Absorbent Article Water-Disintegratable Microcapsule Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Absorbent articles with encapsulated refrigerants only exhibit their cooling function after contact with body fluids, leading to delayed activation and potential twisting during use.
Innovation Solution
An absorbent article design featuring a liquid-permeable layer, a liquid-impermeable layer, an absorbing layer, and a functional composition with volatile components, including water-disintegratable microcapsules and a solvent, where the functional composition is coated between the permeable and impermeable layers and adhered with an adhesive, allowing for controlled release of the second functional component upon fluid contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the refrigerant is encapsulated in water-soluble polymer cells, then the cooling function is activated only after contact with body fluid, but the activation timing is delayed and the article may twist during use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-coating the functional composition containing volatile components and water-disintegratable microcapsules onto the liquid-permeable layer before use. This allows the aromatic function to be activated immediately upon opening the package, while the cooling function is prepared to activate rapidly when body fluid contacts the microcapsules, eliminating the delayed activation problem of conventional water-soluble polymer cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of the encapsulation system by using water-disintegratable microcapsules with controlled disintegration properties instead of water-soluble polymer cells. The microcapsules are designed to maintain structural integrity during storage and handling but disintegrate rapidly upon contact with body fluid, enabling timely activation of the cooling function while preventing premature release.
2Reliability
If the refrigerant is encapsulated in water-soluble polymer cells, then the cooling function is activated only after contact with body fluid, but the article structure becomes unstable and twists during use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters from water-soluble polymer cells to water-disintegratable microcapsules with controlled disintegration characteristics. The microcapsules maintain structural stability during storage, handling, and initial use, preventing article twisting, while rapidly disintegrating upon body fluid contact to release the refrigerant and activate the cooling function reliably.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite material system consisting of water-disintegratable microcapsules embedded in a functional composition coating on the liquid-permeable layer. This composite structure combines the structural stability needed to prevent twisting with the controlled disintegration capability to ensure timely cooling activation, resolving the contradiction between structural integrity and functional activation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the absorbent article to exhibit desired functions at the right time and prevents twisting during use by ensuring timely release of components, providing comfort and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
the functional composition includes a volatile first functional component, a volatile second functional component
Implementation Method 2
water-disintegratable microcapsules encapsulating the second functional component
Data Source
AI summary
An absorbent article has a planar direction and a thickness direction. The absorbent article includes a volatile first functional component, a volatile second functional component, water-disintegrable microcapsules that contain the second functional component, and a solvent that keeps the second functional component contained inside the microcapsules. Between a liquid-permeable layer and an absorption layer, the absorbent article has functional composition coated regions that extend in the planar direction and that are coated with the functional composition, and has adhesive coated regions that extend in the planar direction and that are coated with an adhesive. The adhesive coated regions have an adhesive region that directly or indirectly joins the liquid-permeable payer and the absorption layer.