Laundry Sheet Granule Encapsulation for Storage Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laundry sheets with water-soluble polymer films often experience stability issues during storage and transport, leading to leakage and reduced effectiveness of active components like builders, enzymes, and bleaching agents due to premature activation during sheet preparation.
Innovation Solution
A laundry sheet is prepared using a film-forming water-soluble polymer like polyvinyl alcohol, where active components such as builders, enzymes, and bleaching agents are incorporated as undissolved granules within the polymer chain, maintaining their effectiveness until activated by water during use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If active components are mixed in a water-soluble polymer solution to form a laundry sheet, then the sheet can be prepared with distributed active components, but the active components become activated during preparation and storage stability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The active components are segmented into granular form rather than being dissolved in the polymer solution. This segmentation prevents premature activation while maintaining distribution throughout the laundry sheet matrix, resolving the contradiction between distribution and storage stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of active components is changed from dissolved to granular/undissolved form. This parameter change allows the components to remain inactive during storage while still being distributed throughout the sheet, eliminating premature activation issues.
2Ease of operation
If a water-soluble polymer film is used for separate packaging, then packaging convenience is provided, but the packaged product may leak during storage or transport and active components may ooze to the film surface
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging film and active components are merged into a single integrated laundry sheet structure rather than separate packaging. The granular active components are embedded within the polymer matrix, preventing leakage and oozing while maintaining the convenience of a ready-to-use sheet.
Solution Approach 2:
The active components are maintained in an undissolved granular state within the polymer matrix, changing their physical state from dissolved (which causes oozing) to undissolved (which prevents leakage and maintains stability during storage).
3Reliability
If the water-soluble film is designed to be stable against moisture and durable, then storage stability is improved, but considerable time is required for dissolution at low temperature and the film may remain without being completely dissolved
Solution Approach 1:
The laundry sheet is designed as a thin segmented structure that breaks down into smaller pieces during dissolution. This segmentation increases the surface area-to-volume ratio, enabling faster dissolution at low temperatures while maintaining storage stability through the cross-linked polymer network.
Solution Approach 2:
A composite structure is created using cross-linked water-soluble polymer chains forming a stable matrix that maintains integrity during storage but allows rapid water penetration and dissolution when exposed to washing conditions. The composite nature provides both stability and fast dissolution.
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
This approach enhances cleaning performance, maintains storage stability, and prevents surface oozing of active components, ensuring superior cleaning efficacy and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a laundry sheet prepared using a film-forming water-soluble polymer... wherein one or more component selected from a group consisting of a builder, an enzyme, a bleaching agent and a bleach activator is contained as a granule in a laundry film prepared using surfactants, a film-forming water-soluble polymer and water as solvent
Implementation Method 2
wherein the granule is present between the polymer chain of the laundry sheet in an undissolved state
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The present invention provides a laundry sheet wherein one or more component selected from a group consisting of a builder, an enzyme, a bleaching agent and a bleach activator is contained as a granule in a laundry film prepared using a laundry detergent component and a film-forming water-soluble polymer. The laundry sheet of the present invention completely dissolves in water and thus does not need to be removed after laundering. In addition, the laundry sheet of the present invention has superior cleaning performance, is convenient to use and has superior storage stability.