleate, thymol, quaternary ammonium salts such as Polyethyleneimine (such as BASF's ), and their zinc complexes, silver and silver compounds, especially those designed for slow release of Ag + or a compound of a nanosilver dispersion.

[0202] Buffer system

[0203] The water-soluble unit dose articles described herein can be formulated so that during use in aqueous cleaning operations, the wash water will have a pH of about 7.0 to about 12, and in some examples, will have a pH of about 7.0 to about 11. Techniques for controlling pH at recommended usage levels include the use of buffers, bases, or acids, and are well known to those skilled in the art. These include, but are not limited to, the use of sodium carbonate, citric acid or sodium citrate, lactic acid or lactate, monoethanolamine or other amines, boric acid or borate, and other pH adjusting compounds well known in the art.

[0204] The detergent compositions herein may include a dynamic in-wash pH profile. Such detergent compositions may utilize wax-coated citric acid particles with other pH control agents such that (i) after about 3 minutes of contact with water, the pH of the wash liquor is greater than 10; (ii) after about 10 minutes of contact with water, the pH of the wash liquor is less than 9.5; (iii) after about 20 minutes of contact with water, the pH of the wash liquor is less than 9.0; and (iv) optionally, wherein the equilibrium pH of the wash liquor is in the range of about 7.0 to about 8.5.

[0205] Preparation method

[0206] like Figure 3 As shown in the diagram in, there is provided a solution of long filament formation composition 35.Long filament formation composition can comprise one or more long filaments and form material and optional one or more activating agents.Make long filament form composition 35 by one or more module assemblies 40 comprising a plurality of spinnerets 45, to form a plurality of fiber elements 30, these a plurality of fiber elements 30 comprise one or more long filaments and form material and optional one or more activating agents.A plurality of module assemblies 40 can be used for the different layers of rotating fiber element 30, and the fiber element 30 of different layers has the composition different from each other or identical to each other.Two or more module assemblies in series can be provided, to form three, four or any other integer plies in a given layer.Fiber element 30 can be deposited on the belt 50 moving along machine direction MD to form the first layer 10.

[0207] Particles can be introduced into the flow of fiber elements 30 between the module assembly 40 and the belt 50. Particles can be fed from a particle receiver onto a belt feeder 41 or an optional screw feeder. The belt feeder 41 can be set and controlled to deliver the desired mass of particles to the process. The belt feeder can feed an air knife 42 that suspends the particles in the air stream and directs them into the fiber elements 30 to form a particle-fiber layer of the mixed fiber elements 30 and the particles are subsequently deposited on the belt 50.

[0208] To form a water-soluble product, a first layer 10 may be provided. A second layer 15 may be provided separately from the first layer 10. The first layer 10 and the second layer 15 are stacked one on top of another. Stacked means one is positioned above or below the other, with the understanding that additional layers or other materials, such as active agents, may be positioned between the stacked layers. A portion of the first layer 10 may be joined to a portion of the second layer 15 to form the water-soluble product 5. Each layer may include one or more layers.

[0209] Particle-fiber layer

[0210] The particle-fiber layer can be arranged in a variety of ways. The particle clusters can be distributed in pockets distributed in the layer, wherein these pockets can be formed between the layers of fibrous elements; the contact network and porosity within each particle cluster are governed by the physics of conventional particle packing, but the clusters are substantially expanded in the layer. The particles can be relatively uniformly distributed throughout the fibrous structure, with substantially no localized particle clusters; the filler is substantially expanded on the scale of individual particles, with less inter-particle contact and greater inter-particle porosity. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that a water-soluble unit dose article comprising a layer containing fibrous elements and particles, wherein a viscous surfactant, such as AES, is separated into particles having an expanded structure, provides improved dispersion and dissolution of the unit dose article by faster absorption of water into the expanded structure and by reducing contact between particles having the viscous surfactant.

[0211] Washing method

[0212] The present invention also covers a method for washing using the articles according to the invention, comprising the steps of placing at least one article according to the invention together with laundry in a washing machine and performing a washing or cleaning operation.

[0213] Any suitable washing machine may be used. Those skilled in the art will be aware of suitable machines for the relevant washing operations. The articles of the present invention may be used in combination with other compositions such as fabric additives, fabric softeners, rinse aids, and the like.

[0214] The washing temperature may be 30° C. or lower. The washing process may comprise at least one washing cycle having a duration of 5 to 20 minutes. The automatic washing machine may comprise a rotating drum, and wherein during at least one washing cycle the drum has a rotation rate of 15 to 40 rpm, preferably 20 to 35 rpm.

[0215] Specific contemplated aspects of the present disclosure are described herein in the following numbered paragraphs.

