RU2773855C2 - Improved wetting composition - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a wetting composition containing a surface-active agent selected from a group including a non-ionic, cationic, anionic, and amphoteric surface-active agent in combination with 10 to less than 50 wt.% of at least one C10-C14 alcohol and 10 to 30 wt.% of an oxygen-containing C4-C6 solvent, to methods for application of the wetting composition and products containing the wetting composition.

EFFECT: development of alternative compositions and methods capable of improving the water wetting affinity of low-energy hydrophobic surfaces.

21 cl, 6 dwg, 1 tbl

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY TO WHICH THE INVENTION RELATES

The present invention relates to the wetting of low energy surfaces. In particular, the present invention relates to wetting compositions that can reduce the surface tension of an aqueous liquid composition. The present invention also relates to aqueous liquid compositions with reduced surface tension and to methods for improving water wetting of a low energy surface by using aqueous compositions containing a wetting composition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Surface tension is a characteristic of a liquid in contact with a gas such as air. The surface tension of a liquid depends on the tendency of the molecules in the liquid to stick to each other and reflects the strength of the intermolecular cohesive interactions between the molecules of the liquid. In liquids with high surface tension, the cohesive forces that stimulate intermolecular interactions between molecules in the liquid are stronger than the adhesive forces that stimulate the interaction of liquid molecules with air. More work is needed to break down intermolecular cohesive interactions and to increase the surface area of a high surface tension liquid compared to a low surface tension liquid.

Wetting is a phenomenon defined by the interaction of a liquid with a substrate (solid or other liquid) and the subsequent spread of the liquid over the substrate. The wettability of a liquid refers to the ability of a liquid to spread over a particular surface without any driving forces, such as capillary forces, affecting the spread of the liquid due to the morphology (eg, very fine scratches) of the wetted surface. However, even capillary forces depend on the surface tension of the liquid.

The ability of a liquid to wet the surface of a solid substrate is determined by the interfacial energy between the liquid and the solid. The interfacial energy is determined from the difference between the surface tension of a liquid and the surface energy of a solid. The smaller this value, the greater the ability of the liquid to spread through the solid. If the surface tension of the liquid is high and the surface energy of the solid is low, then the interfacial energy between them is high and hence no wetting will occur. Under such conditions, the liquid is described as not wetting the substrate. However, if the surface tension of the liquid is lowered and/or the surface energy of the solid is increased, then the interfacial energy between them will decrease, thereby providing wetting.

Water has a surface tension of about 72 mN/m at 20°C. Surfaces that have low energy are not easily wetted by aqueous liquids, including water, due to the relatively high surface tension of the liquid, resulting in high interfacial energy. Therefore, such a low-energy surface can be called hydrophobic. Poor wettability of a low energy surface with water can lead to difficulty when, for whatever reason, it is desired that an aqueous liquid be distributed over the surface.

In nature, in most industrial processes and in agriculture, it is difficult to increase the surface energy of a solid. As a result, it is almost always necessary to reduce the surface tension of a liquid in order to improve the spread of the liquid through the solid.

For example, in agriculture, agricultural compositions are applied to flora to deliver an active compound such as a soluble or pulverized herbicide, fungicide, pesticide, or fertilizer. Typically, the active compound is delivered in an aqueous liquid system such as a foliar spray. However, plant components such as leaves, shoots, and stems are inherently hydrophobic, which means that the wettability of target surfaces by the foliar spray must be controlled so that the active compound can reach and be applied to the surface without dripping onto the topsoil, making application completely ineffective.

In addition, it is desirable that dyes such as ink be distributed over paper or fabric, etc. When dyeing fabrics made from synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester, thorough wetting of the fiber surfaces is preferred to ensure that the dye is evenly coated on the fibers. The wetting power of a dye batch is especially important when dyeing synthetic fibers that have been treated with a fluoroacrylate resin, which makes the surface characteristically hydrophobic.

In addition, wetting of particles with aqueous liquids is difficult when the particles are inherently hydrophobic and/or when voids between the particles prevent the liquid from penetrating into the substrate. For example, in the laminated particle board industry, the individual chip particles are coated with a water-based resin that can cure and solidify under suitable conditions, thereby making the resin an adhesive for the particles. However, since the individual chip particles have a very low surface free energy, i.e., have a poorly wetted surface, and since the resin mixture has a relatively high surface tension, the interfacial energy between them is high. This prevents the transfer and distribution of resin on the surface of the chips. If the coarse chips are not sufficiently well coated with resin, low strength zones can form which affect the integrity of the resulting wood chip panel.

The contact angle (Θ) is commonly used to quantify the wetting of a substrate. The contact angle is the tangent that the liquid (L)/vapor (V) interface forms with the solid (S) surface at the line of contact of the three phases. The contact angle is determined by the characteristics of the liquid and solid surface, and the interaction and relationship of intermolecular forces (i.e., cohesive and adhesive forces). If a drop of liquid is placed on a surface, the contact angle of the liquid will be in the range from 0° to 180°. A contact angle of 0° indicates perfect wetting and the liquid forms a thin film on the surface of the substrate. At the same time, a contact angle greater than 90° indicates non-wetting, and partial wetting is observed when a contact angle of 0°<Θ<90° is observed. Therefore, the contact angle is a measure of the wetting process of a particular solid with a particular liquid. However, regardless of the surface energy of a solid, if the surface tension of a liquid can be reduced, then the liquid spreads more efficiently.

Improved wetting of a solid by a liquid can be achieved by adding a surfactant to the liquid. There are many different classes of surfactants and they are widely used in various industries. Typically, surfactants are amphiphilic compounds containing a hydrophilic head group and a hydrophobic tail group. Surfactants can be displaced to the three-phase liquid-surface-air interface and adsorb at the interface, improving liquid wettability and spreading. However, adsorption of surfactants to the interface reduces the concentration of surfactant in the bulk of the liquid, thereby increasing the surface tension of the liquid and slowing down wetting until more surfactant molecules move to the three-phase interface. This phenomenon is known as microslip. The phenomenon of micro-slip along with the formation of micelles in the liquid, when the concentration of surfactant reaches the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the wetting characteristics of many surfactants deteriorate. These micelles must break down to maintain a surfactant concentration that is available to move to the three phase interface and be effective there.

Organosilicones are a class of effective surfactants used in pharmaceuticals and personal care products, as well as in agrochemical compositions. One example of a commercially available organosilicone surfactant is Silwet L-77^TM, which is a trisiloxane ethoxylate. Other commercially available organosilicone surfactants include Silwet 408^TM and Silwet HS312^TM. Organosilicone surfactants have been found to have a surface tension of 20-26 mN/m (Kovalchuk et al, Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 210, August 2014, pages 65-71), and the superior spreadability of surfactants is believed to be due to the compact siloxane backbone of the hydrophobic tail group. However, while organosilicone surfactants are effective, it is believed that these compounds may act as endocrine gland destroyers in insect populations, including bees. In addition, although the organosilicone ethoxylate moiety can easily be biodegraded, the siloxane moiety slowly hydrolyzes at a rate of 2-8% per year depending on ambient humidity and temperature. As a result, the overall biodegradability of these surfactants is considered low. Degradation products of organosilicone surfactants can also render soil hydrophobic, which is undesirable for agricultural use.

