Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – Mixing of two or more solid polymers; mixing of solid...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-24
2002-06-04
Michl, Paul R. (Department: 1714)
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
Mixing of two or more solid polymers; mixing of solid...
C525S425000, C525S432000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06399713
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to organic resins, more particularly to resins having an internal structure comprised of polyamide and polyether, and terminal structure comprised of hydrocarbon. The invention also relates to the preparation of these resins, and their use as, for example, gelling agents for organic solvents.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In many commercially important compositions, the consistency of the product is critical to its commercial success. One example is personal care products, which generally contain one or more active ingredients within a carrier formulation. While the active ingredient(s) determine the ultimate performance properties of the product, the carrier formulation is equally critical to the commercial success of the product in that it largely determines the consistency of the product. The rheology of the carrier (also referred to as the “base”) largely determines the flow properties of the product, and the flow properties largely determine the manner in which the consumer will apply or use the product.
For example, aluminum chlorohydrate, aluminum-zirconium tetrachlorohydrate, aluminum-zirconium polychlorohydrate complexed with glycine, and aluminum-zirconium complexed with any of trichlorohydrate, octachlorohydrate, and sesquichlorohydrate are metal salts that are commonly used as active ingredients in deodorant and antiperspirant products. Consumers have shown a preference for applying deodorant from a stick form. Thus, the carrier in a stick-form deodorant must be a relatively hard substance, and waxy fatty alcohol such as stearyl alcohol has often been used as the carrier in these products. As another example, the active ingredient in a lipstick is the colorant. A lipstick should not be as hard as a stick deodorant, but of course must maintain its shape when undisturbed at room temperature. A blend of wax and oil is known to provide a consistency that is well suited as a carrier for a lipstick. As a final example, shampoo desirably has a viscosity greater than water, and when the active ingredient(s) in a shampoo does not have a sufficiently high viscosity, a somewhat viscous carrier material is desirably included in the shampoo formulation.
From the above examples, it is seen that formulators of personal care products depend upon the availability of materials having various rheological properties, in order to formulate a successful personal care product. Materials which have a gel-like character, in that they maintain their shape when undisturbed but flow upon being rubbed, are often desired for personal care products.
Transparent (i.e., clear) carriers are desired by formulators who develop a personal care product wherein colorant is an active ingredient, because a transparent carrier (as opposed to an opaque carrier) will minimally, if at all, interfere with the appearance of the colorant. In recent years, consumers have demonstrated an increasing preference for transparent and colorless personal care products such as deodorants and shampoos. There is thus an increasing demand for transparent materials that can provide the rheological properties needed for various personal care products, and particularly which can impart gel-like character to a formulation.
Polyamide resin prepared from polymerized fatty acid and diamine is reported to function as a gellant in formulations developed for personal care products. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,125 is directed to a clear lipstick carrier composition formed from polyamide resin compounded with a lower aliphatic alcohol and a so-called “polyamide solvent.” Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,209 is directed to forming a gel or stick deodorant, where the composition contains polyamide gelling agent and a solvent system including monohydric or polyhydric alcohols. Thus, the prior art recognizes to blend certain polyamides with alcohols, to thereby form a gel.
Polar solvents, e.g., ether- and hydroxyl-containing materials which are liquid at or slightly above room temperature, are desirably included in personal care formulations because they are often benign, allow dilution with at least some water, dissolve a wide range of active and inactive formulation ingredients and are relatively inexpensive. Polar solvents are also available in a wide variety of viscosities and grades. However, these solvents typically do not have the rheological properties that are desired in a carrier, e.g., they do not naturally exhibit gel-like character. Furthermore, gelants for this type of solvent are uncommon and often unavailable.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for materials that can be combined with solvents, and particularly polar solvents, to afford a transparent material that has gel-like character. The present invention provides this and related advantages as described herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the present invention provides a block copolymer of the formula: hydrocarbon-polyether-polyamide-polyether-hydrocarbon. The present invention also provides compositions that include this block copolymer, where such compositions may also include one or more of a diacid, diamine or hydrocarbon-terminated polyether.
In various aspects: the polyamide block includes blocks of the formula
where R
3
is a hydrocarbon diradical, preferably dimer acid-derived, e.g., wherein the R
3
group includes a diradical that results when two carboxylic acid groups are removed from dimer acid; R
4
is selected from a hydrocarbon and a polyether diradical; the polyether block includes blocks of the formula &Parenopenst;R
2
—O&Parenclosest;, where R
2
is a hydrocarbon; C
1-22
hydrocarbon radicals are located at either end of the copolymer, where the hydrocarbon radical may optionally be selected from alkyl, aralkyl, aryl, and alkaryl radicals.
In other aspects, the copolymer has the formula
independently at each occurrence, R
1
is selected from C
1-22
hydrocarbon radicals; R
2
is selected from C
2-6
hydrocarbon diradicals; R
3
is selected from C
2-52
hydrocarbon diradicals, where at least 50% of the R
3
diradicals have at least 34 carbons; R
4
is selected from C
2-36
hydrocarbon diradicals and C
4
-C
100
polyether diradicals; Z is selected from O and NH; x is an integer from 2 to 100; y is an integer from 1 to 10; Z is NH; R
2
is a C
2
hydrocarbon diradical; and at least 80% of the R
3
diradicals have at least 34 carbon atoms.
In various aspects, the present invention provides a composition that includes a copolymer as described above, that meets one or more of the following criteria: an acid number of less than 25; an amine number of less than 5; a softening point of 50-150° C.; a weight average molecular weight of 2,000 to 20,000; a melting point above 50° C. and a viscosity at 160° C. of less than 5,000 cps.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a process of preparing a block copolymer where the process includes reacting together reactants that include dimer acid, diamine, and a polyether having both hydrocarbon termination and termination selected from one of amine, hydroxyl and carboxyl. The polyether may have the formula R
1
—(O—R
2
)
x
—W where R
1
is selected from C
1
-C
22
hydrocarbyl, R
2
is selected from C
2
-C
6
hydrocarbyl, x is an integer presenting the number of repeating ether units, and W is selected from amine, hydroxyl and carboxyl. The present invention also includes a copolymer and composition prepared by this process.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a gelled composition that includes a hydrocarbon-terminated block copolymer as described above, and a polar organic solvent, the solvent having hydroxyl and/or ether functionality. In a related aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing a gel, where the method includes combining a hydrocarbon-terminated block copolymer as described above, at elevated temperature with a liquid having hydroxyl and/or ether functionality to provide a mixture, and allowing the mixture to cool to room temperature to form the gel.
In a further aspect, the present
MacQueen Richard C.
Pavlin Mark S.
Arizona Chemical Company
Michl Paul R.
Seed Intellectual Property Law Group PLLC
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