[0216] 1. A water-soluble unit dose product comprising a water-soluble fibrous structure and a plurality of particles distributed throughout the structure, wherein the water-soluble fibrous structure comprises a plurality of fibrous elements, and each fibrous element comprises at least one filament-forming material and a first surfactant, wherein the first surfactant is characterized by a hydrophilic index (HI) of not greater than about 7.5; and wherein each of the particles comprises a second surfactant, wherein the second surfactant is characterized by a HI greater than 7.5.

[0217] 2. The water-soluble unit dose preparation according to paragraph 1, wherein the first surfactant is selected from unalkoxylated C6-C20 linear or branched alkyl sulfates (AS), C6-C20 linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS), and combinations thereof, preferably C6-C20 linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS).

[0218] 3. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the second surfactant is selected from a C6-C20 linear or branched alkyl alkoxylated sulfate (AAS) having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of 0.1 to 10, a C6-C20 alkyl alkoxylated alcohol (AA) having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of 5 to 15, and combinations thereof.

[0219] 4. The water-soluble unit dose article of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the first surfactant is present as the primary surfactant in each fibrous element, and wherein preferably the second surfactant is present as the primary surfactant in each particle.

[0220] 5. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein each granule comprises from about 5% to about 60% of the second surfactant by weight of the granule.

[0221] 6. The water-soluble unit dose article of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein each fibrous element comprises from about 10% to about 90% by weight, preferably from about 20% to about 80% by weight, more preferably from about 30% to about 70% by weight of the first surfactant based on the weight of the dry fibrous element.

[0222] 7. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the water-soluble unit dose preparation further comprises at least one particle comprising an active agent selected from the group consisting of a structurant, a builder, a polymeric dispersant, an enzyme, an enzyme stabilizer, a bleach system, a whitening agent, a colorant, a chelating agent, a suds suppressor, a conditioning agent, a wetting agent, a perfume, a perfume microcapsule, a filler or carrier, an alkaline system, a pH control system, a buffer, an alkanolamine, a mosquito repellent, and mixtures thereof.

[0223] 8. The water-soluble unit dose product of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the water-soluble unit dose product further comprises at least one particle comprising one or more water-insoluble materials.

[0224] 9. The water-dispersible unit dose article of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the insoluble material is dispersible into a suspension having an average particle size of less than about 20 microns, or less than about 50 microns.

[0225] 10. The water-soluble unit dose article of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the particles have a D50 particle size of about 150 μm to about 1600 μm as measured according to the Particle Size Distribution Test Method.

[0226] 11. The water-soluble unit dose article of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the fibrous elements are filaments, fibers, or mixtures thereof, preferably the fibrous elements are filaments.

[0227] 12. A water-soluble unit dose article according to any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the filament-forming material comprises a polymer, preferably the polymer is selected from polyvinyl alcohol, polyalkylene glycol, starch or modified starch, cellulose or modified cellulose, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polyacrylamide, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and combinations thereof; and wherein more preferably, the water-soluble polymer is selected from polyvinyl alcohol, polyalkylene glycol, and combinations thereof.

[0228] 13. The water-soluble unit dose article of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein each of the fibrous elements comprises from about 0% to about 15%, preferably from about 0% to about 10%, more preferably from about 0% to about 5%, and most preferably from about 0% to about 1% of a second surfactant by weight based on the dry fibrous element.

[0229] 14. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the second surfactant is a C6-C20 linear or branched AAS surfactant having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of 0.1 to 10, preferably a C10-C16 linear or branched alkyl ethoxylated sulfate (AES) having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of 1 to 5.

[0230] 15. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein each of the particles further comprises, based on the total weight of each discrete particle, 0.5% to 20%, preferably 1% to 15%, more preferably 2% to 10% of a rheology modifier selected from the group consisting of: alkoxylated polyalkylene imines; ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymers, wherein x1 and x2 are each in the range of about 2 to about 140, preferably about 2 to about 100, more preferably about 2 to about 80, and y is in the range of about 15 to about 70; N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine; and mixtures thereof, wherein preferably the alkoxylated polyalkylene imine has the empirical formula (PEI)a(CH2C H2O)b(CH2CH2CHO)c, wherein PEI is a polyethyleneimine core; wherein a is the number average molecular weight (MWn) of the PEI core before modification, which is in the range of 100 Daltons to 100,000 Daltons, preferably 200 Daltons to 5000 Daltons, more preferably 500 Daltons to 1000 Daltons; wherein b is the weight average number of ethylene oxide (CH2CHO) units per nitrogen atom in the PEI core, which is in the range of 0 to 60, preferably 1 to 50, more preferably 5 to 40, most preferably 10 to 30; and wherein c is the weight average number of propylene oxide (CH2CH2CHO) units per nitrogen atom in the PEI core, which is in the range of 0 to 60, preferably 0 to 40, more preferably 0 to 30, most preferably 0 to 20.

