EP3775131B1 - Textile care product having optionally cross-linked copolymer and method for finishing textiles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the use of a copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent, and a textile care product containing such a copolymer, to reduce resoiling of textiles or to improve the removal of soiling from textiles. In addition, the invention also relates to a method for finishing textiles with a soil-release protective layer and thus to a method with which resoiling of textiles can be reduced and/or the removability of soiling from textiles can be improved.

The daily use of textiles, for example by wearing textile clothing, inevitably leads to soiling of the textiles. Many stains or soiling, which are summarized below under the term "soiling", can only be removed from the textiles with great difficulty or with considerable effort without leaving any residue. This applies in particular to lipophilic products such as lubricating oils, motor oils, fats, waxes and the like, but also to pigments, for example. In order to reduce soiling of textiles, so-called “soil release” additives are proposed in the prior art, which are added to detergents and are applied to the surface of textiles during a washing process.

DE 101 52 308 A1 describes the use of polymers of polyisocyanates and polymeric polyols for this purpose. Furthermore describes DE 10 2007 013 217 A1 anionic soil release polyesters consisting of terephthalic acid, sulfoisophthalic acid (poly)alkylene glycol and a nonionic end group. The use of at 20 ° C water-soluble polymers containing at least one polymerized monomer a) H ₂ C = CR ¹ -CO-NH-R ² -N ⁺ R ³ R ⁴ R ⁵ X ^- where R ¹ is a hydrogen atom or a Alkyl radical having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R ² is a linear or branched alkylene radical having 1 to 12 carbon atoms and R ³ , R ⁴ , R ⁵ are each independently a hydrogen atom, an alkyl radical having 1 to 18 carbon atoms or one Phenlyrest mean, and X ^- stands for an anion from the group of halogens, sulfates or alkyl sulfates or hydroxide, phosphate, acetate, formate or ammonium, and b) H ₂ C = CR ⁶ - CO-NR ⁷ R ⁸ where R ⁶ represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl radical having 1 to 4 carbon atoms and R ⁷ and R ⁸ each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl radical having 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a C3-C6 cycloalkyl radical, with the proviso that R ⁷ and R ⁸ do not simultaneously represent a hydrogen atom, and c) acrylic and/or methacrylic acid and/or d) further mono mers from the group of C3-C6 monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids such as crotonic acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, fumaric acid, itaconic acid and their half esters, and salts, or H ₂ C=CR-CO-NH-CR′′RʺR‴-SO ₃ H and their salts, in particular the alkali metal and ammonium salts, where R, R', R" and R'" are each independently a hydrogen atom or an alkyl(ene) radical having 1 to 4 carbon atoms stands, with the proviso that the polymer contains the monomers c) in amounts of at most 25% by weight, based on the polymer, as soil-release additives for detergents EP 1 972 683 A1 disclosed.

However, the soil-release active ingredients known in the prior art either show a high selectivity for a specific soiling, which means that only a specific type of soil, for example only oil-based soiling, or only pigments or other more hydrophilic soilings are removed, or unfold it Spectrum of activity only on a certain type of fabric, for example only on polyamides or cotton-based fabrics.

Based on this prior art, it is an object of the present invention to specify a use of a copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent, and to provide a textile care product that prevents and / or reduces resoiling of textiles or the Improved removability of soiling from the textiles. Furthermore, it is one The object of the present invention is to specify a method for finishing textiles with a soil-release protective layer, by means of which textiles are protected against resoiling and/or soiling which has been absorbed by the textile can be removed more easily.

• N-Isopropylacrylamid (NIPAM):
  
• Methacrylsäure (MAc):
  

It has surprisingly been found that this object is achieved by using a copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent (NIPAM-co-MAc for short). The N-isopropylacrylamide units and methacrylic acid units contained in the copolymer are represented by the following formulas:

• N-Isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM):
  
• Methacrylic Acid (MAc):
  

