Alcohol Composition with Dissolved Cellulose Ether for Drip Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing alcohol compositions face issues with cellulose ethers like hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and methylcellulose having low solubility in high alcohol concentrations, leading to undissolved thickening agents, dripping, low transparency, and undesirable application feelings, while acrylic polymers cause dryness and environmental concerns persist with synthetic polymers.
Innovation Solution
An alcohol composition containing hydroxypropyl methylcellulose or methylcellulose in a dissolved state, achieving viscoelasticity with a loss tangent of 0.10 to 1.00, ensuring easy application, minimal spillage, high transparency, and a pleasant application feeling without stickiness, even at high alcohol concentrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cellulose ethers (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose or methylcellulose) are used as thickening agents in high alcohol concentration compositions, then the composition can achieve sustainable and environmentally friendly formulation, but the cellulose ethers have low solubility in high alcohol concentrations leading to undissolved thickening agents and poor transparency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the concentration parameter of alcohol in the composition, specifically formulating with 70-95 mass% alcohol to achieve a balance where cellulose ethers remain sufficiently dissolved while providing the desired high alcohol concentration effect. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction between sustainable resource usage and reliable solubility.
2Ease of manufacture
If cellulose ethers are added to high alcohol concentration hand sanitizer composition, then thickening ability is achieved, but the composition may contain undissolved cellulose ethers leading to dripping when dispensed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the alcohol concentration parameter to 70-95 mass%, which is high enough to provide effective disinfection but controlled to maintain sufficient solubility of cellulose ethers. This prevents undissolved thickening agents that would cause dripping during dispensing, thus resolving the contradiction between thickening ability and ease of operation.
3Ease of operation
If acrylic polymers are used as thickening agents, then the composition achieves good application feeling, but it gives a light application feeling that tends to cause dryness after application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses cellulose ethers as a biodegradable, sustainable alternative to acrylic polymers. Although cellulose ethers have different application characteristics, they provide sufficient thickening while being environmentally friendly and avoiding the dryness issue associated with acrylic polymers. This resolves the contradiction by selecting a different material class that balances application feeling with environmental sustainability.
4Reliability
If high alcohol concentration is used in hand sanitizer composition, then disinfection effectiveness is improved, but the composition becomes less viscous and more prone to spilling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite system combining high concentration alcohol (70-95 mass%) with cellulose ether thickening agents. This composite formulation maintains the high alcohol concentration needed for effective disinfection while the dissolved cellulose ethers provide sufficient viscosity to prevent spilling. The synergistic combination resolves the contradiction between disinfection effectiveness and viscosity stability.
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 composition exhibits excellent viscoelasticity, preventing dripping and maintaining stable viscosity, with high transparency and a moist application feeling, suitable for gel form at high alcohol concentrations.
Implementation Method 1
cellulose ethers such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and methylcellulose have low solubility in alcohols
Implementation Method 2
the alcohol composition has a viscoelasticity characterized by a loss tangent (tan δ) of 0.10 to 1.00
Data Source
AI summary
It is an objective of the present invention to provide an alcohol composition in which hydroxypropyl methylcellulose or methylcellulose is contained in such a way that its thickening ability is exhibited so that the alcohol composition can have a viscosity that is easy to apply and difficult to spill down, and can be prevented from dripping out and/or can have high transparency, and further can have a good application feeling. The objective can be achieved by an alcohol composition comprising 60.0 parts by mass to 93.0 parts by mass of at least one alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol and isopropanol, 3.0 parts by mass to 39.9 parts by mass of water, and 0.1 parts by mass to 4.0 parts by mass of at least one water-soluble cellulose ether selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and methylcellulose, wherein the alcohol composition has a loss tangent (tan δ) of 0.10 to 1.00 when measured at 20° C. under the condition of being a frequency of 1 Hz and a strain of 0.1%, and so on.