[0231] 16. The water-soluble unit dose preparation according to any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein each of the particles further comprises 0.5% to 20%, preferably 1% to 15%, more preferably 2% to 10% of a polyalkylene glycol, based on the total weight of each discrete particle, wherein the polyalkylene glycol is preferably polyethylene glycol having a weight average molecular weight in the range of 500 Daltons to 20,000 Daltons, preferably about 1000 Daltons to 15,000 Daltons, and more preferably 2000 Daltons to 8000 Daltons.

[0232] 17. The water-soluble unit dose product of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the water-soluble unit dose product exhibits a Wash Residue Test Rating of less than or equal to about 1.0 as measured according to the Wash Residue Test Method.

[0233] 18. The water-soluble unit dose article of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein the water-soluble unit dose article has a basis weight of from about 500 g / m2 to about 5,000 g / m2, preferably from about 1,000 g / m2 to about 4,000 g / m2, more preferably from about 1,500 g / m2 to about 3,500 g / m2, even more preferably from about 2,000 g / m2 to about 3,000 g / m2, as measured according to the Basis Weight test method described herein.

[0234] 19. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein each of the particles further comprises an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer having an average propylene oxide chain length of 20 to 70, preferably 30 to 60, more preferably 45 to 55 propylene oxide units.

[0235] 20. The water-soluble unit dose preparation according to any one of the preceding paragraphs, wherein each of the particles further comprises an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer having a molecular weight of 1000 Dalton to 15,000 Dalton, preferably 1500 Dalton to 5000 Dalton, more preferably 2000 Dalton to 4500 Dalton, even more preferably 2500 Dalton to 4000 Dalton, most preferably 3500 Dalton to 3800 Dalton, preferably Preferably, each ethylene oxide block or chain of the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer independently has an average chain length of 2 to 90, preferably 3 to 50, more preferably 4 to 20 ethylene oxide units, preferably the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer comprises 10% to 90%, preferably 15% to 50%, most preferably 15% to 25% of combined ethylene oxide blocks by weight of the copolymer.

[0236] 21. A water-soluble unit dose preparation according to any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein each of the particles further comprises an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer, wherein the total ethylene oxide content of the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer is equally divided over the two ethylene oxide blocks, preferably each ethylene oxide block comprises on average 40% to 60%, more preferably 45% to 55%, even more preferably 48% to 52%, most preferably 50% of the total number of ethylene oxide units, wherein the % for the two ethylene oxide blocks add up to 100%.

[0237] 22. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of any of the preceding paragraphs, wherein each of the particles further comprises an ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer, wherein the ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymer has a molecular weight of 3500 to 3800 Daltons, a propylene oxide content of 45 to 55 propylene oxide units, and an ethylene oxide content of 4 to 20 ethylene oxide units per ethylene oxide block.

[0238] Test Method

[0239] Water content test method

[0240] The water (moisture) content present in the particles and / or matrix structure is measured using the following water content test method. Before the test, the particles or their parts ("samples") are placed in a conditioning room at a temperature of 23°C ± 1°C and a relative humidity of 50% ± 2% in the form of pre-cut pieces for at least 24 hours. Each structure sample has an area of ​​at least 4 square inches, but is small enough in size to fit properly on a balance weighing pan. Under the temperature and humidity conditions mentioned above, a balance with at least four decimal places is used to record the weight of the sample every five minutes until a change of less than 0.5% of the previous weight is detected within 10 minutes. The final weight is recorded as the "balance weight". Within 10 minutes, the sample is placed in a forced air oven at 70°C ± 2°C and a relative humidity of 4% ± 2%, and dried on top of the foil for 24 hours. After drying for 24 hours, the sample is removed and weighed within 15 seconds. This weight is expressed as the "dry weight" of the sample.

[0241] The water (moisture) content of the sample is calculated as follows:

[0242]

[0243] The % Water (Moisture) in the three aliquot samples were averaged to provide the reported % Water (Moisture) in the sample. The results were recorded to the nearest 0.1%.

[0244] Basis Weight Test Method

[0245] The basis weight of the fiber structure was measured on a stack of twelve available units using an upper pan analytical balance with a resolution of ± 0.001 g. An airflow hood was used to protect the balance from airflow and other disturbances. All samples were prepared using a precision cutting die (measuring 3.500 in ± 0.0035 in by 3.500 in ± 0.0035 in).

[0246] Using a precision cutting die, cut the sample into squares. Combine the cut squares to form a stack of twelve sample thicknesses. Measure the mass of the sample stack and record the result to the nearest 0.001 g.