Without being bound to theory, it is assumed that the N-isopropylacrylamide units contained in the copolymer, due to their chemical constitution, attach very well to different types of fabric, such as cellulose-based fabrics (cotton), polyamide fabrics, polyester fabrics, blended fabrics and the like and there form a kind of protective layer or protective film that prevents unimpeded access of soiling to or into the fabric and thus prevents soiling or resoiling or effectively reduces or even prevents it. It is also believed that the methacrylic acid units in the copolymer facilitate removal of the soils from or from the fabric due to the high hydrophilic content. The methacrylic acid units also support film formation on the fabric, so that a so-called soil-release protective layer can be formed uniformly on the surface of the fabric. The sterically demanding chains of N-isopropylacrylamide units and methacrylic acid units promote a comprehensive "protective covering" of the textile fabric, so that unimpeded access of soiling to or into the fabric is prevented or at least significantly reduced. The methyl groups in the methacrylic acid units also ensure a certain hydrophobic proportion of the copolymer and thus also ensure that hydrophobic soiling, such as oils, fats and the like, do not even penetrate into the fabric, but are caught on its surface, so that it is very easy to wash out the soiling.

Overall, the copolymer used according to the invention is characterized by high hydrophilic but also lipophilic proportions, so that soiling of different types, i.e. lipophilic soiling such as fats, waxes or oils, and also hydrophilic soiling such as pigments, dyes and the like, can be reduced or even prevented or removed again very easily.

The copolymer used according to the invention is preferably in the form of a hydrogel. For the purposes of the invention, the term “hydrogel” means a water-containing but water-insoluble copolymer whose molecules are linked chemically, for example by covalent or ionic bonds, or physically, for example by looping of the polymer chains, to form a three-dimensional network. Due to the high hydrophilic proportions in the copolymer, the hydrogel has the property of swelling in water with a considerable increase in volume without losing the material cohesion. As a result, detachment and removal of soiling can be facilitated and thus improved.

Any agent which crosslinks the N-isopropylacrylamide units and/or methacrylic acid units can be used as the crosslinking agent. Crosslinking agents are preferably used which crosslink the acrylamide moieties and methacrylic acid moieties, such as in particular N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA), which is a symmetrical, non-conjugated, bifunctional vinyl monomer.

In the copolymer used according to the invention, the molar ratio of units obtained from N-isopropylacrylamide to units obtained from the crosslinking agent is preferably in the range from 1000:1 to 10:1, in particular from 200:1 to 20:1 and particularly preferably from 50:1 to 25:1 .

Furthermore, according to the invention, a textile care product is also disclosed which contains at least one copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent. This also includes the textile care product according to the invention containing one or more copolymers consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent.

In the context of the present invention, “textile care product” means any washing, cleaning and care product that is used for cleaning and care of textiles, such as home textiles and clothing textiles. These include in particular heavy-duty detergents, special detergents such as delicate detergents, wool detergents and the like, washing aids, Laundry care preparations, laundry sprays, ironing aids, laundry pre-treatment preparations and laundry after-treatment preparations.

To avoid redundancy, reference is additionally made to the above explanations with regard to the definition of the copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent and the effects achieved according to the invention.

Surprisingly, it has been found that the textile care product according to the invention can prevent or effectively reduce soiling or resoiling of various types of textiles and also makes it easier to remove soiling from the textiles. It is assumed that, in order to achieve these effects, the copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent is applied to the textile fabric and forms a type of protective layer or protective film that prevents or at least reduces soiling and facilitates its removal . The textiles treated with the textile care product according to the invention therefore remain clean for longer and can be retained even after several washes without any traces of soiling previously present. It has been shown here that the protective layer can be formed on different types of fabric, such as polyester-based fabric, cellulose-based fabric, polyamide-based fabric and any type of blended fabric. It was also found that by using the textile care product according to the invention, different types of soiling, ie both lipophilic soiling and hydrophilic soiling, can be reduced or even prevented or effectively removed.

An advantageous development of the textile care product according to the invention is characterized in that the total mass of copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent, based on the total mass of the textile care product, is 0.001% by mass to 10% by mass, in particular 0.01% by mass. to 5% by mass and in particular 1% by mass. If several copolymers consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent are used in combination, the total mass relates to the total mass of all the copolymers contained in the textile care product and consist of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent. In other words, this means that if, for example, two copolymers consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent are used in combination, their total mass is 0.001% by mass to 10% by mass. If there is only one copolymer in the textile care product according to the invention, which consists of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent, its total mass is also preferably 0.001% by mass to 10% by mass and in particular 0.01% by mass to 5% by mass.

