A fabric softener composition containing sericin and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field of daily necessities, and more specifically, relates to a fabric softener composition containing sericin and a preparation method thereof. According to weight parts, it comprises: 1 to 5 parts of sericin suspension, 0.1-1 parts of cross-linking agent, 1 to 5 parts of cationic surfactant, 0.1 to 0.5 parts of flavor, 0.02 to 0.5 parts of preservative, and 80 to 100 parts of deionized water, wherein the sericin suspension contains sericin with a short fiber structure. The fabric softener of the present invention belongs to the field of daily necessities, and has the following advantages: excellent softness, obvious antistatic effect, significant hydrophilic property, non-toxic and tasteless, no skin irritation; the raw material source is green and environmentally friendly, and the cost is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of daily necessities, and more specifically, relates to a fabric softener composition containing sericin and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the improvement of consumption level, fabric softener, as the main product of fabric care, is favored by more and more consumers. Softener can bring softness, antistatic and fragrance experience to fabrics, while cationic surfactants as softener raw materials will reduce the rewetting performance of fabrics to a certain extent and give fabrics limited antistatic properties.

[0003] Chinese patent CN109097995A describes that polyol-type nonionic surfactants can be used to improve the poor hydrophilicity and low-temperature stability of cationic surfactant softeners in softener compositions, but does not mention antistatic properties. Chinese patent CN112391842A describes that the use of aqueous dispersions containing nonionic polyurethane can improve the hydrophilicity of cationic surfactants in softener compositions and the low system thickening efficiency, but high molecular weight nonionic polyurethanes require additional surfactants for emulsification, which is a cumbersome process and may cause skin irritation if left on fabrics. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the defects of the prior art, the present invention provides a fabric softener composition containing sericin and a preparation method thereof, which solves the technical problems of the prior art fabric softener, such as poor hydrophilicity and need to improve antistatic properties.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fabric softener composition containing sericin, which comprises, by weight: 1 to 5 parts of a sericin suspension, 0.1-1 parts of a cross-linking agent, 1 to 5 parts of a cationic surfactant, 0.1 to 0.5 parts of an essence, 0.02 to 0.5 parts of a preservative, and 80 to 100 parts of deionized water; the sericin suspension contains sericin with a short fiber structure.

[0006] Preferably, the sericin suspension is a suspension containing sericin short fiber structures obtained by heating and dissolving sericin under acidic conditions and then injecting the sericin into flowing water for coagulation. The concentration of the sericin suspension is 0.1wt%-5wt%.

[0007] Further preferably, sericin is dissolved in hot water at a temperature of 80°C-100°C to obtain a sericin aqueous solution, and the solution is stirred until completely dissolved; then, hydrochloric acid is used to adjust the pH to 2.5-5.0; and then, a syringe is used to inject the sericin aqueous solution into high-speed stirred low-temperature deionized water, wherein the temperature of the deionized water is 0°C-10°C and the stirring speed is 500rpm-1500rpm.

[0008] Preferably, the short fiber structure of the sericin has a length of 1 μm-3000 μm and a diameter of 0.5 μm-5 μm.

[0009] Preferably, the crosslinking agent is one or more of an epoxy crosslinking agent, a reactive silicone finishing agent, a dialdehyde finishing agent, a polycarboxylic acid finishing agent, hydrolyzed chitosan, silica sol and a polyurethane finishing agent.

[0010] Preferably, the crosslinking agent is a hydrophilic polyurethane, more preferably one or more of polyurethane, self-crosslinking polyether polyurethane and water-dispersible isocyanate.

[0011] Preferably, the cationic surfactant is one or more of an alkyl quaternary ammonium salt, an ester quaternary ammonium salt and an imidazoline quaternary ammonium salt.

[0012] Preferably, the pH of the fabric softener composition is 3-4.

[0013] Preferably, the softener composition further comprises one or more of a pH adjuster, a whitening agent and a pigment.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for preparing the composition is provided, comprising the following steps: first, according to the ratio of each raw material in the composition, adding the cationic surfactant dropwise into deionized water during stirring, and continuing to stir for 30-40 minutes after the addition is completed; then, adding the sericin suspension and the cross-linking agent to the above dispersion in sequence, mixing and stirring evenly, and then adding flavors and preservatives and adjusting the pH to 3-4.

[0015] Preferably, the temperature of the deionized water is 35°C to 40°C.

[0016] In general, the above technical solution conceived by the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0017] (1) The present invention provides a fabric softener composition, which contains a cationic surfactant, and also introduces sericin containing a short fiber structure and a cross-linking agent. Experiments show that compared with a fabric softener without the introduction of sericin and a cross-linking agent, its hydrophilicity and antistatic properties are greatly improved. The possible reason is that the sericin introduced in the fabric softener containing sericin disclosed by the present invention has a short fiber microstructure, which is easy to spread and remain on the fiber surface, and cooperates with the cationic surfactant to play a softening role, thereby improving the hydrophilicity and air permeability of the fabric.

