Benefit Agent Delivery Particles with Polyacrylate Shell
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Solution Overview
Problem
Benefit agents in consumer products, such as perfumes and fabric softeners, face challenges in maintaining effectiveness due to physical or chemical characteristics that lead to leakage, incompatibility with other components, and instability in slurries, particularly in fabric treatment products, resulting in reduced odor retention and performance.
Innovation Solution
The development of benefit agent containing delivery particles with a polyacrylate shell and judicious selection of colloid type and solvent system to minimize leakage and enhance stability, including the use of polyvinyl alcohol with controlled molecular weight and crosslinking, and refinement of the slurry to remove free polyvinyl alcohol, which addresses the multicomponent problem of shell strength and benefit agent release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the particle's shell strength is increased to minimize benefit agent leakage, then leakage is reduced, but the wet and/or dry fabric odor is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by carefully controlling the molecular weight of polyvinyl alcohol (specifically 70,000-90,000 Da) and the degree of polymerization (1,600-1,900), as well as optimizing the hydrolysis degree (85-90%) and viscosity (45-55 mPa.s) to achieve the desired balance between shell strength and benefit agent release. These precise parameter adjustments allow the shell to be strong enough to prevent leakage while maintaining adequate odor profile.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining polyvinyl alcohol with specific acrylate monomers and oligomers to form a crosslinked polymer shell. This composite structure provides both the mechanical strength needed to prevent leakage and the controlled permeability required for benefit agent release, resolving the contradiction between shell strength and odor profile.
2Ease of manufacture
If polyvinyl alcohol is used as colloid to manufacture particles, then particle formation is achieved, but the stability of the slurry decreases due to depletion flocculation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the extraction principle by removing free polyvinyl alcohol from the slurry through refinement processes. This eliminates the source of depletion flocculation while retaining the polyvinyl alcohol that is incorporated into the particle shells during manufacturing, thus maintaining both ease of manufacture and slurry stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the stability issue by changing the parameters of polyvinyl alcohol selection, specifically choosing materials with molecular weights of 70,000-90,000 Da and degrees of polymerization of 1,600-1,900. These parameter changes optimize both particle formation and slurry stability by reducing free polyvinyl alcohol that causes flocculation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the level of polyvinyl alcohol is reduced to minimize depletion flocculation, then slurry stability is improved, but particle manufacturing efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by changing the molecular weight parameter of polyvinyl alcohol to 70,000-90,000 Da and the degree of polymerization to 1,600-1,900. These specific parameter changes allow sufficient polyvinyl alcohol to be present for efficient particle manufacturing while minimizing free polyvinyl alcohol that causes depletion flocculation, thus maintaining both slurry stability and manufacturing efficiency.
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 solution provides enhanced prerub and post-rub benefits to both wet and dry fabrics by minimizing leakage and maintaining the desired odor profile, ensuring improved delivery efficiency and stability of the benefit agents in consumer products.
Implementation Method 1
the polymerization process is influenced by the benefit agent solvent system
Implementation Method 2
capsule shell polymers that formed during the particle making process can influence the effectiveness of the delivery system
Implementation Method 3
such particles leak benefit agent over time, possibly via diffusion
Implementation Method 4
Such free polyvinyl alcohol results in depletion flocculation of the benefit agent containing delivery particles that destabilizes the slurry
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to slurries comprising benefit agent containing delivery particles, compositions comprising said particles, and processes for making and using the aforementioned particles and compositions. Such slurries are stable and when employed in compositions, for example, cleaning or fabric care compositions, the particles in such slurries increase the efficiency of benefit agent delivery, thereby allowing reduced amounts of benefit agents to be employed. In addition to allowing the amount of benefit agent to be reduced, such particles allow a broad range of benefit agents to be employed.