JP2639697C - - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a softener composition capable of imparting a wide range of flexibility to various kinds of clothing and hair, and more particularly to a high-concentration softener having improved viscosity characteristics. 2. Description of the Related Art Development of a so-called high-concentration type softener in which the amount of a cationic softener is increased in place of a conventional liquid softener containing about 4 to 5% by weight of a cationic softener has recently been active. Is being done. The main purpose is to reduce transportation costs and container costs by increasing the concentration. However, the behavior of an aqueous liquid containing a cationic softening agent is complicated, and there is great difficulty in increasing the concentration. Particularly, in an aqueous liquid in which a substantially water-insoluble cationic softening agent is dispersed, the viscosity is rapidly increased or the liquid is separated due to the high concentration. Further, the viscosity increases due to long-term storage, and it has been difficult to realize good stability under storage conditions from low to high temperatures. Therefore, various techniques for solving these points have been proposed. For example, as disclosed in JP-A-55-51877, a quaternary ammonium salt and an imidazolinium salt are used as a cationic softening agent, and a protonated polyoxyethylene alkylamine and a lower alcohol are added thereto. And aliphatic amine polyglycol ethers, polyglycol adducts of aliphatic alcohols or fatty acids, lower alcohols and acids as disclosed in JP-A-58-208468. And others. However, even with these methods, the prevention of thickening and the prevention of liquid separation due to a temperature change in a state where the cationic softening agent is contained at a high concentration was not sufficient. On the other hand, U.S. Pat.No. 4,678,590 describes that a nonionic surfactant having a specific unsaturated bond in the molecule provides good viscosity stability in a system containing a cationic surfactant at a high concentration. . Certainly, according to the above method, it is possible to obtain a high-concentration softener composition having good viscosity stability. However, since nonionic surfactants having a specific unsaturated bond in the molecule are usually synthesized from raw materials derived from natural products, the purification cost is high, and the degree of unsaturation and color tone vary depending on the raw material lot. Problems occur. For this reason, there is a case where problems occur when used in a steady and large amount industrially, such as affecting the properties of the product. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a composition containing a cationic softening agent at a high concentration, which has good viscosity stability even when stored in various environments from low to high temperatures. And a softener composition. Constitution of the Invention The softener composition of the present invention is characterized by containing the following components (A) to (D). (A) Poorly water-soluble or water-insoluble cationic softening agent: 6 to 50% by weight. (B) Nonionic surfactant: 0.05 to 10% by weight. (C) a lower monohydric alcohol having 6 or less carbon atoms per hydroxyl group, or a polyhydric alcohol having 6 or less carbon atoms per hydroxyl group other than polyalkylene glycol and sorbitol, A water-soluble polymer in which a lower alkylene oxide having 2 to 4 carbon atoms is added in an amount of 10 to 1000 mol per one hydroxyl group: 0.01 to 10% by weight. (D) Aqueous vehicle. As the component (A) of the present invention, any of various amine salts, quaternary ammonium salts and the like which can impart flexibility to fibers and hair can be used. Usually, a poorly water-soluble or water-insoluble quaternary ammonium salt type cationic surfactant, for example, having 8 carbon atoms
A quaternary ammonium salt having at least 2 alkyl or alkenyl groups in the molecule is preferred. Among these, a quaternary ammonium salt having two alkyl or alkenyl groups having 10 to 24 carbon atoms in the molecule is preferable, for example, an ammonium salt or an amido ammonium salt represented by the following general formula (I), and Examples include the imidazolinium salts represented by the general formulas (II) and (III). (The symbols in the general formulas (I), (II) and (III) are as follows: R ₁ , R ₂ : alkyl group, hydroxyalkyl group or alkenyl group having 10 to 24 carbon atoms R ₃ , R ₄ : an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, a hydroxyalkyl group or Y ₁ , Y ₂ : ethylene group or propylene group l ₁ , l ₂ : 0 or 1 X: halogen or monoalkyl sulfate group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms) Specific examples of these include the following. Used as a seed or a mixture of two or more. Dilauryl dimethyl ammonium chloride, dipalmityl methyl hydroxyethyl ammonium methosulfate, di-hardened tallow alkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, distearyl methyl polyoxyethylene (average degree of polymerization 5 mol) ammonium chloride, di-hardened tallow alkyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, Tetradecyldimethylammonium chloride, di [(2-dodecanoylamido) ethyl] dimethylammonium chloride, di [(2-octadecanoylamido) ethyl] dimethylammonium methosulfate, ethyl-1-octadecanoylamidoethyl-2- Heptadecyl imidazolinium ethosulfate, methyl-1-tallowamidoethyl-2-tallowalkyl imidazolinium methosulfate, methyl-1 Oleyl amidoethyl-2-oleyl imidazolinium methosulfate, methyl-1- (2-isostearoyl-aminoethyl) -2-isobutyl heptadecyl imidazolinium methosulfate and the like. The compounding amount of the component (A) is 6 to 50% by weight (hereinafter, weight% is described as%), preferably 7 to 30%. The water-insoluble or water-insoluble quaternary ammonium salt is preferably dispersed in the aqueous softener composition as fine particles having an average particle diameter of 10 μm or less, preferably 5 μm or less, by a known dispersing means. As the component (B) of the present invention, an alkylene oxide addition type nonionic surfactant is suitably used, and a higher alcohol having about 10 to 24 carbon atoms, a synthetic alcohol (n-
