EP1972717B1 - Use of a composition for enhancing the water absorption of textiles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the use of certain aqueous agents for improving the water absorption of textiles.

The sensory properties of textiles resulting from conventional washing and cleaning operations are an important criterion for the consumer to judge. In this connection, it is particularly desirable that the textiles give a pleasant feel to the skin after washing. However, this is not only about the softness, but there are also other criteria demanded by consumers. This includes the smoothness, the fact that residues remain on the fiber, the grip, the elasticity of the material, its flexibility but also, for example, the noise that occurs when crumpling or folding the laundry. A particular issue is the moisture absorption of the fabric, as e.g. When sweating large amounts of water are released, which, in order to convey a pleasant feel of the textiles, must be quickly dissipated.

In the prior art, a large number of laundry after-treatment agents but also so-called plasticizers are described in this connection. Only excerpts refer to the WO 02/051972 US-A-5,486,642 which describes a fabric care composition which describes, for example, organophilic clays in combination with a vegetable oil and optionally quaternary ammonium compounds.

From the WO 20041/069980 A1 aqueous textile finishing agents are known which contain a lipophilic wax matrix, wherein the waxes have a melting point in the range of 35-60 ° C in combination with emulsifiers and so-called Kristalllsationsregulatoren. From the DE 197 32 073 C1 are liquid, nitrogen-free fabric softeners known in addition to water or anionic surfactants and fatty substances selected from the group of fatty alcohols and the mono- or diesters of fatty acids with saurithol, trimethylolpropane, neopentyl glycol, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycols, glycerols and

Polyglycerols and possibly other active ingredients and adjuvants included. An influence on the Wasserabsoption of textiles by such means, however, is not apparent from the prior art.

Such care products must usually be formulated aqueous, so that they can be applied without problems and endangering the consumer of the latter. However, the more intensively one examines the needs of the consumer, the sooner one realizes that the classical ones

Plasticizer formulations can no longer meet the requirements of the modern consumer for the comfort of washed textiles.

The present invention is therefore based on the problem of providing a method which significantly enhances the sensory properties of fabrics after washing can improve. It has now been found that certain aqueous formulated agents are suitable to fulfill this task.

1. (a) Alkyl(oligo)glycosiden zusammen mit
2. (b) eine Mischung aus Mono- und Diestern von gesättigten und ungesättigten Fettsäuren mit 16 bis 22 C-Atomen mit Diolen und Polyolen,
   und optional
3. (c) weiter Hllfs- und Zusatzstoffe

zur Verbesserung der Wasserabsorption von Textilien.A first aspect of the present invention therefore relates to the use of an aqueous composition containing at least water in addition

1. (a) alkyl (oligo) glycosides together with
2. (b) a mixture of mono- and diesters of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids having 16 to 22 C atoms with diols and polyols,
   and optional
3. (c) further Hllfs- and additives

to improve the water absorption of textiles.

In the use according to the invention, the above-described aqueous agents are applied to textiles. Suitable methods here can be, in particular, the spraying of the aqueous compositions with suitable technical aids. However, it is quite possible to apply the aqueous agents differently to the textiles, for example in the sense of a laundry after-treatment, possibly at elevated temperature, by bringing the items of laundry into contact with the aqueous agents for a suitable period of time in the context of the present technical teaching. This can also be achieved, for example, by using a correspondingly equipped so-called "dryer sheet", which is preferably brought into contact with the laundry to be treated in the tumble dryer, and its active ingredients are thus transferred to the textile. The finishing of the textiles is preferably temporary, and thus distinguishable from the permeant equipment used in textile manufacturing. It is also conceivable that the agents described are applied to the textiles in the form of encapsulated active ingredients during or after the wash cycle. However, a preferred embodiment provides that the aqueous agents are applied to the items of laundry or textiles by spray application in the sense of the present technical teaching. Such agents are usually offered as "care sprays" to the consumer, and serve, for example, a textile subsequently provided with care additives. Such additives For example, they can be aids that facilitate ironing but also fragrances that give a fresh impression. Spray products may preferably be used in the present process. Particularly preferred is an additive in the form of an ironing aid that the consumer applied before or after ironing the textiles.

The agents in the sense of the described technical teaching are formulated aqueous and preferably contain between 50 to 99 wt .-% water, each based on the total amount of the composition. It may be advantageous to use only 75 to 99 wt .-% water or in particular 85 to 99 wt .-% water.

