Oil-Impregnated Fibrous Matrix for Wash-Resistant Active Textiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for incorporating active substances into textiles, such as microencapsulation and surface impregnation, face challenges like significant loss during washing, low capacity, and alteration of fabric properties, making them inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A filamentous or fibrous material is developed with a polymerized and crosslinked matrix that disperses an oil at body temperature, allowing deep impregnation and gradual release of active principles without modifying the fabric's properties, using a process involving mixing, impregnation, and polymerization/crosslinking of monomers and polymers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If microencapsulation is used to protect active ingredient during washing, then washing resistance is improved, but the capacity to contain active principle is limited due to small size of microcapsules
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the containment structure into two levels: macroscopic porous beads (visible to naked eye) that provide large capacity, and microscopic porous polymer particles within those beads that provide washing resistance. This hierarchical segmentation allows simultaneous achievement of high active principle capacity and durability during washing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements a nested structure where porous polymer particles are contained within porous beads, creating a multi-layer containment system. The porous polymer particles (0.1-10 μm) are embedded within the larger porous beads (1-5 mm), allowing the outer beads to protect the inner particles during washing while the inner particles provide the primary active principle containment capacity.
2Ease of manufacture
If simple impregnation by dipping or spraying is used to apply active ingredient, then the process is simple, but significant loss of active ingredient occurs during washing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses porous polymer particles and porous beads with controlled pore structures to physically entrap the active principle. The porous structure allows the active ingredient to be absorbed and retained within the matrix, preventing it from being washed away while maintaining simple impregnation application methods. The porosity provides both capacity for active principle loading and anchoring that prevents loss during washing.
3Reliability
If microcapsules are used to protect active ingredient, then protection during washing is improved, but the hand of the fabric is modified when microcapsules remain at the surface
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates local containment structures (porous polymer particles within porous beads) that are distributed throughout the fabric rather than forming a continuous surface coating. This localized approach provides washing resistance at the point of active principle containment while leaving the overall fabric surface properties and hand feel largely unchanged, as the containment structures are embedded rather than surface-deposited.
4Quantity of substance
If significant quantities of active principle are incorporated into textile, then the effectiveness is improved, but the fabric properties such as feel, elasticity, and drape are modified
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a composite structure combining textile fibers with porous polymer particles embedded in porous beads. This composite approach allows high loading of active principle within the porous structures without requiring the active ingredient to be uniformly distributed throughout the fabric matrix, thereby maintaining the original fabric properties while achieving high effective concentration of active principle where needed.
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 enables significant and sustainable incorporation of active principles into textiles, ensuring their release upon contact with living structures while maintaining fabric properties, avoiding the limitations of previous methods like microcapsule size and washing resistance issues.
Implementation Method 1
incorporating a cosmetic, pharmaceutical or phytosanitary active principle in a sustainable manner but allowing its release on a living structure by contact
Implementation Method 2
A filamentous or fibrous material is developed with a polymerized and crosslinked matrix that disperses an oil at body temperature
Implementation Method 3
this oil being able to be released when the material is in contact with a living structure
Implementation Method 4
eventually penetrating the skin
Data Source
AI summary
Filamentous or fibrous material formed by a thread, filament or fiber, or an assembly of threads, filaments and/or fibers made of natural, artificial, synthetic or mineral organic material, is claimed, where: the material is impregnated to the core of a polymerized and/or crosslinked matrix in which liquid oil is present in the dispersed state at a body temperature; and the oil adapted to be liberated by lipophile, when the material is in contact with a living structure. Independent claims are included for: (1) a woven, knitted or nonwoven article comprising the material; and (2) preparing filamentous or fibrous material comprising mixing the liquid oil and the polymerized and/or crosslinked matrix for forming a matrix by polymerization and/or crosslinking at a body temperature; impregnating the material; and removing the mixture.