Process of treatment of fibers and/or textile materials
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for binding microcapsules to textile materials result in low washproofness and short permanence of active ingredients, leading to loss during washing due to surfactants penetrating the microcapsules, which limits their effectiveness in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and insect repellent applications.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the dissolution of hydrophilic colloids, adjustment of pH, addition of an active ingredient, coacervation, cross-linking, cationization, and binding to fibers, followed by drying, to create stable and small-sized microcapsules that remain attached to the textile materials even after multiple washes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If microcapsules are bound to textile materials using existing methods, then active ingredients are delivered to the target area, but washproofness is low and permanence is short due to surfactant penetration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by adjusting the pH of the colloidal solution to induce coacervation, transforming the soluble polymer into an insoluble coacervate phase that deposits on the microcapsules. This pH parameter change creates a more robust coating that resists surfactant penetration during washing, thereby improving washproofness and reducing active ingredient loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining hydrophilic colloids (polymers) with active ingredients to form coacervate-coated microcapsules. The composite structure consists of a core containing the active ingredient and a shell formed by the coacervated polymer, creating a material with enhanced stability and resistance to washing conditions compared to simple physical mixing.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If microcapsules are treated with cross-linking agents and cationizing agents, then permanence and stability improve, but the process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing coacervation before cross-linking and cationizing treatments. The coacervate forms a preliminary coating structure on the microcapsules that serves as a foundation for subsequent treatments, ensuring that the active ingredient is already protected and positioned properly before additional chemical modifications are introduced, thereby improving permanence while managing process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuity of useful action by conducting multiple treatment steps (coacervation, cross-linking, cationizing) in a continuous sequence without interrupting the microcapsule processing. Each step builds upon the previous one, maintaining the integrity and protective function throughout the process, which enhances permanence while avoiding the need for separate, complex batch operations.
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 process ensures greater than 5% retention of active ingredients after 10 washes, providing long-lasting functionality to textile materials for cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and insect repellent applications.
Implementation Method 1
adjusting the pH and/or diluting the previous suspension to cause the coacervation of the colloids and their deposition on the active ingredient which is thus encapsulated
Implementation Method 2
the hardening of the polymeric coating of the coacervate is carried out, in a process known as cross-linking, by the addition of a cross-linking agent
Implementation Method 3
cationizing the microcapsules with a polymer or a cationic monomer
Data Source
AI summary
A process of treatment of textile materials containing microcapsules of active ingredients, the fibers and/or textile materials resulting from this process and their cosmetic or pharmaceutical use and/or their use as a repellent.