The aqueous agents used necessarily contain two components (a) and (b) side by side. Component (a) is alkyl (oligo) glycosides (= APG), component (b) are mixtures of esters based on diols or polyols with selected fatty acids. Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, Applicant believes that the APG serves to keep the preferably water-insoluble component (b) dispersed in the formulation (in the form of finely divided particles) and to prevent settling of the particles.

Component (a)

Alkyl and / or alkenyl oligoglycosides are known nonionic surfactants which follow formula (I),

R ¹ O- [G] p (I)

in which R ^{1 is} an alkyl and / or alkenyl radical having 4 to 22 carbon atoms, G is a sugar radical having 5 or 6 carbon atoms and p is a number from 1 to 10. They can be obtained by the relevant methods of preparative organic chemistry. The alkyl and / or alkenyl oligoglycosides can be derived from aldoses or ketoses having 5 or 6 carbon atoms, preferably glucose. The preferred alkyl and / or alkenyl oligoglycosides are thus alkyl and / or alkenyl oligoglucosides. The index number p in the general formula (I) indicates the degree of oligomerization (DP), ie the distribution of monoglycerides and oligoglycosides, and stands for a number between 1 and 10. While p in a given compound must always be an integer, and here especially If p = 1 to 6 can be assumed, the value p for a given alkyloligoglycoside is an analytically determined arithmetic quantity, which usually represents a fractional number. Preference is given to using alkyl and / or alkenyl oligoglycosides having an average degree of oligomerization p of from 1.1 to 3.0. From an application point of view, those alkyl and / or alkenyl oligoglycosides whose degree of oligomerization is less than 1.7 and in particular between 1.2 and 1.4 are preferred. The alkyl or alkenyl radical R ¹ may differ from primary Derive alcohols having 4 to 11, preferably 8 to 10 carbon atoms. Typical examples are butanol, caproic alcohol, caprylic alcohol, capric alcohol and undecyl alcohol and technical mixtures thereof, as obtained, for example, in the hydrogenation of technical fatty acid methyl esters or in the hydrogenation of aldehydes from Roelen's oxosynthesis. Preference is given to alkyl oligoglucosides of the chain length C ₈ -C ₁₀ (DP = 1 to 3) which are obtained as a feedstock in the distillative separation of technical C ₈ -C ₁₈ coconut fatty alcohol and in a proportion of less than 6% by weight C ₁₂ - Alcohol may be contaminated as well as alkyl oligoglucosides based on technical C _9/11 oxo alcohols (DP = 1 to 3). The alkyl or alkenyl radical R ¹ can also be derived from primary alcohols having 12 to 22, preferably 12 to 14 carbon atoms. Typical examples are lauryl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, palmoleyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, isostearyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, elaidyl alcohol, petroselinyl alcohol, arachyl alcohol, gadoleyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, erucyl alcohol, brassidyl alcohol, and technical mixtures thereof which can be obtained as described above. Preference is given to alkyl oligoglucosides based on hydrogenated C _12/14 coconut alcohol having a DP of 1 to 3.

Component (b)

The component (b) consists in turn of several different components, namely esters of diols, preferably glycol or its oligo- or polymers, and also esters of polyols, preferably esters of glycerol, these glycerol esters preferably in the form of their Partialester, so as a mono- and / or diester use find.
Suitable diol esters for the purposes of the present invention are in particular the esters of diols, preferably glycol and its oligomers or polymers. Suitable oligomers are polyethylene glycols and, as polymers, ethylene glycols having molecular weights of 100 and greater, preferably 100 to 1,000 , These are esterified in a conventional manner with fatty acids. As fatty acids, saturated fatty acids having 16 to 22 carbon atoms are used, with stearic acid being particularly preferred. A particularly preferred diester component is a glycol stearic acid diester.

