Acrylate Microcapsule Shells for Low-Leakage Perfume Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Encapsulated benefit agents, such as perfume microcapsules, suffer from leakage issues, reducing their effectiveness in fabric treatment products, and the use of partitioning modifiers reduces payload without providing adequate shell strength.
Innovation Solution
Formulating encapsulates with specific monomers and oligomers that do not require solubility modification, resulting in higher payload and reduced leakage, with a core-to-shell ratio greater than 2:1, and incorporating a minimal or no partitioning modifier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the encapsulate shell strength is increased to minimize leakage, then leakage is reduced, but the fabric odor upon treatment is reduced because not enough perfume is released from the capsules
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the shell composition parameters - using specific monomer ratios (carboxy-substituted (meth)acrylate at 5-50 mol%, amino-substituted (meth)acrylate at 10-40 mol%, and di-functional (meth)acrylate at 30-80 mol%) and molecular weight parameters (number average molecular weight 1,000-100,000) to achieve optimal balance between shell strength for leakage resistance and permeability for perfume release
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by creating a multi-component polymer shell system combining carboxy-substituted (meth)acrylate, amino-substituted (meth)acrylate, and di-functional (meth)acrylate in specific compositions. This composite approach allows the shell to simultaneously exhibit strong adhesion (reducing leakage) and controlled permeability (enabling perfume release)
2Ease of manufacture
If a partitioning modifier is used to solubilize monomers and oligomers, then the desired shell wall can be obtained, but the partitioning modifier reduces the payload of the encapsulate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the taking out principle by completely eliminating the partitioning modifier component from the encapsulate formulation. Instead, the invention achieves proper shell wall formation through the synergistic combination of specific monomers (carboxy-substituted (meth)acrylate and amino-substituted (meth)acrylate) that provide both solubility and structural integrity without requiring additional partitioning modifiers, thereby maximizing payload
3Reliability
If the right monomers and oligomers are selected for shell strength, then leakage is reduced, but the shell may be incompatible with benefit agent actives or treatment situs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the molecular weight parameter (number average molecular weight 1,000-100,000) and compositional parameters (specific mol% ranges of different functional monomers) to achieve shell properties that are both strong enough to prevent leakage and compatible with various benefit agent actives and treatment environments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining monomers with complementary functions - carboxy-substituted (meth)acrylate for adhesion and structural integrity, amino-substituted (meth)acrylate for compatibility and solubility, and di-functional (meth)acrylate for crosslinking and strength. This composite monomer system achieves both leakage resistance and broad compatibility
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
The encapsulates achieve enhanced perfume benefits to wet and dry fabrics with decreased leakage, maintaining a strong shell and high payload, even at larger particle sizes.
Implementation Method 1
delivery particles comprising a core material and a wall material that encapsulates the core material
Data Source
AI summary
Compositions that include benefit agent delivery particles, the particles having a core and a shell encapsulating the core, the shell including certain acrylate-based polymers. Processes for making and using such compositions.