Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification – Cleaning or laundering
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-03
2002-04-30
Einsmann, Margaret (Department: 1751)
Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification
Cleaning or laundering
C510S517000, C510S519000, C510S520000, C510S521000, C510S526000, C510S528000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06379394
ABSTRACT:
The subject of the present invention is a process for the soil-release treatment of articles based on woven cotton by depositing a soil-release agent on the said article in the course of a washing, rinsing and/or softening or drying operation(s), and a soil-release agent for articles based on woven cotton.
A first subject of the invention consists of a process for the soil-release treatment of articles based on woven cotton by depositing, in the course of a washing, rinsing and/or softening or drying operation(s), an amphiphilic soil-release agent on the said article, the said soil-release agent being soluble or dispersible in the treatment medium and having
at least one unit carrying a functional group (FAd.) capable of being adsorbed onto the surface of the cotton by electrostatic interaction
and at least one unit having a hydrophobic character (MH) capable of configuring the said agent at the cotton/water interface, it being possible for the said unit (MH) itself to be one of the constituents of the unit carrying a functional group (FAd.) or to be chemically bonded to the unit carrying a functional group (FAd.) via a hydrophilic chain,
the said soil-release agent being employed during washing by means of a washing formulation, during rinsing and/or softening by means of a rinsing and/or softening formulation or during drying by means of an absorbent support.
According to the invention, the said process makes it possible to treat, against soil, articles made of woven cotton fibres; this process in also suitable for the treatment of articles consisting of a mixture of cotton fibres and of other, natural, artificial or synthetic, fibres such as viscose, polyesters, polyacrylic fibres . . . , it being possible for the fibres other than cotton to represent up to 65% of the mixture of fibres.
Preferably, the said unit carrying a functional group (FAd.) is a functional group having a cationic character (MC) capable of being adsorbed onto the surface of the cotton and its counter-ion.
It is therefore preferably a process for the soil-release treatment of articles based on woven cotton by depositing, in the course of a washing, rinsing and/or softening or drying operation(s), an amphiphilic soil-release agent on the said article, the said soil-release agent being soluble or dispersible in the treatment medium and having
at least one unit carrying a functional group having a cationic character (MC) capable of being adsorbed onto the surface of the cotton and its counter-ion
and at least one unit having a hydrophobic character (MH) capable of configuring the said agent at the cotton/water interface, it being possible for the said unit (MH) itself to be one of the constituents of the unit carrying a functional group having a cationic character (MC), by chemically bonding to the heteroatom of the unit (MC), or to be chemically bonded to the unit carrying a functional group having a cationic character (MC) via a hydrophilic chain,
the said soil-release agent being employed during washing by means of a washing formulation, during rinsing and/or softening by means of a rinsing and/or softening formulation or during drying by means of an absorbent support.
The expression “functional group having a cationic character (MC)” should be understood to mean any functional group which is either cationic as it is or having an electrophilic atom.
Among functional groups having a cationic character, mention may be made of ammonium and phosphonium groups, groups derived from Lewis bases such am primary, secondary or tertiary amines, betaines, sultaines, glycinates . . .
The expression “unit having a hydrophobic character (MH) capable of configuring the soil-repellent agent at the cotton/water interface” should be understood to mean any unit which, in the treatment medium, favours the partition of the soil-release molecule between the water and the surface of the article based on woven cotton. These units having a hydrophobic character make it possible to increase, at least locally, the thickness of the surface layer of electrostatic charges on the cotton. Preferably, these units having a hydrophobic character are also capable of interacting with components of the soil.
The counter-ions capable of forming a malt with the said cationic functional groups may be of any nature. Mention may be made of halide (Cl
−
, Br
−
, . . . ) ions, acetate ions, sulphate ions, sulphonate ions, phosphate ions . . .
Among the preferred counter-ions, mention may be made in particular of Br
−
and Cl
−
ions.
Among units having a hydrophobic character (MH), mention may be made of hydrocarbon groups, such as alkyls, alkenyls, which may be linear, branched or cyclic, aryls . . . containing at least 4 carbon atoms and preferably from 8 to 20 carbon atoms. Mention may most particularly be made of C
4
-C
20
alkyl groups.
The said unit having a hydrophobic character (MH) may itself be one of the substituents of the heteroatom of the unit carrying a functional group having a cationic character (MC), or may be chemically bonded to the said unit (MC) via a hydrophilic chain.
Among hydrophilic chains mention may be made of hydrophilic oligomer or polymer chains consisting of similar or different oligomer or polymer units from those derived from
polysaccharides (guar, cellulose derivatives, alginates, starch derivatives . . . )
polyoxyalkylene glycols (polyoxyethylene glycols . . . )
copolyesters, especially terephthalic copolyesters (ethylene terephthalate/poly(oxyethylene) terephthalate copolymers . . . )
sulphonated, especially terephthalic copolyesters (copolymers derived from terephthalic, isophthalic or sulphoisophthalic acids, anhydrides or diesters and from a diol . . . )
polyvinyl alcohols and their copolymers
acrylic polymers and copolymers
. . .
optionally carrying hydrophilic functional groups such as sulphonate, carboxylate, phosphate . . .
The amounts of units carrying functional groups having a cationic character (MC) are such that they ensure, during the treatment, sufficient binding of the soil-release agent molecule to the surface of the cotton article.
Amounts of about 0.1 to 40 parts by weight of cationic functional groups per 100 parts by weight of soil-repellent agent are generally satisfactory. In the case of ammonium functional groups, these may represent about 0.01 to 4 grams of nitrogen per 100 grams of soil-release agent.
The amounts of units having a hydrophobic character (MH) are such that, during the treatment, they ensure that the soil-repellent molecule is in hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance (HLB) enabling it to partition between the water and the surface of the article based on woven cotton. An HLB of greater than 15 is generally satisfactory.
The hydrophilicity of the soil-release molecule is such that the latter can be removed during the next washing at the same time as the moil.
Among amphiphilic soil-release agents which may be employed, mention may be made in particular of cationic surfactants and oligomers or polymers formed from a hydrophilic hydrocarbon oligomer or polymer backbone having, within its chain or as branches, units carrying a functional group having a cationic character (MC) with its counter-ion and units having a hydrophobic character (MH).
Among cationic surface-active soil-release agents, mention may be made in particular of those of formula:
R
1
R
2
R
3
R
4
N
+
X
−
where
R
1
, R
2
and R
3
are similar or different and represent H or an alkyl radical containing less than 4 carbon atoms, preferably 1 or 2 carbon atoms,
R
4
represents an alkyl radical containing more than 4 carbon atoms, preferably about 8 to 20 carbon atoms and
X
−
is a halide, preferably bromide, ion, acetate ion, sulphate ion . . .
Mention may be made most particularly of dodecyltrimethylammonium, tetradecyltrimethylammonium and cetyltrimethylammonium bromides.
Among oligomeric or polymeric soil-release agents, mention may be made in particular of cationic alkyl guars and cationic alkyl hydroxypropyl guars.
Mention may also be made, by way of novel industrial product
Chilou Emmanuelle
David Claire
Fleury Etienne
Marchand Jean-Pierre
Wong Kenneth
Einsmann Margaret
Rhodia Chimie
Seugnet Jean-Louis
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