[0247] Basis weight in lbs / 3000ft 2 or g / m 2 As a unit, calculate as follows:

[0248] Basis weight = (mass of the stack) / [(area of ​​one square in the stack) x (number of squares in the stack)]

[0249] For example,

[0250] Basis weight (lbs / 3000ft 2 ) = [[mass of the stack (g) / 453.6 (g / lbs)] / [12.25 (in 2 ) / 144(in 2 / ft 2 )×12]]×3000

[0251] or,

[0252] Basis weight (g / m 2 ) = mass of the stack (g) / [79.032 (cm 2 ) / 10,000(cm 2 / m 2 )×12]

[0253] Record results accurate to 0.1 lbs / 3000 ft 2 or 0.1g / m 2 A precision cutter similar to that mentioned above can be used to change or modify the sample dimensions so that the sample area in the stack is at least 100 square inches.

[0254] Thickness test method

[0255] The thickness of the fibrous structure is measured by cutting five specimens from the fibrous structure sample such that each cut specimen is larger than the loading surface of the loading foot of a VIR electronic thickness gauge, Model II, available from Thwing-Albert Instrument Company (Philadelphia, PA). Typically, the loading foot loading surface has a thickness of about 3.14 inches. 2 The sample is confined between a horizontal plane and the loading surface of the loading foot. The confining pressure exerted by the loading surface of the loading foot on the sample is 15.5g / cm 2The thickness of each sample is the gap between the flat surface and the loading surface of the loading foot. The thickness is calculated as the average thickness of the five samples. The results are reported in millimeters (mm).

[0256] Particle size distribution test method

[0257] Particle size distribution testing is performed to determine the characteristic size of the particles. ASTM D502-89 "Standard Test Method for Particle Size of Soaps and Other Detergents," approved May 26, 1989, is used, and further describes the sieve size and sieving time used in the analysis. Following Section 7 "Procedure for Using Machine Sieving Method," a clean, dry sieve nest containing American Standard (ASTM E 11) sieves #4 (4.75 mm), #6 (3.35 mm), #8 (2.36 mm), #12 (1.7 mm), #16 (1.18 mm), #20 (850 μm), #30 (600 μm), #40 (425 μm), #50 (300 μm), #70 (212 μm), and #100 (150 μm) is required to cover the particle size range described herein. The above-mentioned sieve set is used for the specified machine sieving method. A suitable sieve shaker is available from WSTyler Company, Ohio, USA. The shaken test sample was approximately 100 grams and was shaken for 5 minutes.

[0258] The data were plotted on a semi-logarithmic graph by plotting the micrometer openings of each sieve against a logarithmic abscissa and the cumulative mass percentage (Q3) against a linear ordinate. An example of the above data representation is shown in Figure A.4 of ISO 9276-1:1998 "Representation of results of particle size analysis - Part 1: Graphical Representation". For the purposes of the present invention, the characteristic particle size (Dx) is defined as the abscissa value at which the cumulative mass percentage is equal to x%, and is calculated by linear interpolation between the data points immediately above (a) and below (b) the x% value using the following formula:

[0259] Dx=10^[Log(Da)-(Log(Da)-Log(Db))*(Qa-x%) / (Qa-Qb)]

[0260] Wherein Log is the logarithm to base 10, Qa and Qb are the cumulative mass percentage values ​​of the measured data immediately above or below the x percentage, respectively; and Da and Db are the mesh size micrometer values ​​corresponding to these data.

[0261] Example data and calculations:

[0262] Sieve size (um) Sieve weight (g) Cumulative Mass % Finer (CMPF) 4750 0 100％ 3350 0 100％ 2360 0 100％ 1700 0 100％ 1180 0.68 99.3％ 850 10.40 89.0％ 600 28.73 60.3％ 425 27.97 32.4％ 300 17.20 15.2％ 212 8.42 6.8％ 150 4.00 2.8％ baseplate 2.84 0.0％

[0263] For D10 (x = 10%), the micron sieve size (Da) immediately above 10% of the CMPF is 300 μm, and the sieve below (Db) is 212 μm. The cumulative mass immediately above 10% (Qa) is 15.2%, and below (Qb) is 6.8%.

[0264] D10=10^[Log(300)–(Log(300)–Log(212))*(15.2%-10%) / (15.2%-6.8%)]=242um

[0265] For D50 (x = 50%), the micron sieve size (Da) immediately above 50% of the CMPF is 1180 μm, and the sieve below (Db) is 850 μm. The cumulative mass immediately above 90% (Qa) is 99.3%, and below (Qb) is 89.0%.

[0266] D50=10^[Log(600)-(Log(600)-Log(425))*(60.3%-50%) / (60.3%-32.4%)]=528um

[0267] For D90 (x = 90%), the micron sieve size (Da) immediately above 90% of the CMPF is 600 μm, and the sieve below (Db) is 425 μm. The cumulative mass immediately above 50% (Qa) is 60.3%, and below (Qb) is 32.4%.

