Surface Treatment Composition Using Shielding Salts Against Coacervates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surface treatment compositions with cationic polymers and anionic surfactants often form undesirable coacervates within the product bottle, leading to thick consistency and variable benefits, necessitating reduced cationic polymer levels that compromise surface treatment effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a shielding salt with a molecular weight of 25 to 500 daltons, capable of maintaining the surface tension of water above 50 mN/m, to prevent coacervate formation within the bottle while allowing coacervate formation upon dilution, thereby enabling higher levels of cationic polymer and anionic surfactant usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If higher levels of cationic polymer and anionic surfactant are used to achieve improved surface treatment benefits, then surface treatment effectiveness is enhanced, but coacervate formation occurs within the product bottle leading to thick consistency and variable benefits
Solution Approach 1:
A shielding salt is introduced as an intermediary substance that mediates between the cationic polymer and anionic surfactant. The shielding salt prevents direct interaction between these two components in the concentrated product, thereby preventing coacervate formation and maintaining stable product consistency. Upon dilution during use, the shielding effect diminishes and coacervate formation is allowed to occur for effective surface treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the ionic strength parameter of the formulation by adding shielding salt. This parameter change prevents coacervate formation in the concentrated state by altering the electrostatic interactions between cationic polymer and anionic surfactant. When diluted during use, the ionic strength decreases and coacervate formation is permitted for optimal performance.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the amount of cationic polymer is minimized to 5% by weight or less to prevent coacervate formation in the bottle, then product stability is maintained, but surface treatment benefits are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding salt acts as a mediator that allows higher concentrations of cationic polymer (6-20% by weight) to be included in the formulation without causing premature coacervate formation. The shielding salt interferes with the electrostatic attraction between cationic polymer and anionic surfactant, preventing coacervate formation in the bottle while allowing these higher polymer levels to provide enhanced surface treatment benefits upon use.
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 prevents coacervate formation in the product bottle, maintaining a stable composition and allowing for effective coacervate formation during use, thus enhancing surface treatment benefits without compromising product consistency.
Implementation Method 1
a shielding salt, wherein the shielding salt has a molecular weight of from about 25 to about 500, and is incapable of lowering the surface tension of water below 50 mN/m when added to water at concentrations of up to 0.01M
Implementation Method 2
complexing the cationic polymer with the anionic surfactant to form a precipitate complex is known as a 'coacervate'
Implementation Method 3
anionic surfactant... incapable of lowering the surface tension of water below 50 mN/m
Data Source
AI summary
A surface treatment composition comprising from about 6% to about 20%, by weight of the composition, of cationic polymer; from about 6% to about 40%, by weight of the composition, of anionic surfactant; and from about 4% to about 15%, by weight of the composition, of a shielding salt, wherein the weight ratio of anionic surfactant to cationic polymer is between about 0.5:1 and about 4:1. The shielding salt is defined by having a molecular weight of from about 25 to about 500 and being incapable of lowering the surface tension of water below 50 mN/m when added to water at concentrations of up to 0.01M.