in der R²CO für einen linearen oder verzweigten, gesättigten und/oder ungesättigten Acylrest mit 6 bis 22, vorzugsweise 12 bis 18 Kohlenstoffatomen, R³ und R⁴ unabhängig voneinander für R²CO oder OH und die Summe (m+n+p) für 0 oder Zahlen von 1 bis 100, vorzugsweise 5 bis 25 steht, mit der Maßgabe, dass mindestens einer der beiden Reste R³ und R⁴ OH bedeutet. Typische Beispiele sind Mono- und/oder Diglyceride auf Basis von Capronsäure, Caprylsäure, 2-Ethylhexansäure, Caprinsäure, Laurinsäure, Isotridecansäure, Myristinsäure, Palmitinsäure, Palmoleinsäure, Stearinsäure, Isostearinsäure, Ölsäure, Elaidinsäure, Petroselinsäure, Linolsäure, Linolensäure, Elaeostearinsäure, Arachinsäure, Gadoleinsäure, Behensäure und Erucasäure sowie deren technische Mischungen. Vorzugsweise werden technische Laurinsäureglyceride, Palmitinsäureglyceride, Stearinsäureglyceride, Isostearinsäureglyceride, Ölsäureglyceride, Behensäureglyceride und/oder Erucasäureglyceride eingesetzt, welche einen Monoglyceridanteil im Bereich von 50 bis 95, vorzugsweise 60 bis 90 Gew.-% aufweisen. Insbesondere werden längerkettige Partialglyceride z.B. basierend auf Ölsäure oder Stearinsäure eingesetzt insbesondere Gemische von Glyceriden auf Basis von gesättigten und ungesättigten Fettsäuren.Fatty acid partial glycerides, ie monoglycerides, diglycerides and their technical mixtures may contain small quantities of di- and triglycerides as a result of the preparation. low Amounts means that preferably only 1 to at most 10% by weight, in particular up to a maximum of 5% by weight, based on the total amount of glycerides, represent triglycerides. Preferably, such glycerides (ie, if necessary, mixtures of di- and monoglycerides) are used, which are free of triglycerides. However, the partial glycerides preferably follow the formula (II),

in the R ² CO for a linear or branched, saturated and / or unsaturated acyl radical having 6 to 22, preferably 12 to 18 carbon atoms, R ³ and R ⁴ independently of one another R ² CO or OH and the sum (m + n + p ) is 0 or numbers from 1 to 100, preferably 5 to 25, with the proviso that at least one of the two radicals R ³ and R ^{4 is} OH. Typical examples are mono- and / or diglycerides based on caproic acid, caprylic acid, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, isotridecanoic acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, isostearic acid, oleic acid, elaidic acid, petroselinic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, elaeostearic acid, arachidic acid, Gadoleic acid, behenic acid and erucic acid and their technical mixtures. Preference is given to using technical lauric acid glycerides, palmitic acid glycerides, stearic acid glycerides, isostearic acid glycerides, oleic acid glycerides, behenic acid glycerides and / or erucic acid glycerides which have a monoglyceride content in the range from 50 to 95, preferably 60 to 90% by weight. In particular, longer-chain partial glycerides, for example based on oleic acid or stearic acid, are used in particular mixtures of glycerides based on saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.

The partial esters as described above are preferably used as a mixture of mono- and diesters of glycerol with saturated and unsaturated fatty acids having in each case 16 to 22 C atoms. As a saturated fatty acid, stearic acid is again of particular importance, whereas oleic acid is to be selected as the unsaturated fatty acid. Thus, those agents are preferred which contain side by side in the mixture of component b) glycerol partial esters based on stearic acid and oleic acid. The components a) and b) of the agents used are preferably in a weight ratio of 1: 3 to 3: 1, preferably 1: 3 to 1: 1 and in particular of 1: 2 to 1: 1 next to each other. In this case, the weight of component b) refers to all ingredients described above, ie both the diesters of the diols and the partial esters based on the polyols, preferably of glycerol. It is further preferred to use those agents in which the components a) and b) together in an amount of 0.1 to 15 wt .-% and in particular in amounts of 0.5 to 10 wt .-%, but preferably 1 to 5 wt .-% are included. The compounds according to the description of component b) are preferably water-insoluble, which means that they can be dissolved at 21 ° C. to less than 10, in particular less than 5,% by weight in water.