[0268] D90=10^[Log(1180)-(Log(1180)-Log(850))*(99.3%-90%) / (99.3%-89.0%)]=878um

[0269] Diameter test method

[0270] The diameter of the fiber element in discontinuous fiber element or fiber structure is determined by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) or optical microscope and image analysis software. Select 200 times to 10,000 times of magnification so that fiber element is suitably amplified in order to measure. When using SEM, these samples are sputtered with gold or palladium compound to avoid fiber element being charged and vibrating in electron beam. Use the manual procedure of determining fiber element diameter from image (on monitor screen), described image is captured with SEM or optical microscope. Use mouse and cursor tool, search the edge of randomly selected fiber element, then measure to the other edge of fiber element across its width (that is, perpendicular to fiber element direction at this point). Zoom and calibration image analysis tool provides zoom to obtain the actual reading in μm. For the fiber element in fiber structure, use SEM or optical microscope to pass through the sample of fiber structure and randomly select multiple fiber elements. Cut out and test at least two parts of fiber structure in this way. Carry out at least 100 such measurements in total and then record all data for statistical analysis. The recorded data are used to calculate the mean fiber element diameter, the standard deviation of the fiber element diameter, and the median fiber element diameter.

[0271] Another useful statistic is to count the number of fiber elements below a certain upper limit. To determine this statistic, the software is programmed to count how many fiber elements have diameters below the upper limit and record this number (divided by the total number of data points and multiplied by 100%) as a percentage below the upper limit, such as, for example, the percentage below 1 micron diameter or %-submicron. We denote the measured diameter (in microns) of a single circular fiber element as di.

[0272] In the case of fiber elements having a non-circular cross-section, the measured value of the fiber element diameter is determined and set equal to the hydraulic diameter, which is four times the cross-sectional area of ​​the fiber element divided by the circumference of the fiber element cross-section (or the outer circumference in the case of hollow fiber elements). The number average diameter, or mean diameter, is calculated as follows:

[0273]

[0274] MicroCT method of QB02625

[0275] The sample to be tested was imaged using a microCT X-ray scanning instrument capable of acquiring a data set with an isotropic spatial resolution of 7 μm. An example of a suitable instrument is a SCANCO System Model 50 microCT scanner (ScancoMedical AG, Brüttisellen, Switzerland), which was operated with the following settings: energy level 45 kVp at 133 μA; 3000 projections; 35 mm field of view; 750 ms integration time; averaging of 4; and voxel size of 7 μm.

[0276] The test sample to be analyzed was prepared by cutting a line from one sealing edge to the other to form an approximate triangle. 20 mm below the tip, the two intact sealing edges intersected, and the resulting cut surface measured approximately 28 mm in length. The prepared sample was placed flat between rings of low-attenuation specimen preparation mounting foam, alternating layers, and mounted in a 35 mm diameter plastic cylindrical tube for scanning. Scans of the sample were acquired so that the entire volume of the mounted cut sample was included in the data set.

[0277] To reliably and reproducibly measure the volume percentage of fibers, particles, and void space within a sample, a small sample is extracted from the product's cross-section to generate a 3D data slab, which allows for a qualitative assessment of particles, fibers, and voids. A mask is created to encompass this data volume. The mask should not include void elements outside the product, which would skew the void volume measurement. Furthermore, the product area selected for analysis is based on a fixed distance from a physical landmark on the product.

[0278] In order to separate the interior of the volume into three regions: 1) particles 2) fibers and 3) void space, an automatic thresholding algorithm is used, which provides the best separation of these three regions. Since particles have a higher density than fibers, an additional step of slight dilation of the segmented particles should be performed. This will allow the expected partial volume averaging at the particle surface to be taken into account. The total volume of the expanded segmented particles can then be calculated. A lower threshold is then used to separate the fibers from the air. The fiber volume is the intersection of those voxels above the lower threshold that are not part of the particle region. Finally, the void volume is obtained by subtracting the total mask volume from the union of the fiber and particle volumes.

[0279] One implementation was performed using two software platforms: Avizo 9.2.0 and Matlab R2016b, both running on a Windows 64-bit workstation. In this case, data was collected from a Scanco mCT50 3D X-ray microCT scanner, which collects data at a resolution of 7 micron voxels. After scanning and image reconstruction, the scanner creates a 16-bit dataset called an ISQ file, in which the grayscale levels reflect changes in X-ray attenuation, which in turn is related to material density. In this case, the ISQ is quite large, measuring 5038 × 5038 × 1326.

[0280] The ISQ file was read into Avizo 9.2.0. It was converted to 8-bit using a scaling factor of 0.15. A subvolume with a corner offset of 11 mm diagonally was selected. A block with a thickness of 3.5 mm was selected for analysis.

