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
2000-09-27
2002-10-29
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...
C525S276000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06472476
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to textile treatment compositions for imparting durable water and soil resistance to fibrous substrates, including textiles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The treatment of fibrous substrates with fluorochemical compositions to impart water and oil repellency is known; see, for example, Banks, Ed., Organofluorine Chemicals and Their Industrial Applications, Ellis Horwood Ltd., Chichester, England, 1979, pp. 226-234.
Generally, copolymers having a water- and oil-repellence are copolymers each comprising a (meth)acrylate monomer containing a perfluoroalkyl group capable of directly giving a water- and oil-repellence, a fluorine-free monomer capable of improving an adhesiveness to the surfaces of materials to be treated such as fibers, etc., through an affinity thereto, and a monomer capable of giving a durability through self-crosslinking or reaction with reactive groups on the surface of the materials to be treated, typical of which are copolymers having N-methylol groups combined with the main chain, such as copolymers of perfluoroalkyl group-containing (meth)acrylate and N-methylol acrylamide-based copolymers. However, when the fibrous or other substrate is treated with these copolymers, formaldehyde is produced, which is highly undesirable from an environmental and safety standpoint.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to treatment preparations useful for the treatment of textiles and other webs to provide substantially permanent, durable water and soil repellency to fibrous substrates and other materials without the production of formaldehyde. More particularly, the invention is directed to preparations that comprise a fluorinated polymer and a monomer, oligomer or polymer selected from those containing an anhydride functional group or capable of forming an anhydride functional group (referred to herein and in the appended claims as a “tacking polymer”). It has been found by the applicants that this monomer, oligomer or polymer increases the performance and durability of the fluoropolymer by an unknown mechanism, possibly (without being bound by theory) by “tacking” the fluoropolymer to the surface of the fabric.
By “fluorinated polymer” or “fluoropolymer” is meant that the polymer will contain some perfluorinated or partially fluorinated alkyl chains to impart water and oil repellency to coated objects. It may additionally be advantageous for the polymer to contain other groups such as normal alkyl chains; groups that can increase the water solubility or stability of the suspension of the polymer, such as chains of polyethylene glycol or other polar groups; one or more different groups that can crosslink to each other or to the material being coated; or groups that increase polymer flexibility, flame retardancy, the softness of a textile, or resistance to bacteria or mildew.
The preparation can be applied, e.g., to a fibrous substrate by contacting the substrate with the preparation, for example, by immersing it in a bath of the composition or by spraying the composition onto the substrate. The fluoropolymer and the tacking polymer may be added together to the bath, or the tacking polymer may be added to the bath following initial exposure of the substrate to the fluoropolymer. The treated substrate is then cured to remove the solvent therefrom and allow reaction with the textile.
The composition of this invention imparts desirable water and oil repellency to the substrates treated therewith without adversely affecting other desirable properties of the substrate, such as soft hand (or feeling). The composition allows for nonformaldehyde releasing binding to cotton and other substrates. The composition of the present invention can be used for providing water and oil repellency to fibrous substrates such as textiles, papers, non-woven articles or leather.
This invention is further directed to the yarns, fibers, fabrics, textiles, finished goods or other fibrous substrates treated with the water- and soil-resistant preparations of the invention. Such fibrous substrates exhibit a greatly improved, durable water and soil repellency. By “durable water and soil repellency” is meant that the textile, web or other substrate will exhibit a repellency or resistance to water and oily soils even after multiple launderings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As used herein and the appended claims, the term “(meth)acrylate” refers to either the acrylate or the methacrylate compound, unless otherwise indicated.
The fluoropolymer useful in the invention comprises fluoroaliphatic radical-containing agents. These fluorinated monomeric, oligomeric or macromonomeric agents may be chosen from any of those that are useful for the treatment of fabrics to obtain repellency of water and oily and aqueous stains. Fluoroaliphatic radical-containing agents include condensation polymers such as polyesters, polyamides or polyepoxides and vinyl polymers such as acrylates, methacrylates or polyvinyl ethers. Further examples of such fluoroaliphatic radical-containing water and oil repellency-imparting agents include those formed by the reaction of perfluoroaliphatic thioglycols with diisocyanates to provide perfluoroaliphatic group-bearing polyurethanes. Another group of compounds which can be used are fluoroaliphatic radical-containing N-methylolcondensation products. Further examples include fluoroaliphatic radical-containing polycarbodiimides, which can be obtained by, for example, reaction of perfluoroaliphatic sulfonamido alkanols with polyisocyanates in the presence of suitable catalysts. The fluoropolymers may include —CF
3
and —CHF
2
end groups, perfluoroisopropoxy groups (—OCF(CF
3
)
2
), 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl groups, and the like. The polymers may include vinyl ethers having perfluorinated or partially fluorinated alkyl chains.
The fluoropolymer preferably comprises one or more fluoroaliphatic radical-containing acrylate or methacrylate monomers. Such monomers have the structure of Formula I, below:
In the compound of Formula I, for example:
m is 0 to 2;
n is 0 or 1;
o is 1 or 2;
A is —SO
2
—, —N(W)—SO
2
—, —CONH—, —CH
2
—, or —C F
2
—;
R is a linear, branched, or cyclic fluorocarbon, including fully or partially fluoronated hydrocarbons, wherein R may be, for example, a C
1
to C
30
fluorocarbon;
W is hydrogen or C
1
-C
4
lower alkyl; and
X is acrylate, methacrylate, or a carbon-carbon double bond.
Fluoroaliphatic radical-containing agents are available commercially or they may be synthesized. Commercially available agents include FX-13, a fluorinated acrylate from 3M; FX-14, a fluorinated methacrylate from 3M; Zonyl TA-N, a fluorinated acrylate from DuPont; Zonyl TM, a fluorinated methacrylate from DuPont; and FAVE™ products from AlliedSignal (Morristown, N.J.).
In a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the fluoropolymer comprises a) a fluoroaliphatic radical-containing agent, (b) stearyl (meth)acrylate; and (c) a chlorine-containing compound, such as vinylidene chloride, vinyl chloride, 2-chloroethylacrylate, or 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether.
The fluoropolymer may be further copolymerized with i) hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate to increase the performance and permanency of the resulting copolymer, ii) a compound such as poly(ethylene glycol) (meth)acrylate to improve solubility of the copolymer in water, and/or iii) a chain terminator, such as dodecanethiol, mercaptosuccinic acid, or other similar compounds, which acts to keep the molecular weight of the polymer low so that it is more readily dispersible in water and can better penetrate the fabric.
The tacking polymer as the other component of the present treatment preparation is selected from those monomers, oligomers or polymers that contain at least one anhydride functional group or at least one group capable of forming an anhydride functional group. Such monomers can include carboxylic acids and carboxylic acid anhydrides and can include, but are not limited to, maleic acid, acrylic acid, itaconic acid, bisacrylamidoacetic i acid, 3-butene-1,2,3-tricarboxylic ac
Offord David A.
Soane David S.
Larson Jacqueline S.
Michl Paul R.
Nano-Tex, LLC
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