Nanoparticle-based permanent treatments for textiles

Details Nanoparticle-based permanent treatments for textiles Nanoparticle-based permanent treatments for textiles

2000-12-06

2003-08-19

Juska, Cheryl A. (Department: 1771)

Fabric (woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.)

Coated or impregnated woven, knit, or nonwoven fabric which...

C428S402000, C428S402200, C428S402210, C428S402240, C428S403000, C428S407000, C442S096000, C442S097000, C442S102000, C442S123000, C442S124000, C442S125000, C442S132000, C442S133000, C442S136000, C442S153000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06607994

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to the field of fabric and textile treatments. More specifically, this invention relates to preparations and their use in providing substantially permanent desirable characteristics to textiles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fabric treatments endowing particular characteristics or activity are highly desired by the apparel, home furnishings, and medical industries. However, conventional processes used to impart such characteristics often do not lead to permanent effects. Laundering or wearing of the treated fabric causes leaching or erosion of the agents responsible for imparting the desired characteristics. This deficiency has resulted in research efforts to develop durable treatments. Chemical bonding of the compounds onto the fabrics enhances their durability. Unfortunately, the required chemical modifications often cause concomitant reduction or loss of activity or other desired characteristics and must be individually developed for the different agents on a case-by-case basis. Labile or hydrolyzable linkers for direct chemical attachment or controlled release are difficult to engineer; they possess decomposition kinetics which are generally difficult to control, and they must be individually developed for the different fabrics and treatments on a case-by-case basis.
There is thus a need for a robust and precisely controllable methodology to durably attach agents to fibers, yarns, fabrics, and/or textiles (webs), without impairing the desired characteristics of the agent. Furthermore, for certain situations, there is a need to control the release of the agents over a prolonged duration (e.g., fragrances, biocides, anti-fungals, etc.).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to preparations useful for the permanent or substantially permanent treatment of various types of textile materials and other substrates and webs. More particularly, the preparations of the invention comprise an agent or other payload that is surrounded by or contained within a synthetic polymer shell or matrix or that has a surface coating. The shell, matrix or coating is reactive to fibers, yarns, fabrics, or webs, thus providing textile-reactive beads or matrices. The beads or matrices are micrometric or nanometric in size, and are herein referred to as “nanoparticles”. The nanoparticle of the invention may comprise a polymeric shell surrounding the payload, a three-dimensional polymeric network entrapping the payload, or a reactive surface coating, all of which are encompassed under and referred to herein and in the appended claims as a “polymeric encapsulator”. By “textile-reactive” is meant that the payload nanoparticle will form a strong chemical bond with the fiber, yarn, fabric, textile, finished goods (including apparel), or other web or substrate to be treated.
The polymeric encapsulator has a surface that includes functional groups that bind to the fibers, filaments or structural components or elements (referred to collectively herein and in the appended claims as “fibers”) of the treated textiles or other webs, thus providing permanent attachment of the payload to the fibers. Alternatively, the polymeric encapsulator includes functional groups that can bind to a linker molecule or polymer, which in turn will bind or attach the nanoparticle to the fiber. In either case, these functional groups are referred to herein as “textile-reactive functional groups” or “fiber-reactive functional groups” or “substrate-reactive functional groups”.
The terms “payload” and “payload agent” as used herein refer collectively to any material or agent that would be desirable for permanent attachment to or treatment of a textile or other web. Alternatively, the payload agent may be released from the cage of the payload nanoparticle in a controlled and/or prolonged fashion.
The chemical linkages on the surface of the nanoparticles do not involve the molecules of the payload. In many cases, in particular that of payload release, the payload agents are physically entrapped within the nanoparticle and require no chemical modifications of the agents themselves. The resulting nanoparticles have improved retention within and on the textile or web fiber structure without changing the inherent character of the payload agent. In other cases, the payload agents do not have inherent reactivity with fibers. In these cases, the polymeric encapsulator binds the payload to the fiber by chemical reaction with the fiber and either chemical binding or physical encapsulation of the payload agent.
The architecture of the polymeric encapsulator of the nanoparticle can be formulated and fine-tuned to exhibit controlled release of the entrapped payload, ranging from constant but prolonged release (desirable for drugs, biologic or anti-biologic agents, softeners, and fragrances, for example) to zero release (desirable for dyes, metallic reflector colloids, and sunblock agents, for example). In an encapsulated configuration, the nanoparticles will desirably insulate the payload from the skin, preventing potential allergic reactions. In addition, the nanoparticle can be designed to respond to different environmental stimuli (such as temperature, light change, pH, or moisture) to increase the rate of release, or color change at certain times or in certain selected spots or locations on the textile or finished good.
This invention is further directed to the fibers, yarns, fabrics (which may be woven, knitted, stitch-bonded or nonwoven), other textiles, or finished goods (encompassed collectively herein under the terms “textiles” or “webs”) treated with the textile-reactive nanoparticles. Such textiles and webs exhibit a greatly improved retention or durability of the payload agent and its activity, even after multiple washings.
Methods are provided for synthesizing a textile-reactive payload-containing nanoparticle. The preparations of the invention may be formed via one of several methods of encapsulation, such as interfacial polymerization, microemulsion polymerization, precipitation polymerization, surface coating, and diffusion. Multi-component mixture preparation followed by atomization/spraying into a drying chamber is yet another processing scheme. Reactive functional groups on the polymeric encapsulator provide a means for attaching the payload nanoparticles to textiles.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The textile-reactive preparations of the invention comprise an agent or payload surrounded by or contained within a polymeric encapsulator that is reactive to textiles or other webs, thus providing textile-reactive payload nanoparticles. The polymeric encapsulator of the nanoparticle has a surface that includes functional groups for binding or attachment to the fibers of the textiles or other webs to be treated.
The terms “payload” and “payload agent” as used herein refer collectively to any material or agent that would be desirable for permanent or semi-permanent attachment to or treatment of a textile or other web. The payload may include, but is not limited to the following: bioactive or anti-microbial/fungal agents, drugs and pharmaceuticals, sunblock agents, dyes (such as iridescent dyes, fixed dyes, and dyes that respond to a particular environmental or chemical trigger such as heat, pH, carbon monoxide, sulfuric acid, or minute quantities of blood, for example), pigments, scents and fragrances, fire retardant or suppressant chemicals, metallic reflector colloids, reflective particles (such as mica), magnetic particles, thermochromic materials, insect repellents, heat-absorbing or -releasing phase change agents, fabric softeners, zeolites and activated carbon (useful for absorbing environmental hazards such as toxins and chemicals including formaldehyde). While the following discussions herein are directed to certain exemplary agents, it is important to note that other materials having any desirable activity suitable for textile treatments may also be encapsulated according to the teachings herein and are included within the scope of this invention.
The nanoparti

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