Even a low total mass of the copolymer used according to the invention of 0.001% by mass, and in particular of 0.01% by mass, brings about a significant reduction in soiling and an improvement in the removability of soiling adhering to the textile fabric. It can thus be assumed that a total mass of 0.001% by mass of the copolymer to be used according to the invention leads to the formation of a soil-release protective layer that protects the fabric and is distinguished by a dirt-repellent effect. The higher the proportion of copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent, the larger and more homogeneous this protective layer is formed on the fabric surface. Soiling can thus be particularly effectively reduced or even prevented if the total mass of this copolymer is 0.01% by mass to 5% by mass. The spectrum of activity is particularly balanced in this area. Higher total masses of more than 5% by mass or even more than 10% by mass are disadvantageous in terms of the costs of the textile care product, with in particular from a total mass of more than 10% by mass of the copolymer there is no significant increase in the dirt-repellent effect and no further improvement the removability of soiling is noticeable. Rather, with such high levels of copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent, the haptic properties of the textile can be impaired.

According to an advantageous development, the textile care product contains at least one surfactant. The surfactant improves soil removal. The addition of one or more surfactants is particularly advantageous when the textile care product is in the form of a detergent, such as a heavy-duty detergent, a delicate detergent or a special detergent.

A surfactant in the context of the present invention is a surface-active substance which, by forming micelles, is able to remove dirt particles from the textile or textiles during a washing process with the textile care product. Suitable surfactants include cationic, anionic, nonionic and amphoteric surfactants. Any mixtures of two or more surfactants can also be used, depending on the desired washing performance.

Suitable anionic surfactants include, but are not limited to, alkyl benzene sulfonates, olefin sulfonates, alkane sulfonates, fatty alcohol sulfates, fatty alcohol ether sulfates, or a mixture of two or more of these anionic surfactants. Of these anionic surfactants, alkyl benzene sulfonates, fatty alcohol ether sulfates, and mixtures thereof are particularly preferred.

Surfactants of the sulfonate type are preferably alkylbenzene sulfonates, olefin sulfonates, ie mixtures of alkene and hydroxyalkane sulfonates and disulfonates, such as those obtained, for example, from C _12-18 monoolefins with a terminal or internal double bond by sulfonation with gaseous sulfur trioxide and subsequent alkaline or acidic hydrolysis of the sulfonation products, under consideration. Also suitable are C _12-18 alkanesulfonates and the esters of α-sulfofatty acids (ester sulfonates), for example the α-sulfonated methyl esters of hydrogenated coconut, palm kernel or tallow fatty acids.

Alkyl benzene sulfonates are preferably selected from linear or branched mono- and di-alkyl benzene sulfonates. The alkyl radicals, individually or together, can contain 9 to 19, preferably 9 to 15, and in particular 9 to 13 carbon atoms. A very particularly preferred representative is sodium dodecyl benzyl sulfonate.

Alk(en)yl sulfates are the salts of sulfuric acid monoesters of C12-C18 fatty alcohols, for example from coconut fatty alcohol, tallow fatty alcohol, lauryl, _myristyl , _cetyl or _stearyl alcohol or C10- _C20 oxo alcohols and those monoesters secondary alcohols of these chain lengths are preferred. C ₁₂ -C ₁₆ -alkyl sulfates and C ₁₂ -C ₁₅ -alkyl sulfates and also C ₁₄ -C ₁₅ -alkyl sulfates are preferred for reasons of washing technology.

Also alkyl ether sulfates having the formula

R ¹ -O-(AO) _n -SO ₃ ^- X ⁺

are suitable. In this formula, R ¹ is a linear or branched, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl radical, preferably a linear, unsubstituted alkyl radical, particularly preferably a fatty alcohol radical. Preferred radicals R ¹ are selected from decyl, undecyl, dodecyl, tridecyl, tetradecyl, pentadecyl, hexadecyl, heptadecyl, octadecyl, nonadecyl and eicosyl radicals and mixtures thereof, the representatives with an even number on carbon atoms are preferred. Particularly preferred radicals R ¹ are derived from C ₁₂ -C ₁₈ fatty alcohols, for example from coconut fatty alcohol, tallow fatty alcohol, lauryl, myristyl, cetyl or stearyl alcohol or from C ₁₀ -C ₂₀ oxo alcohols.