Component c)

The agents used according to the invention may, in addition to water and the obligatory component (a) and (b) optionally contain further auxiliaries or additives. As auxiliaries or additives in particular perfumes, dyes, other surfactants, non-aqueous solvents and thickeners can be used.
Preferably, a thickener is used as an additive, ie a substance which increases the viscosity of the agent. Polymeric thickeners are typically selected from the groups of polyvinyl alcohols, polyacrylic acid and polymethacrylic acids and their salts, the polyacrylamides, polyvinylpyrrolidones, polyethylene glycols, styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers and salts thereof.
In particular, polymers with thickening properties, in this case preferably those based on acrylate and (meth) acrylate, are preferred. Both homo- and copolymers or terpolymers can be used. In addition, it is also possible to use thickeners based on cellulose or derivatives thereof with success within the meaning of the present technical teaching. Examples of such thickeners are hydroxyethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose or ethylhydroxyethylcellulose.

It may furthermore be preferred to use, in addition to or as the sole component (c), polyethylene glycols, preferably those having molecular weights of 100 or greater, in particular having a molecular weight of from 100 to 500.

Component c) is used in the compositions according to the invention in amounts of preferably from 1 to 25% by weight, preferably from 2 to 20% by weight and particularly preferably from 5 to 18% by weight. It is at this point, however, again It has been pointed out that component c) is optional and therefore possibly completely dispensable. In the use according to the invention, it is preferable to use agents which do not contain any additional cationic or other plasticizing substances, it being possible in exceptional cases to use such compounds. In such cases, textile softeners of the type of quaternized ammonium compounds and in particular of the so-called ester quats are particularly preferred. As far as the concomitant use of surfactants, there is no dramatic limitation, but all known in the art nonionic anionic amphoteric or cationic surfactants can be used, with the emphasis on the co-use of other conventional nonionic surfactants such as fatty alcohol or Fettsäurealkoxylaten and / or whose derivatives are located.

In addition to improving the water absorption of textiles, it is also possible to improve the sensory properties of textiles. These are preferably determined by tests of the corresponding agents on textiles by test persons, who in this case preferably determine the evaluation of smoothness, residue, grip, elasticity, flexibility, comfort, softness, care, volume when crushing or wrinkles. In such tests, pretreated textiles are evaluated by the subjects compared to reference textiles. Only those agents are considered to be suitable in which a total of the above-mentioned individual criteria results in a significant improvement over the untreated or treated only with prior art comparison textiles. For details of such selection procedures, reference is made to the examples described below.

The use to improve the water absorption of textiles is the subject of the application, since this effect by the ertindunasgemäße process to achieve. This applies both to pure cotton or viscose as well as pure wool and / or pure silk or mixed fabrics, for example with synthetic fibers.

By the way, textiles are understood to mean all textile fabrics which are usually processed into linen. However, those fabrics and textiles that contain cotton or consist of cotton are particularly preferred.

Examples

To study the effect of the agents, the following emulsions were prepared (Table 1). V1 represents a comparison means that has been formulated without the additive essential to the invention - the means E1 to E3 relate to the teaching of the present invention. <u> Table 1 </ u> Ingredients in% by weight V1 E1 E2 E3 Plantatex ^® HCC - 5 5 5 glycerin 17 17 10 - Cosmedia ^® HC 40 - - 0.5 - PEG 200 - - - 20 Phenonip ^® 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 Water that. ad 100 ad 100 ad 100 ad 100 PH value - 3.0 3.0 3.0

1 21 wt .-% glycol distearate, wt .-% glycerol, 1 wt .-% glyceryl monooleate and 12.5 wt .-% of alkyl (oliog) glycoside and the balance to 100: In this case contains Plantatex ^® HCC (based on active substance) Wt .-% water. Cosmedia ^® HC 40 (thickener from Cognis.) PEG200: Polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight 200th

The means V1 and E1 to E3 were each subjected to a sensory test. The experiment took place in a room with approx. 40% humidity and 22 ° C temperature. 11 subjects were available for the test. Each subject was given 2 new test fabrics each for direct comparison. The specified test criteria (eg slip, softness, etc.) were queried one after the other. The subjects had tested in pairs a treated against an untreated comparison tissue. In detail, the criteria were gloss, smoothness, residue / film formation, grip, elasticity, flexibility, comfort, softness, care, volume (when the lumps of the lumps) and Overall acceptance checked. The statements were made during the entire sensory survey. The assessments were entered in an online registration program and evaluated.