[0281] To apply a robust automated thresholding scheme, cross-sectional slices from each of the three samples were read into Matlab R2016B. This segment was then divided into N distinct regions using a function called "multithresh()," where N = 2 in this example. This function is based on the well-known algorithm known as the "Otsu method," which provides optimal segmentation based on the distribution of the image histogram. The average of these thresholds across the three samples was then selected. In this example, a threshold of 124 was used to separate particles from fibers, and a threshold of 48 was used to separate fibers from air. An additional dilation using spherical structural elements of radius 1 was applied to the segmented particle data to compensate for partial volume averaging. The histogram function in Avizo then calculated the total volume associated with fibers and particles, as well as the total mask volume. The fiber and particle volumes were then subtracted from the total mask volume to yield the void volume. These results can then be transferred to Excel for further analysis or visualization.

[0282] Test method for washing residues

[0283] The Wash Residue Test qualitatively measures detergent residue on fabrics. Each test includes four comparative product samples, and each product sample has four replicates. The test uses a Whirlpool Duet washing machine (Model # WFW 9200SQO2) connected to a water temperature control system set to 50°F + / - 1°F.

[0284] The black velvet pouch was supplied by Equest UK at (01207) 529920.

[0285] 1. Source: Denholme Velvets, Halifax Road, Denholme, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England BD13 4EZ – Tel: (01274) 832 646.

[0286] 2.Material type: 150cm CR cotton velvet, quality 8897, black, 72% cotton, 28% modal.

[0287] 3. Equest Sewing Instructions: Cut a 23.5cm x 47cm rectangle of black velvet. Fold the rectangle of black velvet into a square with the velvet inside. Using an overlock stitch, sew the square along both sides, leaving an open edge. Sew a blank identification tag (3 x 3cm flat cotton) to one side.

[0288] Test preparation:

[0289] 1. Turn the pouch inside out so the velvet has an open edge on the outside.

[0290] 2. Write the product code and inside / outside repeat on the identification label with a permanent marker.

[0291] 3. Place the recommended dosage of water-soluble unit dose product for normal / medium soil and normal / medium water hardness in the back right corner of the black velvet pouch.

[0292] 4. Fold the open end of the black pouch over to create a 2cm seam and sew in the middle of the 2cm wide seam along the entire length of the opening.

[0293] 5. Repeat these steps to make a total of 4 replicates for each test product.

[0294] 6. Place the black pouch in the washing machine and wash as follows.

[0295] Washing black bag :

[0296] Arrange the four black velvet pouches one on top of the other in an alternating sequence with the water soluble unit dose products adjacent to each other as shown in Figure 6. Place the arranged pouches at the back of the drum.

[0297] Turn on the washing machine and set it to the delicate wash cycle, using a mixture of water at 50°F + / - 1°F (via the water temperature control system) and 6gpg hardness, without adding any additional ballast load. Run the washing machine through a full wash cycle. At the end of the wash cycle, remove the pouch from the washing machine and open it along three sides - except the folded side - to ensure that no residue is spilled.

[0298] The pouches were graded immediately after opening. The scores of two independent graders were recorded. The data were analyzed as a Latin square design, and the analysis incorporated washing machine and product location into the statistical model. Least squares means were used to construct 95% confidence intervals. A water-soluble unit-dose product was considered to have passed the test if the 95% one-sided confidence interval about the mean scaled unit was less than 1.

[0299] Rating is done by visually observing the residue remaining in / on the pouches after washing. The black pouches are rated according to the following qualitative scale:

[0300] 0 = No residue

[0301] 0.5 = very small spot with a maximum diameter of 1 cm

[0302] 1 = 3 small diffuse spots, each up to 2 cm in diameter, that are flat (ie, filmy) and translucent

[0303] 2 = More than 3 small spots of 2 cm diameter, each covered with a flat translucent residue until the entire black pouch is covered

[0304] 2.5 = Small opaque residue (ie, gel-like) less than 1 cm in diameter.

[0305] 3 = Opaque residue (e.g., gelatinous) with a diameter between 1 cm and 2 cm

[0306] 4 = Opaque residue (e.g., gelatinous) with a diameter between 3 cm and 4 cm

[0307] 5 = Thick gelatinous residue with a diameter between 4 cm and 6 cm

[0308] 6 = Thick gelatinous residue > 6 cm in diameter

[0309] 7 = Product is essentially insoluble; residue is soft and gelatinous

[0310] 8 = Product essentially did not dissolve; residue was hard and rubbery (felt like silicone); Rating 8 is unusual because it indicates the product may have been contaminated.