Fluorosurfactants are another class of high performance surfactants which are synthetic compounds containing a hydrophilic head group and a hydrophobic fluorohydrocarbon tail group. These surfactants can form aqueous liquids having a minimum surface tension of 15 to 20 mN/m which can be used in paints and coatings, adhesives, cleaning agents, antifogging and antistatic agents and firefighting foams. However, a disadvantage of fluorosurfactants is that they can form highly toxic degradation products that can persist in the environment and be bioaccumulative. For example, it has been found that groundwater at some firefighting practice sites may remain contaminated with fluorosurfactant for more than 10 years after last use.

International Patent Application PCT/AU2012/000335 describes a wetting composition containing equal to or greater than 50% by weight of an insoluble C5-C12 alcohol in combination with a surfactant that is formulated to be added to an aqueous liquid to improve the ability of the aqueous liquid to wet a surface. with low energy. However, the disadvantage of some of these compositions is that they may have a strong odor, which may limit the practical applicability of the compositions in some cases.

It remains desirable to develop alternative compositions and methods that can improve water wettability of low energy hydrophobic surfaces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wetting compositions which are intended to be added to an aqueous liquid which desirably should wet a low energy surface. It has been found that the wetting compositions described herein can significantly reduce the surface tension of an aqueous liquid and, in some embodiments, can reduce the surface tension of an aqueous liquid to values seen with organosilicone surfactants and fluorosurfactants.

The first object of the present invention is to obtain a wetting composition containing:

from 10% to less than 50% by weight of one or more C10-C14 alcohols;

10 to 30% by weight of one or more oxygenated C4-C6 solvents;

from 20 to 60 wt.% one or more surfactants selected from the group including nonionic, cationic, anionic and amphoteric surfactant;

from 0 to 25 wt.% water; and

from 0 to 10 wt.% other additives.

The wetting composition has been found to be effective if the composition contains a surfactant selected from the group consisting of a nonionic, cationic, anionic, and amphoteric surfactant in combination with at least one C10-C14 alcohol and at least one oxygenated C4 -C6 co-solvent.

Another object of the present invention is an aqueous liquid composition containing the wetting composition described in the present invention, and an aqueous liquid.

Another object of the present invention is a method for reducing the surface tension of an aqueous liquid, the method includes the step of adding a wetting composition described in the present invention to the aqueous liquid.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method for wetting a low energy surface with a relatively high surface energy liquid, the method comprising the step of:

adding a wetting composition of the present invention to the liquid; and

interaction of the low energy surface with the liquid containing the wetting composition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are only exemplary and show the following:

In FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating the change in surface tension (mN/m) versus time (s) for an aqueous liquid containing 0.1% wetting composition containing 50% nonionic surfactant, 25% mixture of dodecanol and tetradecanol (70:30) and 25% 2-butoxyethanol of one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating the change in surface tension (mN/m) versus time (s) for an aqueous liquid containing 0.1% wetting composition containing 50% anionic surfactant, 25% dodecanol and 25% 2-butoxyethanol one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the change in surface tension (mN/m) versus time (s) for an aqueous liquid containing 0.5% wetting composition containing 50% anionic surfactant, 25% dodecanol and 25% 2-butoxyethanol one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating the change in surface tension (mN/m) versus time (s) for an aqueous liquid containing 0.1% wetting composition containing 50% cationic surfactant, 25% dodecanol and 25% 2-butoxyethanol one embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 5 illustrates the change in surface tension (mN/m) versus time (s) for an aqueous liquid containing 0.5% wetting composition containing 50% cationic surfactant, 25% dodecanol and 25% 2-butoxyethanol of one embodiment. of the present invention.

In FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the change in surface tension (mN/m) versus time (s) for an aqueous liquid containing 1.0% wetting composition containing 50% cationic surfactant, 25% dodecanol and 25% 2-butoxyethanol one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

When used in the present invention, terms in the singular mean terms in both the singular and the plural, unless expressly indicated only in the singular.

The term "about" and the use of ranges, whether or not preceded by the term approximately, means that the number given is not limited to the exact number specified in the present invention, and indicates ranges generally within the specified range, without deviating from the scope of the present invention. When used in the present invention, "about" is known to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the meaning varies to some extent in the context used. If a term is used that is not known to those of ordinary skill in the art, in the context in which it is used, "about" means a 10% deviation of the particular term in either direction.

Percentage (%) values given in the present invention are based on wt.% (i.e. wt.%, wt./wt. or wt./vol.), unless otherwise indicated.

The wetting compositions described in the present invention are intended to be added to aqueous liquids that desirably wet a low energy surface. The wetting composition contains a surfactant in combination with a long chain alcohol and an oxygenated co-solvent. The wetting composition can be added to the aqueous liquid to reduce the surface tension of the aqueous liquid.

One object of the present invention is a wetting composition containing:

(a) from 10% to less than 50% by weight of one or more C10-C14 alcohols;

(b) from 10 to 30% by weight of one or more oxygenated C4-C6 solvents;

(c) from 20 to 60% by weight of one or more surfactants selected from the group consisting of a nonionic, cationic, anionic, and amphoteric surfactant;

(d) from 0 to 25% by weight of water; and

(e) 0 to 10% by weight of other additives.

The wetting composition contains at least one C10-C14 alcohol as a composition component. At least one C10-C14 alcohol is contained in the wetting composition in an amount equal to from 10% to less than 50%. The wetting composition may contain one C10-C14 alcohol. Alternatively, more than one C10-C14 alcohol may be present, so that the wetting composition may contain a mixture of C10-C14 alcohols. A C10-C14 alcohol or a mixture of C10-C14 alcohols can be considered as the alcohol component of the wetting composition.

C10-C14 alcohols are usually insoluble or poorly soluble in water due to the large number of carbon atoms contained in the molecules. "Water insoluble" means that the alcohol does not dissolve in water even when heated and/or stirred. C10-C14 alcohols may have a water solubility less than or equal to 10 mg/l at 20°C.

C10-C14 alcohols are aliphatic alcohols and may be primary, secondary or tertiary alcohols having a linear or branched hydrocarbon chain containing from 10 to 14 carbon atoms. These alcohols may have a chain from C10 up to and including C14.

The use of C10-C14 alcohol in the wetting composition is important because such alcohols are believed to favorably affect the ability of the surfactant in the wetting composition to accumulate at the liquid/vapor interface, as further shown below.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains a mixture of two or more C10-C14 alcohols. For example, a wetting composition of one embodiment of the present invention may contain a mixture of C12 alcohol and C14 alcohol. In such embodiments, the total amount of C10-C14 alcohol in the alcohol component of the wetting composition remains in the range of 10% to less than 50% by weight.

