Water-Soluble Pouches with Multi-Compartment Film Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Water-soluble films used for packaging liquid compositions often exhibit poor pouch strength, sealing issues, and inadequate barrier properties, failing to maintain solubility and integrity as required by regulations such as COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No. 1297/2014.
Innovation Solution
Development of water-soluble pouches with multiple sealed compartments using outer and inner water-soluble films characterized by specific viscosity, tackiness, and dissolution times, sealed using a polyvinyl alcohol copolymer with anionic monomer units and a sealing solution containing water, diols, and surfactants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If water-soluble films are used for packaging liquid compositions, then solubility and convenience are improved, but pouch strength, sealing integrity, and barrier properties deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The pouch is divided into multiple compartments separated by water-soluble partition walls. Each compartment can contain different liquid compositions, and the partition walls provide structural support while maintaining solubility. This segmentation allows the pouch to achieve adequate strength through distributed structural elements rather than relying on a single thick wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The pouch employs composite construction using multiple water-soluble film layers with different properties. Outer films provide strength and solubility, while inner films provide barrier properties. The sealing layers use compositions optimized for adhesion. This composite approach allows each layer to specialize in one function, achieving overall pouch strength, sealing, and barrier properties while maintaining water solubility.
2Ease of operation
If water-soluble films are used for packaging liquid compositions, then convenience is improved, but sealing integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pouch structure uses different film compositions in different locations. The sealing layers contain water-soluble polymers with optimized adhesive properties for strong sealing, while other portions of the pouch maintain standard solubility characteristics. This local optimization allows reliable sealing without compromising the overall water-soluble nature of the packaging.
Solution Approach 2:
A sealing solution comprising water, diols, and surfactants is used as an intermediary to enhance the sealing process. This solution temporarily modifies the film surface to improve adhesion during sealing, then evaporates or integrates into the structure without compromising the water-soluble properties. The sealing layers themselves act as intermediaries with compositions specifically designed for strong inter-layer bonding.
3Ease of operation
If water-soluble films are used for packaging liquid compositions, then solubility is improved, but barrier properties deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The pouch uses multiple film layers arranged in a multi-dimensional structure. Rather than relying on a single thick barrier layer, the solution employs several thinner layers with different barrier properties stacked together. This multi-layer approach provides effective liquid migration prevention through cumulative barrier effects while maintaining overall water solubility, as each individual layer remains thin and soluble.
4Loss of time
If water-soluble films with high solubility are used, then dissolution time is reduced, but pouch strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pouch structure utilizes water-soluble polymers with carefully controlled molecular weights and compositions. By optimizing these parameters, the films achieve a balance between strength and solubility. The outer films use polymers with higher molecular weights for strength, while inner films use lower molecular weights for faster dissolution. This parameter optimization allows the pouch to maintain adequate strength during use while ensuring complete dissolution within the required time frame.
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 solution provides pouches with enhanced pouch strength, sealing integrity, and barrier properties, ensuring the liquid composition remains contained and dissolves within the specified time, meeting regulatory requirements while maintaining solubility.
Implementation Method 1
sealed using a polyvinyl alcohol copolymer with anionic monomer units and a sealing solution containing water, diols, and surfactants
Implementation Method 2
a dissolution time of 300 seconds or less in water at a temperature of 20° C. for an outer wall film having a thickness of about 76 micron
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides a water soluble pouch including at least two sealed compartments, the pouch including outer walls including water soluble film including a water soluble resin, and an inner wall including water soluble film including a water soluble resin, the outer wall films being sealed to the inner wall film, the outer wall films being characterized by: a dissolution time of 300 seconds or less, the water soluble resin of the outer wall films having a viscosity in a range of 14.5 cP to 25 cP, and a pouch strength of at least 200 N, and the inner wall film being characterized by: a dissolution time of 300 seconds or less, the water soluble resin of the inner film having viscosity in a range of 12 cP to 14.5 cP, and a tackiness value of at least 1500 g/s.