[0311] Example

[0312] Example 1

[0313] like Figure 3As shown, a first layer of fiber elements is spun using a first spinning manifold and collected on a forming belt. The forming belt with the first fiber layer is then passed under a second spinning manifold, which is modified with a particle addition system. The particle addition system is capable of essentially ejecting particles onto a landing zone on the forming belt that is directly below the fiber elements from the second spinning manifold. A suitable particle addition system can be assembled by a particle feeder such as a vibrator, a belt or a screw feeder and an injection system such as an air knife or other fluidized conveying system. In order to facilitate uniform distribution of particles in the transverse direction, the particle feed is preferably approximately the same width as the spinning die to ensure that the particles are delivered across the entire width of the composite structure. Preferably, the particle feeder is completely enclosed except for the outlet to minimize damage to the particle feed. The combined impact of the particles and the fiber elements on the forming belt below the second spinning manifold produces a composite structure in which the particle filler is expanded and the fibers substantially penetrate the inter-particle pores.

[0314] Table 1 below lists non-limiting examples of dry fiber compositions of the present invention for use in preparing fibrous elements. To prepare the fibrous elements, an aqueous solution preferably having a solids content of about 45% to 60% is stirred by one or more methods such as Figure 3 A suitable spin beam process is shown. A suitable spin beam comprises a capillary die having a decaying air flow, and a drying air flow adapted to substantially dry the decaying fibers before they impinge on the forming belt.

[0315] Table 1. Fiber (F) composition, mass % :

[0316] Components F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 LAS 48.5 43.1 59.2 21.0 47.2 51.8 AS 0.0 21.6 0.0 42.0 23.6 12.9 AES 16.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 PEG-PVAc 0.0 0.0 5.9 3.2 0.0 0.0 PVOH 32.3 29.3 28.5 27.5 23.7 29.3 PEO 0.0 3.0 3.2 3.2 2.5 3.0 Moisture + Miscellaneous 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.1 3.0 3.0 total 100 100 100 100 100 100

[0317] Table 2 below shows non-limiting examples of granule compositions of the present invention. Granules can be prepared by various suitable methods, including grinding, spray drying, agglomeration, extrusion, granulation, encapsulation, pastilles, and any combination thereof. Prior to addition, one or more granules can be mixed together.

[0318] Table 2. Composition of particles (P), mass % :

[0319]

[0320]

[0321] The resulting product is illustrated in Table 3, which provides structural details of the product flakes by fiber and particle components (from Tables 1 and 2, respectively), as well as the neat flake composition of the product. Note that other product adjunct materials such as fragrances, enzymes, foam suppressants, bleach, etc. may be added to the flakes.

[0322] The cleaning residue test rating for each tablet is shown.The tablets illustrate a range of detergent products having a significant proportion of ethoxylated anionic surfactants (AES).

[0323] Table 3. Product coating (C)

[0324]

[0325]

[0326] Raw materials used in Example 1

[0327] LAS is provided by Stepan, Northfield, Illinois, USA or Huntsman Corp. HLAS has C 11 -C 12 Average aliphatic carbon chain length linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (HLAS in acid form).

[0328] AES was supplied by Stepan, Northfield, Illinois, USA or Shell Chemicals, Houston, TX, USA. 12-14 Alkyl ethoxy (3) sulfate, C 14-15 Alkyl ethoxy (2.5) sulfate, or C 12-15 Alkyl ethoxy (1.8) sulfate.

[0329] AS was provided by Stepan, Northfield, Illinois, USA. 12-14 Sulfates and / or meso-branched alkyl sulfates.

[0330] The dispersant polymer (dispersing polymer) had a molecular weight of 70,000 and an acrylate to maleate ratio of 70:30 and was supplied by BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany)

[0331] PEG-PVAc polymer is a polyethylene oxide copolymer grafted onto polyvinyl acetate, having a polyethylene oxide backbone and multiple polyvinyl acetate side chains. The molecular weight of the polyethylene oxide backbone is approximately 6000, and the weight ratio of polyethylene oxide to polyvinyl acetate is approximately 40 to 60, with no more than one grafting site per 50 ethylene oxide units. It was purchased from BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany).

[0332] Ethoxylated polyethyleneimine (PE20) is a polyethyleneimine core with a molecular weight of 600 g / mol and 20 ethoxylated groups per -NH group, available from BASF (Ludwigshafen, Germany).

[0333] The dimensions and values ​​disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values ​​recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm."

[0334] For clarity, total "wt%" values ​​do not exceed 100 wt%.