In one form, the wetting composition contains at least one C10-C14 linear chain aliphatic alcohol. However, more than one straight chain C10-C14 alcohol may be present in the wetting composition.

Advantageously, C10-C14 alcohols have a lower odor than other long chain aliphatic alcohols such as 1-octanol (C8 alcohol). Therefore, in some embodiments, wetting compositions containing C10-C14 alcohols do not require the addition of additives, such as perfumes, to mask the odor of the composition.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains a C10, C12 or C14 linear chain aliphatic alcohol or a mixture of such alcohols. Typical straight chain aliphatic C10, C12 and C14 alcohols can be 1-decanol, 1-dodecanol and 1-tetradecanol.

In one form, the wetting composition contains C12 alcohol, alone or in combination with C10 alcohol or C14 alcohol.

If the wetting composition contains C12 alcohol in a mixture with C10 alcohol or C14 alcohol, the ratio of the weight of C12 alcohol to the weight of C10 alcohol or C14 alcohol in a mixture of alcohols may range from 50:50 to 90:10.

One skilled in the art will understand that the relative content of C12 and C10 or C14 alcohol is based on the relative weight of each component. Thus, at a ratio of 50:50, the composition contains C12 alcohol and C10 or C14 alcohol in equal masses, thus the ratio can also reflect the ratio of the masses of alcohols in the mixture.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains a C12 alcohol in combination with a C10 alcohol. In such embodiments, the ratio of weight of C12 alcohol to weight of C10 alcohol may range from 80:20 to 90:10. In one embodiment, the ratio of the weight of C12 alcohol to the weight of C10 alcohol is about 88:12.

In another embodiment, the wetting composition contains a C12 alcohol in combination with a C14 alcohol. In such embodiments, the ratio of weight of C12 alcohol to weight of C14 alcohol may range from 56:44 to 87:13. In one embodiment, the ratio of the weight of C12 alcohol to the weight of C14 alcohol is about 70:30.

Since the C12 alcohol may be present in a greater amount than the C10 or C14 alcohol, it may form the main component of the alcohol component (ie, component (a)) of the wetting composition.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains a mixture of 1-dodecanol in combination with 1-decanol or 1-tetradecanol. The ratio of the content of 1-dodecanol to the content of 1-decanol or 1-tetradecanol in the composition may be in the ranges described above.

In one preferred embodiment, the wetting composition contains a mixture of 1-dodecanol and 1-tetradecanol. The ratio of the mass of 1-dodecanol to the mass of 1-tetradecanol in a mixture of alcohols can range from 50:50 to 90:10. For example, the weight ratio of 1-dodecanol to the weight of 1-tetradecanol can be selected from 50:50, 56:44, 60:40, 70:30, 80:20, 87:13, 85:15, or 90:10.

The wetting composition may contain a suitable amount of C10-C14 alcohol. The total amount of C10-C14 alcohol is adjusted to the contents of the remaining components of the composition, which are also contained in certain ratios.

In some embodiments, the total amount of C10-C14 alcohol in the wetting composition is at least 12% of the composition, and may be at least 15%, at least 17%, at least 20%, or at least 25% of the composition. The total amount of C10-C14 alcohol can be up to 49%, up to 48%, up to 47%, up to 45%, up to 35%, up to 30% or up to 28% by weight of the composition. The total amount of C10-C14 alcohol may correspond to any concentration between these upper and lower limits, for example 15 to 45% or 20 to 40% by weight.

In some embodiments, the implementation of the wetting composition contains from 10 to 40 wt.% one or more C10-C14 alcohols described in the present invention.

In some embodiments, the wetting composition may contain one or more C10-C14 alcohols in a total amount of about 10, 15, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 35, 40, or 45% by weight.

The wetting composition also contains at least one oxygen-containing C4-C6 co-solvent as a component of the composition. The oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent is typically water soluble or water miscible and can act as a solubilizer for one or more C10-C14 alcohols in the wetting composition. This can help form a stable composition when a C10-C14 alcohol (or a mixture of such alcohols) is combined with a surfactant. The oxygen-containing C4-C6 co-solvent may have a water solubility greater than or equal to 1000 mg/l at 20°C.

The oxygen-containing C4-C6 co-solvent may contain one or more types of oxygen-containing groups. Some examples of the various types of oxygenated functional groups that may be present in the oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent include hydroxy, ester and ether groups. The oxygen-containing C4-C6 co-solvent may contain combinations of such functional groups, such as combinations of hydroxy groups and ether groups. Preferably, the oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent has a low flash point and/or a low evaporation rate and/or does not have an offensive odour.

The oxygen-containing C4-C6 co-solvent can be selected from compounds that, when exposed to the environment, are capable of destroying non-toxic degradation products with a short half-life.

Some examples of oxygenated C4-C6 cosolvents useful for inclusion in a wetting composition include water-soluble or water-miscible C4-C6 esters, C4-C6 alcohols, C4-C6 ethers, and mixtures thereof.

In one embodiment, the oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent may be a water-soluble or water-miscible C4-C6 ester. Such esters may be C1-C3 alkyl esters of C1-C3 carboxylic acids. In one embodiment, the water-soluble C4-C6 ester is a C1-C3 alkyl ester of lactic acid. Examples of lactic acid esters include ethyl lactate and propyl lactate.

In one embodiment, the oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent may be a water-soluble or water-miscible C4-C6 alcohol. All isomers of water-soluble or water-miscible C4-C6 alcohols can be used, including linear or branched primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols. Such C4-C6 alcohols may also be, such as diols, triols or tetraols. Examples of water-soluble or water-miscible C4-C6 alcohols include, but are not limited to, t-butanol, t-amyl alcohol, glycerol, triethanolamine, alkylene glycols such as ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, alkylene glycol ethers such as diethylene glycol and dipropylene glycol , and alkylene glycol monoalkyl ethers such as 2-butoxyethanol and butoxypropanol.

In one embodiment, the oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent may be a water-soluble or water-miscible C4-C6 ether. Such ethers may contain as heteroatoms one or more oxygen atoms included in a linear or branched hydrocarbon chain. Examples of water-soluble or water-miscible C4-C6 ethers include monoalkyl ethers of alcohols and dialkyl ethers of alkylene glycols such as ethylene glycol. An example of an alcohol monoether is ethoxybutanol, and an alkylene glycol dialkyl ether is ethylene glycol dimethyl ether.

In a typical embodiment, the wetting composition contains an oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent selected from the group consisting of ethyl lactate, 2-butoxyethanol and diethylene glycol.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains (a) 10-40% one or more C10-C14 alcohols and (b) 10-30% oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent selected from the group consisting of ethyl lactate, 2-butoxyethanol and diethylene glycol. In one embodiment, component (a) contains a C12 alcohol, optionally in combination with a C10 or C14 alcohol.