AO stands for an ethylene oxide (EO) or propylene oxide (PO) moiety, preferably for an ethylene oxide moiety. The index n is an integer from 1 to 50, preferably from 1 to 20, and in particular from 2 to 10. n is very particularly preferably the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8. X is for a monovalent cation or the nth part of an n-valent cation, preference being given to the alkali metal ions and including Na ⁺ or K ⁺ , with Na ⁺ being extremely preferred. Further cations X ⁺ can be selected from NH ₄ ⁺ , ½ Zn ²⁺ , ½ Mg ²⁺ , ½ Ca ²⁺ , ½ Mn ²⁺ and mixtures thereof.

The anionic surfactants can be in the form of their sodium, potassium or magnesium or ammonium salts. The anionic surfactants are preferably in the form of their sodium salts and/or ammonium salts. Amines that can be used for neutralization are preferably choline, Triethylamine, monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, methylethylamine or a mixture thereof, with monoethanolamine being preferred.

Suitable nonionic surfactants include alkoxylated fatty alcohols, alkoxylated oxo-alcohols, alkoxylated fatty acid alkyl esters, fatty acid amides, alkoxylated fatty acid amides, polyhydroxy fatty acid amides, alkylphenol polyglycol ethers, amine oxides, alkyl (poly)glucosides, and mixtures thereof.

R2

für einen linearen oder verzweigten, substituierten oder unsubstituierten Alkylrest,

AO

für eine Ethylenoxid-(EO) oder Propylenoxid-(PO)-Gruppierung und

m

für ganze Zahlen von 1 bis 50 stehen.

Preferred textile care products contain at least one fatty alcohol alkoxylate of the formula

R ² -O-(AO) _m -H

in the

R2

for a linear or branched, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl radical,

oh

for an ethylene oxide (EO) or propylene oxide (PO) group and

m

are integers from 1 to 50.

In the above formula, R ² is a linear or branched, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl radical, preferably a linear, unsubstituted alkyl radical, particularly preferably a fatty alcohol radical. Preferred radicals R ² are selected from decyl, undecyl, dodecyl, tridecyl, tetradecyl, pentadecyl, hexadecyl, heptadecyl, octadecyl, nonadecyl and eicosyl radicals and mixtures thereof, the representatives with an even number of C atoms are preferred. Particularly preferred radicals R ² are derived from C ₁₂ -C ₁₈ fatty alcohols, for example from coconut fatty alcohol, tallow fatty alcohol, lauryl, myristyl, cetyl or stearyl alcohol or from C ₁₀ -C ₂₀ oxo alcohols.

AO represents an ethylene oxide (EO) or propylene oxide (PO) moiety, preferably an ethylene oxide moiety. The index m is an integer from 1 to 50, preferably from 1 to 20, and in particular from 2 to 10. m is very particularly preferably the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8.

According to a further advantageous development, in order to obtain a particularly good washing performance with high soil removal power, it is provided that the total mass of surfactant, i.e. the total mass of one or more surfactants, based on the total mass of the textile care product, is 1% by mass to 50% by mass and is in particular 3% by mass to 20% by mass. When using a combination of two or more surfactants, the total mass of surfactants relates to the total mass of all surfactants used.

More preferably, the textile care product is in powder, liquid, gel form, in the form of tabs or capsules. The liquid form is particularly preferred here, since in liquid textile care products the copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent is hydrated and is therefore present in particular in the form of a hydrogel, which is particularly easy to attach to textiles and can form a dirt-repellent protective layer.

The textile care product can contain other common ingredients. Unless otherwise stated, all quantitative data given in connection with the ingredients of the textile care product described herein relate to % by weight, in each case based on the total weight of the textile care product.

Furthermore, such amounts, which relate to at least one ingredient, always relate to the total amount of this type of ingredient contained in the textile care product, unless explicitly stated otherwise. This means that such amounts, for example in connection with "at least one surface-active substance", relate to the total amount of surface-active substances contained in the textile care product.

"At least one" as used herein refers to 1 or more, for example 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or more. In connection with ingredients of the fabric care product described herein, this information does not refer to the absolute amount of molecules, but to the type of ingredient. "At least one enzyme" or "at least one surfactant" thus means, for example, one or more different enzymes or surfactants, i.e. one or more different types of enzymes or surfactants. Together with quantities, the quantities refer to the total quantity of the corresponding type of ingredient as already defined above.

