Fabric (woven – knitted – or nonwoven textile or cloth – etc.) – Coated or impregnated woven – knit – or nonwoven fabric which... – Coating or impregnation functions biologically
Patent
1996-04-18
1997-12-23
Bell, James J.
Fabric (woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.)
Coated or impregnated woven, knit, or nonwoven fabric which...
Coating or impregnation functions biologically
442153, D04H 158
Patent
active
057007420
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This application claims benefit of international application PCT/GB94/02184, filed Oct. 7, 1994.
The present invention relates to textile materials which are treated with a biguanide and a strong organic acid to prevent yellowing and loss of antimicrobial activity when subsequently laundered with an anionic detergent containing hypochlorite bleach.
It has been proposed to treat textile materials with poly(hexamethylene biguanide) in order to confer antimicrobial properties to the textile material as disclosed in EP 136 900.
Biguanides are particularly suited to application to textiles, especially cellulosic textiles and blends thereof, because of the substantivity which biguanides exhibit for such materials. However, such applications have not become commercially established where the treated material is to be subjected to laundering. There are two major reasons for this. Firstly, many commercially available detergents contain chlorine bleaching agents which react with the biguanide groups to produce a yellow discoloration and cause loss of antimicrobial protection. This is a particular disadvantage in white or pale coloured textiles. Secondly, many commercial detergents contain anionic surfactants which complex with the biguanide groups which often produce sticky deposits resulting in loss of "handle" and often impair the stain-release properties of the textile material. Also, following laundering, the textile material often exhibits an increase tendency to "tendering".
It has now been found that some or all of these deficiencies may be overcome by treating the textile material with a biguanide and an organic acid.
According to the invention, there is provided a method of treating a textile material to inhibit microbial growth which comprises applying to the textile material a) an oligo- or polymeric biguanide or the salt thereof with an inorganic acid or an organic acid having a pK value above 4.5 (hereafter "biguanide") and b) a strong organic acid having a pK value below 4.5 and free from any aliphatic or oxyalkylene chain containing 12 or more carbon atoms (hereafter "strong organic acid").
The biguanide which is used to treat the textile material contains at least two biguanide units of the formula (I): ##STR1## and preferably from 2 to 100 such biguanide units.
Typically the biguanide units are linked by a bridging group which includes at least one methylene group. The bridging group may include a polymethylene chain which may optionally be interrupted by hetero atoms such as oxygen, sulphur or nitrogen. The bridging group may include one or more cyclic nuclei which may be saturated or unsaturated. It is generally preferred that the bridging group is such that there are at least three, and especially at least four, carbon atoms directly interposed between adjacent units of the formula (I). In general it is preferred that there are not more than ten carbon atoms and, especially not more than eight carbon atoms interposed between two adjacent units of the formula (I).
The terminal biguanide units may themselves be terminated by any suitable terminating group such as hydrocarbyl, substituted hydrocarbyl group, amino or amine hydrochloride or a group ##STR2## If the terminating group is hydrocarbyl this may be alkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl or a combination thereof, such as aralkyl. If the terminating group is substituted hydrocarbyl, the substituent or substituents can be any group or groups which do not have art undesirable adverse effect on the antimicrobial activity of the biguanide such as a hydrocarbyloxy, hydrocarbylcarbonyl (i.e. acyl), an ester (i.e. acyloxy), halogen atom or CN.
The biguanide may comprise a single species, especially where this is a dimer, or a mixture of species especially where it is polymeric and comprises a mixture of polymers having different chain lengths.
One preferred biguanide is a dimer which contains two units of the formula (I) linked by a polymethylene group, particularly a hexamethylene group. The terminating groups of preferred dimers are ##STR3## 4-chlorophenyl or 2
REFERENCES:
patent: 5141803 (1992-08-01), Pregozen
Bell James J.
Zeneca Limited
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