The co-solvent component of the wetting composition is from 10 to 30% of the composition. If mixtures of oxygenated C4-C6 cosolvents are present in a component of this wetting composition, it should be understood that the total amount of all oxygenated C4-C6 cosolvents contained is in the range of 10 to 30%.

In some embodiments, the co-solvent component makes up less than 30% by weight of the wetting composition. For example, the co-solvent component may comprise up to 28%, up to 27%, up to 25%, up to 23%, up to 20%, or up to 18% by weight. The wetting composition may contain a co-solvent in an amount equal to at least 10%, at least 11%, at least 12%, at least 13%, at least 14%, or at least 15% by weight. The wetting composition may contain an amount of oxygen-containing C4-C6 co-solvent between these upper and lower limits, for example at a concentration of 12 to 25% or 15 to 23%.

In one preferred embodiment, the wetting composition contains 2-butoxyethanol as an oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent. 2-Butoxyethanol may be present in the composition in an amount of about 12.5%, 13.5%, 15%, 17.5%, 18%, 20%, 22.5%, or 25% by weight.

In another preferred embodiment, the wetting composition contains ethyl lactate as an oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent. Ethyl lactate may be present in the composition in an amount equal to about 15% or 25% by weight.

In another preferred embodiment, the wetting composition contains diethylene glycol as an oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent. Diethylene glycol may be present in the composition in an amount equal to about 22.5% or 25% by weight.

The amounts of C10-C14 alcohol and oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent used in the wetting composition may together comprise at least 20% by weight of the composition. In some embodiments, the C10-C14 alcohol and the oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent may together comprise at least 30% by weight of the wetting composition.

In one embodiment, the total amount of C10-C14 alcohol and oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent is less than 50% by weight of the wetting composition. For example, the C10-C14 alcohol components and the oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent may together comprise no more than 49 wt.%, 48 wt.%, 47 wt.%, 46 wt.%, or 45 wt.% of the wetting composition. The remainder of the wetting composition may be formed from the surfactant and water and other additives.

The wetting composition of the present invention also contains a surfactant. The surfactant component constitutes from 20 to 60% by weight of the wetting composition and contains at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a nonionic, cationic, anionic, and amphoteric surfactant. The surfactant component of the wetting composition may contain a mixture of two or more of the above surfactants. If there is a mixture of surfactants, the total amount of surfactant in the wetting composition is in the range of 20 to 60%.

There is a requirement that the surfactant component of the wetting composition does not include an organosilicone surfactant or a fluorosurfactant.

Surfactants for the wetting composition are amphiphilic compounds and can be selected from those that can reduce the surface tension of an aqueous liquid, including water. The surfactant should be at least partially and preferably completely soluble in the target aqueous liquid. "At least partially soluble" means that at least about 50%, 65%, 75%, 80%, 90%, or 95% of the amount of surfactant can be dissolved in an aqueous liquid. One skilled in the art should be able to readily determine the solubility of a selected surfactant in an aqueous liquid solvent.

The surfactant must not react chemically with the C10-C14 alcohol, oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent, or other additives in the wetting composition. In addition, it is necessary to select a surfactant that does not chemically react with the aqueous liquid to which it is added or with any components in the aqueous liquid to which it is added. Chemical reactions should not occur even when heated. "Does not enter into a chemical reaction" or "does not occur chemical reactions" means that there is no reaction in which new chemical products are formed. Hydrogen bonds may form or other reversible chemical interactions may occur between chemicals. The surfactant must not chemically interact with the low energy surface or adhesion problems will occur. Preferably, the surfactant does not form hydrogen bonds or other low energy bonds with the surface.

The selected surfactant is preferably non-toxic and non-flammable. The surfactant should not adversely affect the characteristics of the aqueous fluid to which it is added, other than to reduce or help to reduce its surface tension. Preferably, the surfactant does not change the characteristics of the aqueous liquid, including color, viscosity, and odour.

In one embodiment, the surfactant may be biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-toxic. This may be advantageous for a wetting composition for use in agricultural compositions where environmental compliance and non-toxicity to fish and other organisms found in natural watercourses is desired. For other applications where biocompatibility is desired, such as cosmetic or nutritional/pharmaceutical compositions intended for application to the hair, skin, or nails, the surfactant chosen must be non-allergenic and non-irritating to the skin.

In another embodiment, the selected surfactant may form a mixed aqueous liquid, such as a water-based resin, in the discontinuous phase. This is especially important when using pigment particles such as titanium dioxide in resins. If the resin is to be applied to used pulverized wood chips, for example to form a particle board, the surfactant chosen should be heat resistant at the temperatures used in the board curing process and should not interfere with the curing ability and thereby strengthening. Unless the surfactant is heat stable, any decomposition of the surfactant at high temperature should result in non-toxic by-products that are not harmful to the environment. If the resin is to be applied to paper, the surfactant must be resistant to UV radiation if it is important that the paper is not discolored by any degradation by-products of the surfactant molecule.

In another embodiment, the selected surfactant should keep powdered herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers, or other powdered formulations containing other agents, in a stable aqueous suspension so that the herbicide, pesticide, fertilizer or other agent can be applied as a spray.

The surfactant must be able to reduce the dynamic wettability of the aqueous fluid to which it is added (although static changes can be used to determine it). Some surfactants can reduce the static surface tension of an aqueous liquid, but the high molecular weight and resulting low molecular mobility of some surfactants means that it is not possible to reduce the dynamic surface tension of an aqueous liquid; this makes them less valuable in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable for the surfactant to be non-foaming. However, the wetting composition is not limited to the use of non-foaming surfactants, as the foam can be suppressed with C10-C14 alcohol in the wetting composition, which acts as a foam inhibitor. For example, anionic surfactants, such as sodium salts of monoalkyl or dialkyl sulfosuccinates, can effectively reduce the surface tension of a liquid, but their use in some cases leads to the accumulation of foam. In such cases, C10-C14 alcohol can act as a foam inhibitor.

The wetting composition contains at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of nonionic, cationic, anionic, and amphoteric surfactants. Surfactants capable of self-aggregating into micelles in an aqueous liquid can be used.

A wetting composition may contain more than one surfactant and the surfactants may be of the same or different types of surfactants. When a surfactant is referred to in the present invention in the singular, it should be understood that it includes more than one surfactant, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

Generally, the addition of one surfactant to another does not have an additional effect on surface tension. On the contrary, in many cases the ability of a mixture of surfactants to reduce surface tension can be limited by the ability of the best acting surfactant in the mixture.

Surfactants described in the present invention (which include a mixture of surfactants) may preferably have a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) index greater than about 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 or 17.

Preferably, if the surfactant is contained in an amount greater than or equal to 20 wt.% maximum up to 60 wt.% of the wetting composition. The surfactant may be present in an amount equal to at least about 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60% by weight, or any concentration within these limits. For example, the surfactant component may comprise 25 to 55% by weight or 40 to 50% by weight of the wetting composition. In addition, more than one surfactant may be contained, and if more than one surfactant is contained, the total surfactant content of the wetting composition is within the specified concentration range.