[0018] (2) In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, self-crosslinking waterborne polyurethane PU is used as a crosslinking agent, which mainly relies on highly active isocyanate groups to react with fibers to form a three-dimensional network structure. Since one PU molecule can react with two or more cellulose molecules, partial crosslinking bonds are formed. This partial crosslinking bond becomes the skeleton of the cellulose molecular structure, plays a supporting and fixing role, and at the same time fixes the sericin on the surface of the fabric, thereby improving the stiffness, hydrophilicity and air permeability of the fabric and reducing the wrinkle susceptibility.

[0019] (3) The softener composition containing sericin provided by the present invention has excellent softening performance on cotton cloth, significantly improved hydrophilicity, and remarkable anti-wrinkle performance; it has good antistatic performance on polyester cloth, with an antistatic half-life of only 1-2 seconds, is non-irritating to the skin, and the raw material source is green and environmentally friendly.

[0020] (4) The softener composition containing sericin provided by the present invention has a short fiber structure and can react with a cross-linking agent at room temperature to fix the sericin on the surface of the fabric to exert its effect. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0022] The present invention provides a fabric softener composition containing sericin, which comprises, by weight: 1 to 5 parts of sericin suspension, 0.1-1 part of a cross-linking agent, 1 to 5 parts of a cationic surfactant, 0.1 to 0.5 parts of an essence, 0.02 to 0.5 parts of a preservative, and 80 to 100 parts of deionized water. The sericin suspension contains sericin with a short fiber structure.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present invention, the sericin suspension is a suspension containing sericin short fiber structures obtained by heating and dissolving sericin under acidic conditions and then injecting the sericin into flowing water for rapid coagulation. The concentration of the sericin suspension is 0.1wt%-5wt%.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment, the preparation method of the sericin short suspension is as follows: dissolving sericin powder in hot water at 80°C-100°C, and adjusting the pH to 2.5-5.0, preferably 3.8-4.5, using hydrochloric acid. A certain volume of low-temperature deionized water is placed in a beaker and stirred using a high-speed stirring shear head. The sericin aqueous solution is injected into the high-speed stirring (500rpm-1500rpm) low-temperature deionized water of 0°C-10°C using a syringe. The sericin solution will solidify when injected into the fast-flowing low-temperature water, and the solidified sericin filaments will be elongated and broken, thereby directly forming a discrete polymer short fiber structure suspended in the liquid. Advantages of the sericin suspension with a short fiber structure: the sericin with a short fiber structure can be evenly suspended and dispersed in the aqueous solution, and is easier to spread and remain on the fiber surface, and can be widely contacted with the crosslinking agent and the fabric. The length of the sericin short fiber structure of the present invention is 1μm-3000μm, and the diameter is 0.5μm-5μm.

[0025] The crosslinking agent in the fabric softener composition of the present invention crosslinks the sericin with the fabric, so that the sericin remains on the surface of the fabric to play a role. In some embodiments, the crosslinking agent is one or more of an epoxy crosslinking agent, a reactive silicone finishing agent, a dialdehyde finishing agent, a polycarboxylic acid finishing agent (BTCA), hydrolyzed chitosan, silica sol, and a polyurethane finishing agent.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the cross-linking agent is a hydrophilic polyurethane, which may be one or more of polyurethane, self-cross-linking polyether polyurethane and water-dispersible isocyanate.

[0027] The cationic surfactant in the fabric softener composition of the present invention can be a cationic surfactant commonly used in prior art fabric softeners. In some embodiments, the cationic surfactant is one or more of an alkyl quaternary ammonium salt, an ester quaternary ammonium salt, and an imidazoline quaternary ammonium salt.

[0028] In some embodiments, the pH of the fabric softener composition is 3-4.

[0029] The softener composition of the present invention also contains one or more common additives such as flavor, preservative, pH adjuster, whitening agent and pigment, etc. The flavor can be lemon flavor or lavender flavor; the preservative can be KF88, etc., the pH adjuster can be citric acid, etc.; the whitening agent can be CBS, etc., and the pigment can be brilliant blue, etc.

[0030] The present invention also provides a method for preparing the fabric softener composition, comprising the following steps: first, adding the cationic surfactant dropwise into deionized water (35°C to 40°C) during stirring, and continuing stirring for 30-40 minutes after the addition is completed; then, adding the sericin suspension and the polyurethane crosslinking agent into the above dispersion in sequence, mixing and stirring evenly, and then adding other additives and adjusting the pH to 3-4. Other additives include flavors and preservatives.