In addition, the textile care product according to the invention can also contain other ingredients that further improve the performance and/or aesthetic properties of the textile care product. In the context of the present invention, the textile care product preferably additionally contains one or more substances from the group of bleaches, enzymes, complexing agents, builders, electrolytes, non-aqueous solvents, pH adjusters, perfumes, perfume carriers, fluorescent agents, dyes, hydrotropes, foam inhibitors, silicone oils , antiredeposition agents, graying inhibitors, shrinkage inhibitors, crease inhibitors, color transfer inhibitors, antimicrobial agents, germicides, fungicides, antioxidants, preservatives, corrosion inhibitors, antistatic agents, bittering agents, ironing aids, repellents and impregnating agents, swelling and non-slip agents, softening components and UV absorbers.

Any substance that destroys or absorbs dyes through oxidation, reduction or adsorption and thereby decolorizes materials can be used as a bleaching agent. These include, inter alia, hypohalite-containing Bleaching agents, hydrogen peroxide, perborate, percarbonate, peroxoacetic acid, diperoxoazelaic acid, diperoxododecanedioic acid and oxidative enzyme systems.

In particular, silicates, aluminum silicates (in particular zeolites), carbonates, salts of organic di- and polycarboxylic acids and mixtures of these substances should be mentioned as builders that can be contained in the textile care product.

Organic builders which can be present in the textile care product are, for example, the polycarboxylic acids which can be used in the form of their sodium salts, polycarboxylic acids being understood as meaning those carboxylic acids which carry more than one acid function. For example, these are citric acid, adipic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, saccharic acids, aminocarboxylic acids and mixtures of these. Preferred salts are the salts of polycarboxylic acid, citric acid, adipic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, tartaric acid, sugar acids and mixtures of these.

Polymeric polycarboxylates are also suitable as builders. These are, for example, the alkali metal salts of polyacrylic acid or polymethacrylic acid, for example those with a relative molecular weight of 600 to 750,000 g/mol.

Suitable polymers are, in particular, polyacrylates, which preferably have a molecular weight of 1000 to 15,000 g/mol. Because of their superior solubility, the short-chain polyacrylates, which have molar masses of 1000 to 10,000 g/mol and particularly preferably of 1000 to 5000 g/mol, may in turn be preferred from this group.

Copolymeric polycarboxylates are also suitable, in particular those of acrylic acid with methacrylic acid and of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid with maleic acid. To improve the water solubility, the polymers can also contain allyl sulfonic acids, such as allyloxybenzene sulfonic acid and methallyl sulfonic acid, as a monomer.

Soluble builders, such as citric acid, or acrylic polymers with a molar mass of 1000 to 5000 g/mol are preferably used in liquid textile care products.

Liquid textile care products also preferably contain water as the main solvent. It is preferred that the textile care product contains more than 5% by weight, preferably more than 15% by weight and particularly preferably more than 25% by weight, based in each case on the total weight of textile care product, of water. Particularly preferred liquid textile care products contain from 5% by weight to 90% by weight, preferably 10% by weight to 85% by weight, particularly preferably 25% by weight to 75% by weight and particularly preferably 35% by weight to 65% by weight of water.

Alternatively, the textile care product according to the invention can be a low-water to anhydrous textile care product, the total mass of water in a preferred embodiment being less than 10% by mass and more preferably less than 8% by mass, based in each case on the total mass of the textile care product.

In addition, non-aqueous solvents can be added to the textile care product. Suitable non-aqueous solvents include monohydric or polyhydric alcohols, alkanolamines or glycol ethers, provided they are miscible with water in the specified concentration range. The solvents are preferably selected from ethanol, n-propanol, i-propanol, butanols, glycol, propanediol, butanediol, methylpropanediol, glycerol, diglycol, propyldiglycol, butyldiglycol, hexylene glycol, ethylene glycol methyl ether, ethylene glycol ethyl ether, ethylene glycol propyl ether, ethylene glycol mono-n-butyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ether, Diethylene glycol ethyl ether, propylene glycol methyl ether, propylene glycol ethyl ether, propylene glycol propyl ether, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, dipropylene glycol monoethyl ether, methoxytriglycol, ethoxytriglycol, butoxytriglycol, 1-butoxyethoxy-2-propanol, 3-methyl-3-methoxybutanol, propylene glycol t-butyl ether, di-n-octyl ether and mixtures of these Solvent. However, it is preferred that the textile care product contains an alcohol, in particular ethanol and/or glycerol, between 0.5 and 5% by weight, based on the total weight of the textile care product.

