Cleavable Bond Functionalized Silicone for Fabric Softness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Functionalized silicones used in cleaning compositions often lose their primary benefits when not formulated with their properties in mind, due to the interrelation of charge and degree of functionalization, leading to issues like reduced hydrophilicity and cleavage, which affects their effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a moiety with a cleavable bond between the silicone backbone and the functional group allows for controlled changes in hydrophilicity and charge, maintaining benefits during use while enabling cleavage when needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the degree of functionalization of functionalized silicones is increased to maintain primary benefits, then fabric softness and conditioning are improved, but charge increases which reduces hydrophilicity and limits formulation options
Solution Approach 1:
The functionalized silicone is segmented into distinct modules: a silicone backbone providing primary benefits, and separate functional groups attached via cleavable bonds. This segmentation allows the functional groups to be temporarily present during use for fabric softness, then cleaved off afterward, resolving the contradiction between maintaining functionalization benefits and controlling charge/hydrophilicity in different formulation contexts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic behavior to the functionalized silicone through cleavable bonds that can break under specific conditions (mechanical stress, pH, oxidation). This transforms the static functionalization into a dynamic system where the degree of functionalization changes over time and conditions, allowing high functionalization during use for fabric softness while enabling low functionalization afterward to restore hydrophilicity and formulation flexibility.
2Reliability
If functionalized silicones are used in cleaning compositions without formulation optimization, then primary benefits are lost, but formulation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The functionalized silicone performs self-service by automatically providing fabric softness and conditioning benefits during the cleaning process without requiring precise formulation optimization. The cleavable bond structure allows the functional groups to naturally interact with fabric during use, then self-cleave afterward, eliminating the need for complex formulation design to manage charge and hydrophilicity interactions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the charge of functionalized silicones is reduced to improve hydrophilicity, then formulation flexibility increases, but fabric softness and benefit delivery effectiveness decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The functional groups are preliminarily attached to the silicone backbone via cleavable bonds before use, ensuring high fabric softness and conditioning effectiveness is achieved during the cleaning process. After use, the preliminary action is reversed as the bonds cleave, restoring hydrophilicity and formulation flexibility for subsequent applications. This preliminary attachment resolves the contradiction by providing both high functionalization when needed and low functionalization when not needed.
Data Source
AI summary
The present application relates to silicone compounds, compositions, packaged products and displays comprising such silicone compounds, and processes for making and using such compositions, packaged products and displays comprising such compositions. Such compositions have improved deposition and retention properties that may impart improved benefit characteristics to a composition and/or situs yet which changes its hydrophilicity/charge and/or demonstrates cleavage of the functionalized silicone's functionalization when desired.