For the test fabrics standard cotton WFK 10 A in 20x30 cm, Wfk GmbH was used. To remove any applied pretreatments, all lobules were washed at 95 ° C with 0.075 kg Persil Megaperls ^™ 3 times with city water and then 2x at 95 ° C. (Miele Softtronic W467, 1600 rpm). The means V1, E1 to E3 were evenly sprayed with an airbrush gun at a distance of 20 cm. A total of 4 g per textile were applied. All test fabrics were treated with this apparatus according to the same procedure.

As a result, the treated lobes E1 to E3 were found to be better than the untreated standard in all measured criteria. Significant differences were found in the criteria of elasticity, pliability, comfort, care and softness.

Measurement of water absorption

Furthermore, the water absorption of treated and untreated cotton according to the invention was measured. For this purpose, cotton test fabrics were treated with aqueous agents of the prior art and as described above and compared with those fabrics which had been treated by the method according to the invention. The aqueous medium each contained 2 wt .-% of a conventional quaternary fabric softener (Dehyquart ^® AU46, Fa. Cognis) (V2), and, in addition as an example of an inventive agent even 5 wt .-% Plantatex ^® HCC (E4). All agent further containing as a preservative 0.4 wt .-% Phenonip ^®.
Subsequently, the wetting time of the cotton was measured with water. For this purpose, a test strip of 1.5 x 16 cm was cut out and placed on a measuring table. Thereafter, 12 .mu.l distilled water was applied to the tissue from a metering device (distance about 0.5 cm). The behavior of the water droplet was recorded by means of a high speed camera and the time to complete absorption was measured.
The untreated tissue absorbed the tropic in less than 1 second. The agent V2 showed a wetting time of 23 seconds that treated according to the invention Medium E4 but only 8 seconds. It was found that the water absorption on cotton could be significantly improved by the process according to the invention

The same measuring method was used to test the effect of the inventive method on wool and silk. The test fabric used was wool (Wfk 60A) or silk (Wfk 70A).
Untreated wool gave an absorption time of over 33 seconds, untreated silk 22 seconds. In contrast, wool treated with an agent according to the invention (composed analogously to E1 but containing 3, 5 or 10% by weight of Plantatex® HCC) shows absorption times of 6, 3 and 2 seconds.
In the case of silk, an absorption time of 3 seconds was measured when treated with an aqueous agent composed as E1 but containing 10% by weight of Plantatex® HCC.

Claims (10)

1. Use of a water based preparation which, besides water, at least contains

   (a) alkyl (oligo)glycosides together with

   (b) a mixture of mono- and diesters of saturated and unsaturated C₁₆-₂₂ fatty acids with diols and polyols
   and, optionally,

   (c) other auxiliaries and additives,
   for improving the water absorption of textiles.
2. Use as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that compounds corresponding to the general formula: R¹O-[G]_p, in which R¹ is an alkyl and/or alkenyl radical containing 4 to 22 carbon atoms, G is a sugar unit containing 5 or 6 carbon atoms and p is a number from 1 to 10, are selected as component (a).
3. Use as claimed in at least one of Claims 1 or 2, characterized in that component (b) contains diesters of saturated C₁₆-₂₂ fatty acids, preferably stearic acid, with glycol.
4. Use as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the mixture (b) contains monoesters of saturated and unsaturated C₁₆-₂₂ fatty acids, preferably selected from stearic acids and oleic acid, with glycerol alongside one another.
5. Use as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that diols and/or polyols, preferably glycerol, glycol and/or polyethylene glycol, are selected as auxiliaries and additives.
6. Use as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that polymers, preferably polymers based on acrylic and/or methacrylic acids, are present as auxiliaries and additives.
7. Use as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the preparations contain water in quantities of 50 to 99% by weight, preferably in quantities of 75 to 99% by weight and more particularly in quantities of 85 to 99% by weight.
8. Use as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that they contain components (a) and (b) together in a quantity of 0.1 to 15% by weight, more particularly in quantities of 0.5 to 10% by weight and preferably in quantities of 1.0 to 5.0% by weight.
9. Use as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that components (a) and (b) are present alongside one another in a ratio by weight of 1:3 to 3:1, preferably 1:3 to 1:1 and more particularly 1:2 to 1:1.
10. Use as claimed in at least one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that component (c) is present in quantities of 1 to 25% by weight, preferably in quantities of 2 to 20% by weight and more particularly in quantities of 5 to 18% by weight.