The surfactants used to form the wetting composition may be in solid or liquid form. In one embodiment, the surfactant is in liquid form. If blends of surfactants are used, the blend of surfactants may be in liquid form. It may be more convenient to combine a surfactant in liquid form with a C10-C14 alcohol and a polar component to form the wetting composition of the present invention. In some embodiments, heat may be used to promote the association of the components.

Surfactants in liquid form can be undiluted liquids (ie containing only surfactant) or solutions containing surfactant dissolved or dispersed in a solvent. A typical solvent may be water. Thus, the surfactant forms part of the surfactant solution. Other compounds or components may also be contained in the surfactant solution.

Surfactant solutions may contain a suitable amount of surfactant dissolved or dispersed in a solvent. For example, a surfactant solution may contain 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% surfactant in solvent.

It should be understood that the surfactant component of the wetting composition consists of the active surfactant or compounds itself. If a surfactant solution is used to prepare a wetting composition, the amount of surfactant solution to be combined with the C10-C14 alcohol component is chosen so that the resulting concentration of active surfactant in the final wetting composition is in the range of 20 to 60 wt. %. By way of illustration, 100 g of a wetting composition containing 50 g of a 50 wt% surfactant solution contains 25 wt% of a surfactant.

The surfactant may be an ethoxylate such as nonylphenol alkoxylate or an alcohol alkoxylate such as alkoxylate (sold under the name BL8); dodecyl sulfate; or quaternized alkylammonium. The surfactant may be sold under the trade name Teric® (any of the Teric series, although the N, 12A, 9A, 13A9, 16A, 7ADN and BL series are preferred), DS10025® or DS10030®, Tween®, Dynol® or Surfynol®.

In some embodiments, the surfactant is non-ionic. The nonionic surfactant (which includes a blend of surfactants) may have a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) index greater than about 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, or 17 .

Some examples of nonionic surfactants that can be used with advantage alone or in combination with one or more other surfactants include: fatty alcohol ethoxylates (such as octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether and pentaethylene glycol monododecyl ether); alkylphenol ethoxylates (such as nonoxynol and Triton X-100); fatty acid ethoxylates (such as stearic, oleic or lauryl fatty acid ethoxylates), ethoxylated amines and fatty acid amides (such as polyethoxylated tallowamine, and amides such as cocoamide monoethanolamine and cocoamide diethanolamine); ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block copolymers (such as poloxamers); fatty acid esters of glycerol (such as glycerol monostearate and glycerol monolaurate); sorbitan fatty acid esters (including Span® surfactants such as sorbitan monolaurate, sorbitan monostearate and sorbitan tristearate and their ethoxylates such as Tween® 20, Tween® 40, Tween® 60 and Tween® 80); fatty acid esters of sucrose; and alkyl polyglucosides (such as decyl glucoside, lauryl glucoside and octyl glucoside). The nonionic surfactant may be an ethoxylated tetramethyldecyndiol (eg, trade name Surfynol ^TM ), which may be alone or mixed with an alkylene glycol (such as ethylene glycol), or an alcohol alkoxylate.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains an alkylpolyglucoside surfactant. Alkyl polyglucosides are sugar-derived (ie, glucose and sucrose) surfactants containing a sugar-based hydrophilic head group and a C ₈ -C ₁₆ fatty alcohol tail group. Such surfactants may be desirable due to their characteristics and minimal environmental impact. In addition, their biodegradability and formation from natural sources may make them attractive candidates for environmentally friendly wetting compositions. The alkyl polyglucoside can be used in solution to combine with the C10-C14 alcohol component and the polar component to form a wetting composition. For example, the alkyl polyglucoside can be used as a 50 wt% solution in water.

Fatty acid esters of alcohols such as glycols and glycerol (mono-, di-, and triesters) may also be desirable in some embodiments because degradation products of these surfactants may have minimal environmental impact, making them desirable for use. in agriculture.

In some embodiments, the surfactant is anionic. Anionic surfactants may belong to classes selected from the group consisting of sulfate, sulfonate, phosphate and carboxylate surfactants. The anionic surfactants can be used in free acid form or in neutralized form such as salt forms, including ammonium salt, organic amine, magnesium, potassium and sodium salt forms.

Some examples of anionic surfactants that may be suitable for use alone or in combination with one or more other surfactants include: alkyl sulfates (such as sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium dodecyl sulfate); alkyl ether sulfates (such as sodium laureth sulfate and sodium myreth sulfate); sulfosuccinates (such as sodium dioctylsulfosuccinate); alkylbenzenesulfonates (such as dodecylbenzenesulfonate and dodecyl diphenyl ether disulfonate); arylalkyl ether phosphates; alkyl ether phosphates; and alkyl carboxylates (such as sodium stearate, sodium laurate and sodium lauroyl sarcosinate). One skilled in the art will appreciate that other salt forms of the above anionic surfactants may exist.

In some embodiments, anionic surfactants such as mono- or disulphurized or α-phosphated aliphatic straight or branched chain alcohols may be preferred. In addition, surfactants obtained by direct hydrocarbon sulfonation, such as alpha-olefin sulfonates and secondary alkane sulfonates, can be used.

In preferred embodiments, monosulfonated arylalkylphenol type surfactants commonly known as LABS acid (linear dodecylbenzylsulfonic acid) and LABS salts such as the ammonium and triethanolamine salts of LABS are suitable. Dodecyl diphenyl disulfonates (eg Dowfax 2AO) can be used in their free acid and neutralized forms, especially in combination with suitable non-ionic surfactants. Dioctyl sulfosuccinate and its sodium and ammonium salts (DOS) can be used as fast wetting agents, especially in combination with aliphatic alcohol alkoxylates.

In some embodiments, the surfactant is cationic. Cationic surfactants may be of classes selected from the group consisting of quaternary ammonium compounds and pH dependent primary, secondary or tertiary amines. Cationic surfactants can be used in neutralized form such as salt forms, including the bromide and chloride forms.

Some examples of cationic surfactants that may be suitable for use alone or in combination with one or more other surfactants include alkyl quaternary ammonium compounds such as: behentrimonium chloride, benzalkonium chlorides (BAC) including dimethylbenzylammonium chloride, cetalkonium chloride ( CKC) and stearalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, benzododecinium chloride, carbetopendecinium bromide, cetrimonium bromide (CTAB), cetrimonium chloride (CTAC), cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), didecylmethylammonium chloride, dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DODAB), dimethyldioctadecylammonium chloride, domifene bromide, octenidine dihydrochloride and octenidine disonium chloride. One skilled in the art will appreciate that other salts of the above cationic surfactants may exist.

The preferred cationic surfactant is in the benzalkonium chloride (BAC) class and can be selected from the following: dimethylbenzylammonium chloride, cetalkonium chloride and stearalkonium chloride surfactants.