[0335] Unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited, each document cited herein, including any cross-referenced or related patent or application, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any of the present inventions disclosed or claimed herein, or that it, by itself or in combination with any one or more of the references, proposes, suggests, or discloses any such invention. In addition, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

[0336] Although the present invention has been described and illustrated with specific embodiments and / or implementations, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, it is intended that all such changes and modifications within the scope of the present invention be encompassed in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A water-soluble unit dose product comprising a water-soluble fibrous structure and a plurality of particles distributed throughout the structure, wherein the water-soluble fibrous structure comprises a plurality of fibrous elements and each fibrous element comprises at least one filament-forming material and a first surfactant, wherein the first surfactant is characterized by a hydrophilic index (HI) of no greater than 7.5 and is present in an amount of 50% or more by weight of all surfactants in the fibrous elements; wherein each of the particles comprises a second surfactant, wherein the second surfactant is characterized by a HI of greater than 7.5 and the second surfactant is present in an amount of less than 50% by weight of all surfactants in the fibrous elements. A surfactant is present in each of the particles in an amount of 50% or more based on the total weight of all surfactants in the particle; wherein the first surfactant is selected from the group consisting of unalkoxylated C6-C20 linear or branched alkyl sulfates (AS), C6-C20 linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS), and combinations thereof, and the second surfactant is selected from the group consisting of C6-C20 linear or branched alkyl alkoxylated sulfates (AAS) having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of 0.1 to 10, C6-C20 alkyl alkoxylated alcohols (AA) having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of 5 to 15, and combinations thereof.

2. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of claim 1, wherein each of the granules comprises 5% to 60% of the second surfactant by weight of the granule.

3. The water-soluble unit dose article of claim 1, wherein each fibrous element comprises from 10% to 90% by weight of the first surfactant based on the weight of the dry fibrous element.

4. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble unit dose preparation further comprises at least one particle comprising an active agent selected from the group consisting of a structurant, a builder, a polymeric dispersant, an enzyme, an enzyme stabilizer, a bleach system, a whitening agent, a colorant, a chelating agent, a suds suppressor, a conditioning agent, a humectant, a perfume, a filler or carrier, a pH control system, a mosquito repellent, and mixtures thereof.

5. The water-soluble unit dose preparation according to claim 4, wherein the active agent is selected from the group consisting of fragrance microcapsules and alkanolamines.

6. The water-soluble unit dose preparation according to claim 4, wherein the active agent is selected from an alkaline system.

7. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of claim 4, wherein the active agent is a buffering agent.

8. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of claim 1, wherein the water-soluble unit dose preparation further comprises at least one particle comprising one or more water-insoluble materials.

9. The water-soluble unit dose product of claim 8, wherein the insoluble material is dispersible as a suspension having an average particle size of less than 50 microns.

10. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of claim 1, wherein the particles have a D50 particle size of 150 μm to 1600 μm as measured according to the Particle Size Distribution Test Method.

11. The water-soluble unit dose article of claim 1, wherein the fibrous elements are filaments, fibers, or mixtures thereof.

12. The water-soluble unit dose article of claim 1, wherein the filament-forming material comprises a polymer.

13. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of claim 12, wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, polyalkylene glycol, starch or modified starch, cellulose or modified cellulose, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polyacrylamide, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and combinations thereof.

14. The water-soluble unit dose article of claim 1, wherein each of said fibrous elements comprises from 0% to 15% of said second surfactant by weight based on the dry fibrous element.

15. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of claim 1, wherein the second surfactant is a C6-C20 linear or branched AAS surfactant having a weight average degree of alkoxylation in the range of 0.1 to 10.

16. The water-soluble unit dose preparation according to claim 1, wherein each of the particles further comprises 0.5% to 20% of a rheology modifier, based on the total weight of each discrete particle, the rheology modifier being selected from: alkoxylated polyalkyleneimines; ethylene oxide-propylene oxide-ethylene oxide (EOx1POyEOx2) triblock copolymers, wherein x1 and x2 are each in the range of 2 to 140, and y is in the range of 15 to 70; N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine; and mixtures thereof.

17. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of claim 16, wherein the alkoxylated polyalkyleneimine has an empirical formula of (PEI)a(CH2CHO)b(CH2CH2CHO)c, wherein PEI is a polyethyleneimine core; wherein a is the number average molecular weight (MWn) of the PEI core before modification, which is in the range of 100 Daltons to 100,000 Daltons; wherein b is the weight average number of ethylene oxide (CH2CHO) units per nitrogen atom in the PEI core, which is in the range of 0 to 60; and wherein c is the weight average number of propylene oxide (CH2CH2CHO) units per nitrogen atom in the PEI core, which is in the range of 0 to 60.

18. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of claim 1, wherein each of the particles further comprises 0.5% to 20% of a polyalkylene glycol, based on the total weight of each discrete particle.

19. The water-soluble unit dose preparation of claim 18, wherein the polyalkylene glycol is polyethylene glycol having a weight average molecular weight in the range of 500 Daltons to 20,000 Daltons.

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