Acid-Treated Chitosan Delivery Particles With Low-Corrosion Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing delivery particles made from chitosan-based materials face challenges in performance and manufacturing equipment corrosion due to the use of strong acids like hydrochloric acid, necessitating improved treatment compositions and methods.
Innovation Solution
The use of a mixture of strong and weak acids at specific ratios and pH levels to treat chitosan, forming acid-treated chitosan for the delivery particle shells, reduces viscosity and minimizes corrosion while enhancing performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chitosan is treated with strong acid (e.g., hydrochloric acid) to improve delivery particle performance, then the delivery particle performance is improved, but manufacturing equipment corrosion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a weak acid as an intermediary substance that mediates the treatment of chitosan. The weak acid provides sufficient treatment effectiveness to improve delivery particle performance while avoiding the severe corrosion effects of strong acids on manufacturing equipment. This intermediary approach allows achieving the desired functional improvement without the harmful side effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameter of the acid treatment by switching from strong acid to weak acid. This parameter change maintains the necessary treatment effectiveness for delivering benefit agents while significantly reducing the corrosive impact on equipment. The weak acid provides adequate protonation and cross-linking functionality without the extreme corrosion characteristics of strong acids.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If chitosan is treated with weak acid to reduce corrosion, then equipment corrosion is reduced, but delivery particle performance may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite approach by combining weak acid treatment with cross-linking agents to enhance delivery particle performance. The weak acid provides corrosion-free treatment while the cross-linking agent reinforces the chitosan structure, creating a composite system that achieves both low corrosion and high performance requirements simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The cross-linking agent acts as an intermediary that bridges the gap between weak acid treatment and desired performance outcomes. While the weak acid provides corrosion-resistant treatment, the cross-linking agent enhances the structural integrity and functional performance of delivery particles, ensuring adequate performance without equipment corrosion.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If chitosan is used to make delivery particles with naturally-derived materials, then environmental sustainability is improved, but processing difficulty increases due to viscosity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of chitosan through weak acid treatment and cross-linking. These parameter changes modify the physical properties of chitosan, specifically reducing its viscosity and improving processability. The treatment creates a cross-linked structure that maintains the natural, biodegradable characteristics of chitosan while eliminating the processing difficulties associated with its high viscosity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical mixing and processing methods with chemical treatment approaches. Instead of relying solely on mechanical means to manage chitosan viscosity, the weak acid treatment and cross-linking provide chemical modifications that fundamentally alter the rheological properties, making the material easier to process while maintaining its environmentally friendly characteristics.
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 acid-treated chitosan delivery particles exhibit improved performance and reduced manufacturing equipment corrosion, facilitating efficient production of well-performing delivery particles.
Implementation Method 1
the acid-treated chitosan results from treating chitosan with a weak acid, or even with a mixture of a strong acid and a weak acid
Implementation Method 2
the shell includes a polymeric material that is the reaction product of chitosan and a cross-linking agent
Data Source
AI summary
A treatment composition that includes a treatment adjunct and a population of core/shell delivery particles, where the shell is made from an acid-treated chitosan and a cross-linking agent, where the acid-treated chitosan results from treating chitosan with a weak acid, or even a mixture of a strong acid and a weak acid. Related methods of making and using such compositions.