In some embodiments, the surfactant is amphoteric. Amphoteric surfactants contain both acidic and basic groups in a single surfactant molecule. Depending on pH, acidic and basic groups can form anionic or cationic groups. Amphoteric surfactants may be zwitterionic and, at certain pH values, may be negatively or positively charged.

In some cases, an amphoteric surfactant may be used, since at certain pH values such surfactants may behave as cationic or anionic surfactants. For example, in an acidic or low pH environment (e.g., pH ≤ 6), the amphoteric surfactant will become protonated and may act as a cationic surfactant, and in an alkaline or high pH environment (e.g., pH ≥ 8) the amphoteric surfactant will become deprotonated and can act as an anionic surfactant.

Some examples of amphoteric surfactants that can be used with advantage alone or in combination with one or more other surfactants include alkylamine oxides such as lauramine oxide and myristamine oxide; betaines such as cocamidopropyl betaine; hydroxysultaines such as lauramidopropylhydroxysultaine, cocamidopropylhydroxysultaine, oleimidopropylhydroxysultaine, tallowamidopropylhydroxysultaine, erucamidopropylhydroxysultaine and laurylhydroxysultaine; and amphoacetates such as sodium lauramphoacetate.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition does not contain a zwitterionic surfactant, such as an amphoteric surfactant in zwitterionic form.

In one set of embodiments, the wetting composition comprises a surfactant selected from the group consisting of an alcohol alkoxylate, an alkylbenzenesulfonate, and benzalkonium chloride. Also included are mixtures of surfactants. For example, the wetting composition may contain a mixture of alcohol alkoxylate and alkylbenzenesulfonate surfactants.

In some embodiments, one of the surfactants in the surfactant blend may act as an emulsifying agent to help maintain the wetting composition as a stable agent.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition may contain a mixture of surfactants, in which one of the surfactants is an alkylbenzenesulfonate, such as dodecylbenzenesulfonate. The alkyl benzene sulfonate may act as an emulsifier to help stabilize the wetting composition and prevent or minimize phase separation of the composition components. The wetting composition may require only a relatively small amount of alkylbenzenesulfonate as an emulsifier. In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains up to 5 wt.% alkylbenzenesulfonate.

C10-C14 alcohol, oxygenated C4-C5 co-solvent and surfactant can be combined with additives. Such additives include water and other non-aqueous additives. Water may comprise 0 to 25 wt%, 0 to 20 wt%, 0 to 15 wt% or 0 to 10 wt% of the wetting composition, and other additives may comprise 0 to 10 wt% , from 0 to 5 wt.% or from 0 to 2 wt.% of the wetting composition.

It should be understood that the wetting composition of the present invention may contain water or other additives as alternative ingredients, or it may contain a combination of water and other additives at desired concentrations. In addition, mixtures of other additives can be used.

In some embodiments, the wetting composition may primarily consist of a C10-C14 alcohol, an oxygenated C4-C5 co-solvent, a surfactant, and water and other additives. If the amount of C10-C14 alcohol, oxygenated C4-C5 co-solvent and surfactant used is not 100%, water and other additives can be added to these components to bring the total weight or volume of the wetting composition to 100%. Therefore, water and other additives form the remainder of the wetting composition.

However, it should be understood that water and other additives are optional for the wetting composition and, in the absence of water and other additives, the wetting composition may essentially consist of a C10-C14 alcohol, an oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent and a surfactant in the amounts defined in the present invention.

In some embodiments, the implementation of the wetting composition contains water as a component of the composition. Water may be contained in the wetting composition in a suitable amount within certain limits. Water may be added as part of another component of the wetting composition, or it may be specifically added as a separate component. In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains water at a concentration selected from the group consisting of 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25% by weight, or any concentrations between these limit values. In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains from 5 to 10 wt.% water. Water, if present, may act as a co-solvent for some of the functional components or additives.

It should be understood that the water contained in the wetting composition is different from the target aqueous liquid (which may be water or liquids containing water) whose surface tension is desirably reduced by the wetting composition and to which the wetting composition itself is to be added.

Additives other than water that may be included in the wetting composition include water-miscible C1-C3 organic solvents, perfumes, antifoam agents, antifreeze agents, emulsifiers, active compounds, salts, colorants (or other coloring agents), and particles (e.g., particles pigment such as titanium dioxide), stabilizers, preservatives and/or buffers. Other additives may be present in any suitable amount. The desired amount may depend on the desired effect on the wetting composition resulting from the use of these additives (eg, intensity of odor or color). In some embodiments, other additives may be present in an amount of about 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10% by weight of the wetting composition. In some embodiments, the implementation of the wetting composition may contain from 0 to 5 wt.% other additives.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains an additive that is a C1-C3 water-miscible organic solvent. If the water-miscible C1-C3 organic solvent is contained in the wetting composition, it may be present in an amount of up to 10% by weight. Water-miscible C1-C3 organic solvents may be polar solvents.

"Water-miscible" means that the C1-C3 organic solvent can be miscible with water to form a homogeneous solution. Examples of C1-C3 water-miscible organic solvents include acetaldehyde, acetone, acetonitrile, dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, ethanol, ethylene glycol, glycerin, methanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, 1,3-propanediol, and propylene glycol.

In one embodiment, the C1-C3 water-miscible organic solvent is a C1-C3 water-miscible alcohol such as methanol, ethanol, n-propanol and isopropanol, preferably ethanol.

It may be desirable to limit the amount of water-miscible C1-C3 organic solvent (such as a C1-C3 alcohol) in the wetting composition to less than 5% by weight due to the flammability of the solvent. In some embodiments, it may be desirable that the C1-C3 organic solvent be present in an amount equal to no more than 5% by weight of the wetting composition.

In some embodiments, the wetting composition may comprise a mixture of water and a water-miscible C1-C3 organic solvent. One skilled in the art will understand that water and a water-miscible C1-C3 organic solvent can both be polar compounds.

The presence of water and/or a water-miscible C1-C3 organic solvent in the wetting composition may be desirable as it is believed that these additives may aid in the compatibility of the C10-C14 alcohol and surfactant in the wetting composition. Thus, water and a water-miscible C1-C3 organic solvent can act as agents to improve the compatibility of the C10-C14 alcohol and surfactant. They can also assist in the solubilization of the C10-C14 alcohol and surfactant in the wetting composition in the aqueous liquid to which the wetting composition is to be added.

The additive in the wetting composition may be a chemical compound that has an aroma that imparts a pleasant smell. Although the wetting composition of the present invention does not have a strong odor, fragrances may be added to the wetting composition if desired to impart a pleasant odor or to reduce or mask any unpleasant odor.

In one embodiment, the perfume is an essential oil. The essential oil may be lemon or orange oil or pine oil. The fragrance may contain phenolic aldehyde. The phenolic aldehyde may be vanillin or isovanillin. Perfume can be added in a concentrated form or in a solvent in the form of a 1, 2, 5, 10 wt.% solution. For example, vanillin can be added in a solvent such as ethanol (eg, at a concentration of 10% by weight).