[0031] Sericin is a natural high molecular compound formed by many amino acids through amide bonds. It will hydrolyze under the action of acid, alkali and enzyme. Completely hydrolyzed sericin can obtain 18 kinds of amino acids. It has good nutritional value and physiological effects in promoting human nutrition, reducing cholesterol concentration and blood sugar level in human blood, and promoting alcohol metabolism. Chinese patents CN106283628A, CN105544209A, etc. describe fabric finishing agents with sericin as the medium. Using sericin as the medium is better than directly applying the modifier to the fabric surface. It has anti-wrinkle, anti-pilling, and anti-shrinkage properties, high water resistance and color fastness, long-lasting durability, and is green and environmentally friendly. However, the application of sericin as a fabric finishing agent has relatively complicated process conditions, such as high temperature baking is required to make sericin and cross-linking agents firmly act on the fabric surface. At present, there is no application of sericin in the field of daily necessities washing and care. If sericin can be used in daily laundry and clothing care, it will have broad application prospects.

[0032] The inventor of the present application unexpectedly discovered through experiments that the antistatic property of fabrics can be improved by using a sericin suspension containing a short fiber structure of sericin and a polyurethane finishing agent to impregnate fabrics at room temperature, and the hydrophilicity, wrinkle resistance and washability are all improved. The inventor of the present application creatively added sericin with a short fiber structure and polyurethane to a fabric softener system to improve the hydrophilicity and antistatic properties of a cationic surfactant, thereby obtaining a softener composition with excellent hydrophilicity, antistatic properties and softening properties.

[0033] The evaluation method of the softener composition in the embodiment of the present invention is carried out as follows:

[0034] 1. Easy ironing performance test

[0035] The easy ironing performance of the softener composition prepared in the embodiment of the present invention was evaluated using woven white cotton cloth. Cut a 30cm×30cm piece of woven plain white cotton cloth, fold it front and back (like a folded paper fan) and use a heavy object to flatten it back and forth. After spreading it out, each piece of cloth retains relatively clear and deep folding marks. Then soak it in the aqueous solution of the softener composition prepared in the embodiment. The soaking method is as follows: use a plastic basin to hold 2L of tap water, dissolve 4g of the softener composition prepared in the embodiment of the present application, stir until fully dissolved, put in the folded plain woven cloth, soak for 10min, pick it up from the water, unfold it and dry it naturally. Then, use a steam iron, place the steam iron in the same area of ​​each piece of cloth for 30s and then pick it up, observe the changes in the creases on the ironed cloth, and observe the shallower the creases, the higher the flatness by naked eye.

[0036] 2. Hydrophilicity test

[0037] The hydrophilicity of the softener composition prepared in the embodiment of the present invention was evaluated using knitted white cotton cloth. The knitted white cotton cloth treated by hand washing and soaking was neatly stacked and placed on a horizontal table. Deionized water was taken with a disposable dropper and dropped on the cloth base. The mobile phone stopwatch was immediately started and the timing was stopped when the water drop was completely absorbed. The recorded time represented the hydrophilicity of the fabric. Each sample was tested 5 times and the average value was taken. The longer the time, the worse the hydrophilicity.

[0038] 3. Antistatic performance test

[0039] Prepare the fabric sample to be tested by hand washing and soaking: the addition amount of the softener composition prepared in the embodiment of the present invention is 3g / L, the bath ratio is 1:20, and a 30cm×30cm polyester fabric to be tested is placed. The soaking time is 10min. After soaking, take it out and wring out the water, and hang it to dry. Then cut it into 3 4.5cm×4.5cm fabric samples to be tested, and use a fabric induction electrostatic meter, model YG(B)342E to measure the electrostatic voltage half-life of the fabric sample, unit s. The smaller the half-life value, the better the antistatic effect.

[0040] 4. Softness test

[0041] Use a plastic basin to hold 2L of tap water, dissolve 4g of the softener composition prepared in the embodiment of the present invention in it, stir until fully dissolved, put in a 32cm×72cm cotton towel, soak for 10 minutes, scrub 10 times, wring and dry naturally. At least 20 R&D personnel are asked to feel the softness of the cotton towel by hand, and give a softness score for each towel out of 5 points.

[0042] Weigh each component according to the formula in Table 1 and Table 3. The unit of each component in Table 1 and Table 3 is gram. The total mass of the softener composition in each of the following examples or comparative examples is 100g. Prepare the softener composition according to the following method: first, add the cationic surfactant SF-90 dropwise into 38°C deionized water during stirring, and continue stirring for 40 minutes after the addition is completed; then add the sericin suspension and the polyurethane crosslinking agent to the above dispersion in sequence, mix and stir evenly, then add other additives (lemon essence and KF-88) and use citric acid to adjust the pH to 4. Deionized water is the "remainder", which means that deionized water is used to make up to 100g after the other components are added.