The customary enzyme stabilizers that may be present, especially in liquid textile care products, include amino alcohols, for example mono-, di-, triethanolamine and propanolamine and mixtures thereof, lower carboxylic acids, boric acid, alkali metal borates, boric acid-carboxylic acid combinations, boric acid esters, boric acid derivatives, calcium salts, for example Ca-formic acid combination, magnesium salts, and/or sulphur-containing reducing agents.

Other suitable surface-active ingredients are soaps, preference being given to soaps containing C ₁₂ -C ₁₈ fatty acids. They can also be in the form of their sodium, potassium, magnesium or ammonium salts.

The textile care product according to the invention can contain one or more enzymes. In principle, all enzymes established in the prior art for these purposes can be used in this regard. It is preferably one or more enzymes that can develop a catalytic activity in a textile care product, in particular a protease, cellulase, amylase, lipase, mannanase, pectin-splitting enzyme, tannase, xylanase, xanthanase, β -glucosidase, carrageenase, perhydrolase , oxidase, oxidoreductase and mixtures thereof. Preferred hydrolytic enzymes include in particular proteases, amylases, in particular α -amylases, lipases, in particular pectinase, mannanase, β -glucanases, and mixtures thereof. These enzymes are in principle of natural origin. Based on the natural molecules, improved derivatives are available for use in textile care products, which are used with preference accordingly.

1. a. Bereitstellen eines wie vorstehend definierten Textilpflegeprodukts und
2. b. In-Kontakt-Bringen eines Textils mit dem Textilpflegeprodukt.

Furthermore, according to the invention, a method for finishing textiles with a soil-release protective layer is also described, which comprises the following method steps:

1. a. providing a fabric care product as defined above and
2. b. Bringing a fabric into contact with the fabric care product.

For this purpose, the textile care product can be prepared in the form of a solution (washing liquor) in order to facilitate contact with the textile. By using or carrying out the method according to the invention, the textiles treated according to the invention are provided with a type of dirt-repellent protective layer which effectively reduces or even prevents soiling and facilitates and thus improves the removal of soiling or resoiling on the textile.

It is assumed that soiling is prevented by the process from penetrating into the textiles and at most remain on their surface, and here in particular on the protective layer or the protective film. They can be removed from there very easily, for example by dissolving them down with part of the protective layer or else with the entire protective layer, and in particular by washing them out. Washing out is promoted in particular by the hydrophilic components of the copolymer, ie in particular the methacrylic acid units. The process is simple and can be implemented without great technical effort and protects the treated textiles from soiling. The advantageous effects for different types of textiles (e.g. cotton-based textiles, polyamide-based textiles, polyester-based textiles and any type of blended fabric) and for different soilings (hydrophilic and hydrophobic soiling) are achieved here.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is also described the use of a fabric care product as disclosed above to reduce resoiling of fabrics and to improve soil removal from fabrics. These effects are due to the copolymer present in the textile care product according to the invention, which consists of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one crosslinking agent, for different types of textiles (e.g. cotton-based textiles, polyamide-based textiles, polyester-based textiles and mixed fabrics) and different soiling achieved.

examples Example 1: Preparation of NIPAM-co-MAc

A copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and crosslinking agent (NIPAM-co-MAc polymer for short) was prepared according to the following manufacturing instructions:
To a solution of 17.09 g of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and 0.79 g of N,N'-methylenebis(acrylamide) (BIS) in 940 mL of degassed water heated to 90°C under a nitrogen atmosphere, a solution of 1.42 g of methacrylic acid (MAc) were added to 140 mL of degassed water and the pH was adjusted to 3 with 0.1 M HCl. A solution of 1.54 g of sodium fatty alcohol ether sulfate (FAEOS) in degassed water was then added. Further, a solution of 0.14 g of ammonium peroxodisulfate (APS) in 25 mL of deaerated water was added to start the polymerization reaction. The reaction mixture obtained was maintained at 85°C under a nitrogen atmosphere with constant stirring (300 rpm) for 4 h and then cooled to room temperature with constant stirring (300 rpm).