The wetting composition is preferably non-hazardous. It is also preferred if the wetting composition is non-flammable. The wetting composition must be stable at high temperature, for example up to 40°C. To ensure these characteristics, the components of the composition must also meet these requirements individually and/or when combined.

In some embodiments, the components of the wetting composition, including C10-C14 alcohol, oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent, surfactant, and other additives, are preferably selected from environmentally friendly compounds that can readily form degradation products that are non-toxic and non-hazardous to the environment, and plants, the marine world and the animal world. This can be advantageous because the wetting composition of the present invention can avoid significant environmental and biological problems associated with fluorosurfactants and organosilicone surfactants.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains a mixture of 1-dodecanol (10-40%), 2-butoxyethanol (10-30%) and a nonionic surfactant (20-60%) with optional addition of ≤10% water.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains a mixture of 1-dodecanol (10-40%), 2-butoxyethanol (10-30%) and an anionic surfactant (20-60%) with optional addition of ≤10% water.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition contains a mixture of 1-dodecanol (10-40%), 2-butoxyethanol (10-30%) and a cationic surfactant (20-60%) with the optional addition of ≤10% water.

In another embodiment, the wetting composition contains a mixture of 1-dodecanol and 1-tetradecanol (10-40% mixture of 70:30 or 56:44 C12 and C14 alcohols), 2-butoxyethanol (10-30%) and a nonionic surfactant (20-60%) with the optional addition of ≤10% water.

In another embodiment, the wetting composition contains a mixture of 1-dodecanol and 1-tetradecanol (10-40% mixture of 70:30 or 56:44 C12 and C14 alcohols), diethylene glycol (10-30%) and a nonionic surfactant (20 -60%) with optional addition of ≤10% water.

In another embodiment, the wetting composition contains a mixture of 1-dodecanol and 1-tetradecanol (10-40% mixture of 70:30 or 56:44 C12 and C14 alcohols), ethyl lactate (10-30%) and a nonionic surfactant (20 -60%) with optional addition of ≤10% water.

In all embodiments of the wetting composition described above, ≤10% dodecylbenzenesulfonate can optionally be added as an emulsifier.

In one embodiment, the wetting composition of the present invention is not a composition containing the following components in the following mass amounts:

(i) Teric BL8 (50%), 2-butoxyethanol (25%), dodecanol (25%);

(ii) Teric BL8 (50%), 2-butoxyethanol (22.5%), dodecanol (27.5%);

(iii) Teric BL8 (50%), 2-butoxyethanol (20%), dodecanol (30%);

(iv) Teric BL8 (50%), 2-butoxyethanol (17.5%), dodecanol (32.5%);

(v) Teric BL8 (50%), 2-butoxyethanol (15%), dodecanol (35%);

(vi) Teric BL8 (50%), 2-butoxyethanol (25%), mixture of C10-C12 alkanols (25%).

In another embodiment, the wetting composition does not contain 50 wt.% alcohol - ethoxylate surfactant in combination with 15-25 wt.% 2-butoxyethanol and the remainder of 25-30 wt.% dodecanol.

The prepared wetting composition is intended to be added to an aqueous liquid to change the surface tension of the aqueous liquid.

The wetting composition is desirably in the form of a stable mixture containing a C10-C14 alcohol, an oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent and a surfactant, optionally water and/or other additives. The wetting composition may be in the form of a stable solution, suspension or emulsion. "Stable" means that the wetting composition does not experience cloudiness or change in viscosity, or significant separation (eg, phase separation, settling or settling, etc.) of the components of the composition after formation of the composition or during its storage. The wetting composition may be stable at temperatures in the range of 4 to 40° C. for at least 5 hours. In preferred embodiments, the wetting composition is stable for several weeks, months or years, which provides extended service life. However, in some embodiments, the implementation of the wetting composition can be prepared immediately before use, in which case it should be stable for only a short period of time. For example, for some compositions of high molecular weight alcohols, such as C12-C14, association of the alcohol with the surfactant may be aided by heat. In such cases, the wetting composition may be used prior to separation.

Haze studies of the wetting composition can assist in evaluating the stability of the composition.

To form a wetting composition, the desired amount of surfactant is first combined with the desired amount of C10-C14 alcohol, then the desired amount of oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent is added to the starting mixture and combined to form the wetting composition. If desired, some additive such as water and/or a water-miscible C1-C3 organic solvent can also be added to the mixture. However, the order of preparation is not critical and the components of the wetting composition can be combined in any order. For example, the surfactant and the oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent may be mixed first before the addition of the C10-C14 alcohol. In addition, the surfactant can be mixed at the end.

If the wetting composition is to contain a mixture of at least two different C10-C14 alcohols, such as a mixture of 1-dodecanol (C12 alcohol) and 1-decanol (C10 alcohol) or 1-tetradecanol (C14 alcohol), the desired amount of selected alcohols can be combined with the surface -active substance and oxygen-containing C4-C6 co-solvent alone or in combination.

In some embodiments, a mixture of two or more different C10-C14 alcohols is combined with a surfactant and an oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent. For example, formulations containing 1-dodecanol and 1-tetradecanol are commercially available having C12:C14 ratios of 70:30 to 56:44. A selected amount of a commercially available preparation can be added to the surfactant and the oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent to introduce various alcohols into the mixture. If desired, one or more additional C10-C14 alcohols can also be added. For example, in addition to the mixture of alcohols, additional 1-dodecanol (C12 alcohol) can be combined with a co-solvent and surfactant to introduce additional alcohol and/or to change the ratios of C10-C14 alcohols in the wetting composition.

It is important to prepare the wetting composition as a complete formulation prior to addition to an aqueous liquid, whether it is water, an aqueous gum, an agricultural product, or any other aqueous material.

Thus, the C10-C14 alcohol, oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent, surfactant, and optionally water and other additives are all contained in the wetting composition as if they were added in combination with the aqueous liquid and not added to the aqueous liquid separately. in particular, the alcoholic wetting agent is not added portionwise to the aqueous surfactant solution. An advantage of adding the C10-C14 alcohol along with the surfactant as an additive to the aqueous liquid is that the wetting composition can be solid and can be conveniently transported and stored prior to use. Another advantage is that after the wetting composition is added to an aqueous liquid, the relative concentrations of C10-C14 alcohol and surfactant are constant, so that the end user does not have to determine how much of each component to add to the aqueous liquid.

In use, the wetting composition is added to the aqueous liquid and the surface tension of the aqueous liquid is reduced.

Advantageously, the wetting composition of the present invention provides the aqueous liquid containing the wetting composition with a surface tension of less than 25 mN/m at 20°C. In some embodiments, the wetting composition of the present invention is capable of reducing the surface tension of an aqueous fluid containing the wetting composition to less than 24 mN/m, 23 mN/m, 22 mN/m, 21 mN/m, 20 mN/m, 19 mN/m or 18 mN/m at 20°C.