(Including those obtained by oxidizing paraffin, n-olefin or α-olefin, and those into which isobranches and the like are artificially introduced), higher fatty acids, higher fatty acid esters, higher fatty amides, higher fatty amines, and higher fatty acids. Those obtained by adding an alkylene oxide to an alkylphenol and a higher polyhydric alcohol are used. As the alkylene oxide, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, a mixture thereof and butylene oxide are usually used. The average number of moles of the added alkylene oxide is preferably about 15 to 80 mol. And higher alkyl ethers. Here, POE is polyoxyethylene Means moles. Further, unsaturated nonionic surfactants as described in U.S. Pat.No. 4,678,590 have a good thickening suppressing effect by themselves, but are used in combination with the component (C) of the present invention described later. By doing so, a more excellent thickening suppressing effect is exhibited. Such a nonionic surfactant The blending amount of (B) is 0.05 to 10%, preferably 0.1 to 8%. Component (C) of the present invention comprises a lower monohydric alcohol such as methanol, ethanol and 2-propanol; and one such as glycerin, trimethylolpropane, 3-methylpentane-1,3,5-triol, sorbitan and polyvinyl alcohol . It is a product obtained by adding an alkylene oxide to a lower polyhydric alcohol having 6 or less carbon atoms per hydroxyl group , and in a broad sense, polyoxyalkylene alkyl (
(Alkenyl) ether type water-soluble polymer
) Group is a compound having substantially no surface activity because it has a short chain and does not have a lipophilic group composed of a long continuous carbon chain as in the component (B) described above. Therefore, the original product (lower alcohol or polyhydric alcohol) before addition of the alkylene oxide is a hydroxyl group
A compound having a hydrocarbon residue of 6 or less (preferably 4 or less) carbon atoms per unit, wherein an average of 0 to about 1000
It has a mole-added structure. Although the number of moles of the alkylene oxide added is not particularly limited, the thickening suppressing effect tends to deteriorate if the number of moles of the alkylene oxide is too short or too long. Desirably, it is about 200 mol. Since the number of moles of alkylene oxide is considered as an average value of all hydroxyl groups of the drug substance, the number of moles of alkylene oxide may be 0 mole for a specific hydroxyl group in the drug substance. It is impossible that all the hydroxyl groups of the drug substance are 0 mole. In addition, the same lower alkyl (alkenyl) group or lower fatty acid ester may be bonded to the terminal of the alkylene oxide chain. Examples thereof include a product obtained by adding 600 mol of an alkylene oxide to polyvinyl alcohol (molecular weight: about 500). The amount of component (C) is 0.01 to 10%, preferably 0.05 to 8%.
%. In the present invention, the above three components are essential, and (A) / (B) = 150/1 to 2/1, (A) / (C) = 2
00/1 to 3/1, preferably (A) / (B) = 30/1 to 3/1, (A) / (C) = 100/1
It is desirable to set it to ４4/1. The softener composition of the present invention comprises, besides these three components, an aqueous vehicle (D) which is usually water.
) As the balance. Aqueous vehicles include polyvalent compounds having 2 to 6 carbon atoms such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerin, hexylene glycol, and 3-methylpentane-1,3,5-triol in order to suppress thickening during freeze-thaw. It is desirable to include 3-20% alcohol. In addition, the present invention for the purpose of adjusting the viscosity immediately after blending if necessary, component (D)
It is desirable to add a dissociable electrolyte in an aqueous vehicle. Such electrolytes include, in addition to inorganic electrolytes such as sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, aluminum chloride, sodium sulfate, ammonium sulfate, potassium sulfate, sodium phosphate, etc., sodium acetate, potassium acetate, sodium fumarate, Organic electrolytes, such as sodium citrate, sodium toluenesulfonate, and the like, and polyelectrolytes, such as sodium polyacrylate, can also be used. The amount of the electrolyte in the softener composition is 0.005 to 5%, preferably 0.01 to 3%. In general, the softener component (A) is generally prepared in the form of a 70-90% paste using a lower alkanol such as ethanol or 2-propanol as a diluent. Therefore, the softener composition contains a lower alkanol according to the blending amount of the component (A) .The lower alkanol tends to increase the viscosity during storage (especially during high-temperature storage) and has a lower alkanol. When 2-propanol is used, adverse effects such as an unpleasant odor given to the final product occur, so that it is not preferable that the softener composition contains substantially lower alkanol. Therefore, it is not appropriate for the softener composition to contain a lower alkanol in an amount of more than 5%, preferably more than 3%. Therefore, when a lower alkanol is introduced into the final composition in an amount exceeding 3% due to the softener component of the component (A), one part of the softener composition of the present invention must be prepared before the softener composition of the present invention is prepared. It is desirable to remove part or all of the lower alkanol by means such as heat-assisted evaporation. In addition, anticoagulants include polyalkylene glycols having a molecular weight of about 200 to 10,000, urea, pH adjusters, silicones, hydrocarbons, cellulose derivatives,
A bactericide, an antibacterial agent, a pigment, a dye, a fragrance, an antioxidant, an ultraviolet absorber, an emulsifier, an opacifier, and the like can be appropriately compounded. Although there is no particular limitation on the mixing method, it is generally desirable to use the following method.