[0043] The sericin used in the following examples is sericin purchased from Hangzhou Linran Biotechnology Co., Ltd., with a purity of 98%, CAS 96692-41-6; then 10 grams of the sericin powder was dissolved in 90°C hot water, and the pH was adjusted to between 3.8 and 4.5 using hydrochloric acid. 500 ml of low-temperature deionized water was placed in a beaker and stirred using a high-speed stirring shear head. A 3 ml syringe with a 23G needle was used to inject the sericin aqueous solution into the low-temperature deionized water with a stirring speed of 1000 rpm to obtain a sericin suspension with a concentration of 2 wt%.

[0044] SP-90 is Solvay's ester-based quaternary ammonium salt; polyurethane-1 (TF-620), polyurethane-2 (TF-6220), polyether polyurethane-1 (TF-3904), and polyether polyurethane-2 (TF-3902A) are all from Zhejiang Chuanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd.

[0045] Table 1 Composition of softener composition

[0046]

[0047]

[0048] Table 2 Relevant properties of softener composition

[0049]

[0050] From the above results, it can be seen that the antistatic performance on the polyester cloth base is that the antistatic performance and hydrophilicity of Comparative Example 2 containing only the cationic surfactant component are relatively poor. After the sericin component is introduced on the basis of Comparative Example 2, the hydrophilicity and antistatic properties of the softener composition prepared in Comparative Example 1 are improved to a certain extent compared with Comparative Example 2, but compared with the antistatic performance and hydrophilicity of the softener compositions of Examples 1-4, there is still a significant gap, indicating that the introduction of sericin and polyurethane into the fabric softener in the embodiments of the present invention can effectively improve the antistatic performance and hydrophilicity of the softener.

[0051] Compared with Comparative Examples 1 and 2, the softener compositions in Examples 1 to 4 with the addition of polyurethane crosslinking agents all have relatively obvious easy-ironing properties, but the easy-ironing properties of the self-crosslinking polyether polyurethane crosslinking agent are more excellent, such as Examples 2 and 3.

[0052] Weigh each component according to the formula in Table 3, and prepare the softener composition according to the following method: first, add the cationic surfactant dropwise into deionized water at 38°C while stirring, and continue stirring for 40 minutes after the addition is completed; then add the sericin suspension and the polyurethane crosslinking agent to the above dispersion in sequence, mix and stir evenly, then add other additives and adjust the pH to 4. Table 3 Composition of softener composition Table 4 Relevant properties of softener composition From the results in Table 3 and Table 4, it can be seen from Examples 5-7 that with the increase in the amount of sericin and waterborne polyurethane added, the antistatic performance is limited; the hydrophilicity is significantly improved, but the softness is slightly reduced; the easy ironing performance is excellent. It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fabric softener composition containing sericin, characterized in that: The composition comprises, by weight: 1 to 5 parts of sericin suspension, 0.1 to 1 part of a cross-linking agent, 1 to 5 parts of a cationic surfactant, 0.1 to 0.5 parts of an essence, 0.02 to 0.5 parts of a preservative, and 80 to 100 parts of deionized water; the sericin suspension contains sericin having a short fiber structure; The sericin suspension is a suspension containing sericin short fiber structures obtained by heating and dissolving sericin under acidic conditions and then injecting it into flowing water to coagulate it. The concentration of the sericin suspension is 0.1wt%-5wt%; The short fiber structure of the sericin has a length of 1 μm-3000 μm and a diameter of 0.5 μm-5 μm; The cross-linking agent is a hydrophilic polyurethane, specifically one or more of polyurethane, self-cross-linking polyether polyurethane and water-dispersible isocyanate; The cationic surfactant is one or more of an alkyl quaternary ammonium salt, an ester quaternary ammonium salt and an imidazoline quaternary ammonium salt.

2. The composition according to claim 1, characterized in that The pH of the fabric softener composition is 3-4.

3. The composition according to claim 1, characterized in that The softener composition further comprises one or more of a pH adjuster, a whitening agent and a pigment.

4. The method for preparing the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The method comprises the following steps: firstly, according to the ratio of each raw material in the composition, adding the cationic surfactant dropwise into the deionized water during stirring, and continuing stirring for 30-40 minutes after the addition is completed; then, adding the sericin suspension and the cross-linking agent into the above dispersion in sequence, mixing and stirring evenly, and then adding the flavor and the preservative and adjusting the pH to 3-4.

5. The preparation method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The temperature of the deionized water is 35°C to 40°C.

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