Nonionic Surfactant Composition With Narrow Low-Temperature Gelation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nonionic surfactants face issues of reduced detergency at low concentrations and propensity to gel at low temperatures, leading to poor handling properties in detergent compositions.
Innovation Solution
A compound with a specific chemical structure featuring internal two hydrophilic groups, represented by chemical formula (1), and its precursor compound, which are produced through controlled addition of alkylene oxides to internal olefins, ensuring high detergency and a narrow gelation concentration range even at low temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If general nonionic surfactants are used, then they provide basic surfactant functionality, but they have a wide gelled region and poor handling properties at low temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the molecular structure parameters of the surfactant by introducing two hydrophilic groups at internal positions of the hydrocarbon chain, rather than at terminal positions. This structural parameter change results in a narrow gelation concentration range and improved handling properties at low temperatures while maintaining surfactant functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite molecular structure combining hydrophobic hydrocarbon groups with two internal hydrophilic groups (polyoxyethylene chains). This composite structure at the molecular level provides both the surfactant functionality and the desired low-temperature handling properties by balancing hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions.
2Ease of operation
If the surfactant concentration is reduced, then the detergent composition becomes less viscous and easier to handle, but the detergency is remarkably lowered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the effective concentration parameter by improving the surfactant's molecular efficiency. The internal hydrophilic groups create a more effective micelle formation at lower concentrations, allowing the detergent to maintain high detergency even when the surfactant concentration is reduced, thus lowering viscosity without sacrificing cleaning performance.
3Ease of operation
If the addition product of ethylene oxide and internally positioned vicinal alkanediol is used alone, then it provides low viscosity at room temperature, but gel is easily produced at low temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the molecular architecture from a single hydrophilic group at the terminal position to two hydrophilic groups positioned internally along the hydrocarbon chain. This parameter change in hydrophilic group distribution prevents excessive hydrophobic interactions at low temperatures that lead to gel formation, while still maintaining low viscosity at room temperature through adequate hydrophilic character.
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 compound exhibits high detergency and improved handling properties in detergent compositions, maintaining stability and effectiveness at low surfactant concentrations while minimizing gel formation.
Implementation Method 1
Nonionic surfactants are used in a wide range of fields such as laundry detergents, dishwashing detergents, residential detergents, body cleansers, iron and steel cleaning, and precision cleaning.
Data Source
AI summary
A compound is provided that exhibits high detergency even when contained at a low concentration in a detergent composition, and that has a narrow gelation concentration range at low temperatures and excellent handling properties; a precursor compound for producing the compound; and a surfactant composition and a detergent composition that include the compound. The compound of the present invention is represented by a chemical formula (1) below:wherein R1 and R2 are each an aliphatic hydrocarbon group, X is a single bond or a hydrocarbon group having 1 or more and 5 or less carbon atoms, a total number of carbon atoms of R1, R2, and X is 2 or more and 39 or less, A1 is —O(-A11O)m—H or —O(-A12O)p—H, A2 is —O—R3O(-A21O)n—H or —O(-A22O)q+1—H, wherein R3, A11, A12, A21, A22, m, n, p, q are defined in the specification.