Aqueous Detergent Formulation Solubilizing Essential Oils

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Aqueous light duty liquid detergent formulations face challenges in incorporating essential oil-based fragrances due to their hydrophobic nature, leading to formulation instability and phase separation, which affects cleaning efficacy and pleasant scent delivery.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a derivative of castor oil, an ethoxylated phenol, an anionic surfactant, and a zwitterionic surfactant, along with water and an essential oil, to create a stable detergent formulation that effectively solubilizes essential oils, providing cleaning action and a pleasant fragrance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If essential oil based fragrances are incorporated into aqueous detergent formulations, then pleasant fragrance and cleaning efficacy are improved, but formulation stability deteriorates due to phase separation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefragrance incorporationVSAvoidformulation stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a hydrophobe (essential oil) and hydrophile (surfactant mixture) intermediary system to bridge the immiscible phases. The anionic and zwitterionic surfactants act as mediators that form micelles around the hydrophobic essential oil molecules, allowing them to be dispersed in the aqueous phase without causing phase separation. This resolves the contradiction by introducing intermediary substances that facilitate compatibility between opposing phases.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The formulation creates a composite system combining aqueous detergent base with essential oil fragrance through surfactant-mediated micellar structures. This composite approach allows the coexistence of hydrophobic and hydrophilic components in a stable, homogeneous-looking formulation, resolving the phase separation issue while maintaining fragrance integrity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Quantity of substance

If high concentration of essential oil is used to provide pleasant scent, then fragrance intensity is improved, but solubilization difficulty increases leading to phase separation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefragrance loadingVSAvoidsolubilization

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of the system by using surfactants to alter the solubility characteristics of essential oil in aqueous medium. The surfactant concentration and type are optimized to achieve maximum solubilization capacity, allowing high fragrance loading while maintaining solubilization ease through micellar encapsulation mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of manufacture

If essential oil is added to aqueous detergent, then pleasant fragrance is achieved, but hydrophobic nature of essential oil causes poor solubilization

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefragrance incorporationVSAvoidsolubilization efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Surfactants serve as intermediary substances that reduce the interfacial tension between hydrophobic essential oil and hydrophilic aqueous detergent base. The amphiphilic structure of surfactants (with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions) allows them to act as bridges, with hydrophobic tails interacting with essential oil molecules and hydrophilic heads interacting with water, thereby improving solubilization efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 formulation achieves stability with high fragrance loading, ensuring effective cleaning and pleasant scent while maintaining formulation stability, suitable for hand dishwashing and hard surface cleaning applications.

Implementation Method 1

anionic surfactant, which is the principal suds producer, along with a secondary surfactant

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSurfactant: Surfactant

Implementation Method 2

the incorporation of certain essential oil based fragrances, while desirable from a scent perspective, often proves difficult from a formulation perspective. Specifically, the primarily hydrophobic nature of essential oil based fragrances makes solubilization of these molecules in aqueous, surfactant containing formulations, challenging

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSolubilization: Solvation

Data Source

PatentUS11352590B2Aqueous light duty liquid detergent formulation

Publication Date: 2022.06.07 ROHM & HAAS CO

AI summary

An aqueous light duty liquid detergent formulation is provided including a water; an essential oil; a derivative of castor oil having a formula selected from formula I and formula II; an ethoxylated phenol having formula III; an anionic surfactant and a zwitterionic surfactant. Also provided is a method of cleaning an article using the aqueous light duty liquid detergent formulation.