The component (D), water (containing a polyhydric alcohol and an electrolyte as necessary) is heated to about 45 ° C., and the lower component and the component (A) containing the lower alcohol and water are added thereto while stirring. ) Was dropped and uniformly dispersed, and then a molten mixture of the components (B) and (C) was added, the mixture was aged for a while, and cooled to 25 ° C. If necessary, trace components such as fragrances and coloring agents are added. The addition of the electrolyte for adjusting the viscosity may be performed before or after the component (A), but generally, the addition after the component (A) is more effective. In addition, the order of blending the components (B) and (C) can be added before and after the dropwise addition of the component (A), but it is more preferable to add the components after the component (A). According to the present invention, by incorporating the cationic softening agent in a system containing a high concentration and nonionic surfactant and a specific water-soluble polymer, and long-term storage in cold conditions or high-temperature conditions Also in this case, an increase in viscosity and liquid separation can be effectively prevented. Therefore, the operation of filling a plastic bottle or the like is easy, and the plastic bottle can be easily taken out of the bottle at the time of use, which is easy to handle. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples. Prior to this, preparation methods and evaluation methods of the softener composition in Examples will be described. [Method of Preparing Softener Composition] The method of preparing the softener composition in Examples was in accordance with the above-described method. In the examples, the electrolyte and the ethylene glycol, which are viscosity modifiers, were added in their entirety before the addition of the component (A), and the components (B) and the component (C) were added in their entirety after the addition of the component (A). Was added. [Measurement Method of Viscosity] The viscosity was measured using a Brookfield viscometer (manufactured by Tokyo Keiki: B-type viscometer, No. 2 rotor, 30 rpm) after storing for one month at each storage temperature. [Method of Determining Separation] A sample was placed in a transparent cylinder bottle having an inner diameter of 45 mm from the bottom to 150 mm from the bottom, and left standing for one month under each storage condition, and then the separation length was measured. Judgment ：: No separation Δ: Separation length of less than 3 mm ×: Separation length of 3 mm or more Example 1 Type of nonionic surfactant of component (B) and diglycerone used for component (C) [
Ethylene oxide / propylene oxide = 80/2 to glycerin, a polyhydric alcohol
0 (mol / mol) A trade name of a water-soluble polymer obtained by adding 80 mol of a mixture (manufactured by Lion Corporation)
], The softener composition having the following composition was prepared, and the storage stability was evaluated. (A) Di-hardened tallow alkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride 13 (%) (B) Ingredient 0 or 2 (C) Digrilleocon 0 to 3 (D) Ethylene glycol 10%, sodium chloride 0.4% and water to balance the whole The results are shown in Table 1. Show. Generally, the viscosity of the softener is desirably about 1500 cP or less in terms of commercial value. From Table 1, according to the present invention, even when using a nonionic surfactant whose viscosity increases under high-temperature or low-temperature storage, the increase in viscosity is reduced to 1500 cP or less by adding the component (C). , And no abnormal phenomenon such as separation has occurred, which indicates that the long-term storage stability is excellent. Also described in U.S. Pat. It is also found that when a surfactant is used for the component (B), the storage stability is further improved. It is also found that high-temperature storage is relatively stable even with component (C) alone without component (B), but low-temperature storage (5 ° C. or freeze-thawing) cannot suppress an increase in viscosity. Example 2 Compositions with various amounts were prepared and their performance was evaluated. The results are summarized in Table-2. Each of these softener compositions has a viscosity immediately after blending of 60 to 250 cP, and the viscosity of the stored product for one month is 1500 cP or less under any storage conditions,
No abnormal phenomena such as separation were observed, indicating good storage stability.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. (A) Poorly water-soluble or water-insoluble cationic softening agent: 6 to 50% by weight, (B) Nonionic surfactant: 0.05 to 10% by weight, (C) per hydroxyl group of lower monohydric alcohols having 6 or less carbon or one polyhydric alcohol having a carbon number per hydroxyl is not more than six other polyalkylene glycol and sorbitol, lower alkylene oxides having 2 to 4 carbon atoms A water-soluble polymer obtained by adding 10 to 1000 mol per 1 hydroxyl group: 0.01 to 10% by weight, (D) an aqueous vehicle, a softener composition comprising: 2. The softener composition according to claim 1, wherein the component (B) is a nonionic surfactant to which an average of 15 to 80 mol of a lower alkylene oxide having 2 to 4 carbon atoms is added.