The NIPAM-co-MAc was obtained in 75 % yield and had a hydrodynamic radius (R _h ) of 102 nm in water at 20 °C. The zeta potential was -25 mV in water at 20 °C.

Example 2: Liquid fabric care product

The following fabric care products were made by mixing the ingredients listed in Table 1. The textile care products V1 and V2 are not formulations according to the invention, which serve as a reference, while the textile care product E1 represents an embodiment according to the invention containing a copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and a crosslinking agent. The copolymer from Example 1 was used as the copolymer. Table 1: Compositions of textile care products [% by mass] V1 v2 E1 boric acid 1 1 1 citric acid 2.2 2.2 2.2 antifoam agent 0.03 0.03 0.03 surfactants 18 18 18 Fatty acid from palm kernel oil 2.25 2.25 2.25 NaOH 2,334 2,334 2,334 glycerin 2.5 2.5 2.5 preservatives 0.05 0.05 0.05 ethanol 1.25 1.25 1.25 phosphonate DTPMP 0.5 0.5 0.5 brightener 0.035 0.035 0.035 enzyme mix 0.836 0.836 0.836 Perfume 0.741 0.741 0.741 dye 0.006 0.006 0.006 Poly NIPAM - 1 - NIPAM-co-MAc - - 1 water to 100

The pH of the textile care products was between 8.2-8.6. The density of the textile care products at 20° C. was 1.044-1.054 g/cm ³ .

Example 3: Soil release effect

3.5 kg of clean ballast laundry (including the following test textiles: pillow, jersey, kitchen towel) were washed three times with 66 mL each of the textile care products (V1, V2, E1) from Example 2 in a Miele W 918 Novotronic ^® with a wash volume of 17 L and washed with a water hardness of 16° dH at 40 °C. After washing, the laundry was air dried.

The test textiles were then soiled with standardized soiling and stored at room temperature for 7 days. The test fabrics were then rewashed along with the remaining ballast wash in a wash liquor containing 66 mL of the same fabric care product of Example 2 as used previously under the conditions described above. The residual stain intensity was determined using a DATA-COLOR Spectra Flash SF500 remission spectrometer.

Table 3 shows the stain intensity test results obtained Table 3: Stain Intensity Results soiling Textile v2 E1 makeup 1 cotton 8.0 14.8 lard polyester 1.6 4.3 makeup 1 polyester 4.1 8.4 Shoe polish black polyester 12.1 15.2 makeup 2 cotton 12.0 12.2 The delta-delta-Y values are given in comparison to the use of detergent C1. For the stains used, the textile care product E1, which contained a copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and a crosslinking agent, showed the best test results.

Claims (10)

1. The use of a copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one cross-linking agent as a soil-release active ingredient in textile care products for textiles.
2. A textile care product containing at least one copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one cross-linking agent.
3. The textile care product according to claim 2, wherein the total mass of the copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one cross-linking agent is from 0.001% by mass to 10% by mass, based on the total mass of the textile care product.
4. The textile care product according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the total mass of the copolymer consisting of N-isopropylacrylamide units, methacrylic acid units and optionally at least one cross-linking agent is from 0.01% by mass to 5% by mass, and in particular 1% by mass, based on the total mass of the textile care product.
5. The textile care product according to one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the textile care product further contains at least one surfactant, wherein the total mass of surfactant is from 1% by mass to 50% by mass, in particular from 10% by mass to 25% by mass, based on the total mass of the textile care product.
6. The textile care product according to one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the textile care product is present as a powder, liquid or gel, or in the form of tablets or capsules.
7. The textile care product according to one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the textile care product is in the form of an auxiliary washing agent, a laundry care agent, or a laundry aftertreatment agent.
8. A method for finishing textiles using a soil-release protective layer, comprising the method steps of:

   a) providing a textile care product according to one of claims 2 to 7, and

   b) bringing a textile into contact with the textile care product.
9. The use of a textile care product according to one of claims 2 to 7 for reducing resoiling of textiles.
10. The use of a textile care product according to one of claims 2 to 7 for improving the removal of soiling from textiles.