The ability to achieve such a low surface tension with the wetting composition of the present invention is unexpected. It is generally assumed that an equivalent low surface tension is only achievable with fluorosurfactants and organosilicone surfactants. The wetting composition of the present invention preferably does not contain a fluorine-containing surfactant and an organosilicone surfactant. By itself, the ability of a wetting composition to provide such low surface tension values in the absence of fluorosurfactants and organosilicone surfactants is unexpected.

One skilled in the art can determine the surface tension of an aqueous liquid containing a wetting composition of the present invention by known techniques. One exemplary technique is hanging drop goniometry, which allows the determination of surface and interfacial tensions based on an optical analysis of the geometry of the hanging drop.

Surfactants, once added to an aqueous liquid, can reduce the surface tension of the liquid by accumulating at the liquid/vapor interface. However, the combination of a C10-C14 alcohol with a surfactant in the wetting composition of the present invention is able to improve the performance of the surfactant, providing an unexpected additional reduction in surface tension to a greater extent than is possible with the use of surfactant alone. The C10-C14 alcohol and surfactant may interact with the additive or reduce surface tension in a synergistic manner.

Without being limited by theory, it can be assumed that insoluble C10-C14 alcohol limits or even prevents the formation of micelles in nonionic, anionic and cationic surfactants, which leads to a higher concentration in solution of surfactant molecules capable of migrating to three-phase the wetting interface, thereby improving the conventional wettability characteristics of these surfactants.

Because C10-C14 alcohols are insoluble or poorly soluble in water and difficult to disperse, the presence of an oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent aids in the dispersion and solubilization of the C10-C14 alcohol in the presence of a surfactant. The dispersed C10-C14 alcohol can be metastable in the aqueous liquid that has been added with the wetting composition and tends to phase out very rapidly from the aqueous solution, resulting in rapid migration of the alcohols and their associated surfactants to the wetting interface. It is believed that this rapid migration to the three-phase interface assists in the dispersion of the surfactant at the interface and improves the ability of the aqueous liquid to wet a surface, such as a low energy surface.

Separation of the C10-C14 alcohol phases can also result in the formation of small droplets or microcolloids which provide a large surface area for the surfactant molecules to disperse.

C10-C14 alcohol can also limit or even prevent the formation of surfactant micelles in an aqueous liquid, resulting in a higher concentration in solution of surfactant molecules capable of migrating to the three-phase wetting interface, thereby improving the conventional wettability characteristics of these surfactants. -active substances.

In some embodiments, micelles are not formed or there is reduced formation of micelles in an aqueous liquid containing a wetting composition proposed in the present invention. "No micelle formation" or "reduced micelle formation" is observed in the aqueous liquid, it should be understood that there may be fewer micelles that self-aggregate in the aqueous liquid.

The disadvantage of micelle formation is that there is less surfactant available to lower the surface tension of the aqueous liquid and to disperse the alcohol. For example, if the surfactant forms micelles, there is less surfactant available to stabilize any resulting emulsion. Instead of destroying micelles before diffusion of surfactant molecules to the wetting interface, the long chain alcohol that combines with the surfactant quickly moves to the wetting interface because it is in a metastable state in solution. This results in a high concentration of bound surfactant migrating to the wetting interface much faster than if there was only one surfactant, which was limited by the critical micelle concentration.

The rapid migration of C10-C14 alcohol to the three-phase wetting interface releases surfactant molecules, which, in the absence of micelles, also quickly diffuse to the three-phase wetting interface, which leads to a weakening of the microslip phenomenon when the aqueous liquid quickly spreads along the low-energy surface boundary, caused by diffusion of surfactant molecules from inside the solution to the liquid/air interface at the three-phase contact line.

The liquid to which the wetting composition is added is aqueous or substantially aqueous. The aqueous liquid includes water. The aqueous liquid may be pure water (or mostly pure water) or recycle or waste water. The aqueous liquid may be a solution containing water. The liquid may be any aqueous liquid that desirably wets the low energy hydrophobic surface.

The aqueous liquid may consist of or include the agricultural composition. The agricultural composition may be intended for use as a pesticide, insecticide, acaricide, fungicide, nematocide, disinfectant, herbicide, fertilizer, or micronutrient. In one embodiment, the agricultural composition is glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine). Glyphosate is a broad spectrum systemic herbicide used to control weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and herbaceous plants known to compete with, for example, crops. The wetting composition of the present invention can be used in a composition applied to powdered water-soluble herbicides such as Dupont's Brush-off™. The wetting composition can be added to other herbicides such as MCPA (2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid), 2-4D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and woody weed control herbicides such as triclopyr (3,5,6 -trichloro-2-pyridinyloxyacetic acid) or picloram. In one embodiment, the wetting composition can be added to foliar fertilizers such as nitrogen and magnesium, calcium and boron fertilizers or NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) fertilizers.

The wetting composition can increase the ability of the agricultural composition to wet the foliage surface. In another embodiment, the wetting composition can increase the ability of the agricultural composition to wet the surface of the wood substrate and provide pest repellency. For example, sawdust may be impregnated with and/or immersed in an insecticide and/or fungicide prior to use. In addition, the wetting composition can increase the ability of the agricultural composition to wet the seeds. For example, an insecticide and/or a fungicide can be applied to seeds prior to germination to protect them. Seed coloring agents are also added with the wetting system.

In some embodiments, the implementation of the wetting composition provides the formation of smaller particles of aerosol sprays of the agricultural composition, which can be applied, for example, to crops. In these embodiments, the inclusion of medium to high molecular weight (e.g., 250,000 to 100,000) polyacrylamides or polyacrylates in the final spray mixture can help stabilize the droplets, minimize evaporation of the aqueous liquid after spraying and/or other application to a low surface area. energy and prevention of damage during spraying.

One embodiment relates to an agricultural composition containing a wetting composition according to the present invention.

The aqueous liquid may consist of or include a pharmaceutical, nutritional or cosmetic agent. In one embodiment, the liquid consists of or includes a drug compound. In one embodiment, the wetting composition can improve the ability of a pharmaceutical, nutritional, or cosmetic product to wet human or animal body surfaces, including skin, hair, and/or nails. In some embodiments, the wetting composition provides for the formation of finer particles of pharmaceutical, nutritional, or cosmetic aerosol sprays, such as a hair spray. For example, the drug can be delivered as an aerosol.

An advantage of the wetting composition described is that, when added to an aqueous liquid, all the solids in the liquid can be dispersed by the composition and therefore a reduced tendency of the solids to settle is observed. This means that the wetting composition provides wetting with aqueous liquids with a higher solids content than could otherwise be used, ie, in the absence of a wetting composition. An advantage of wetting with a high solids liquid is that less chromatographic separation of the liquid occurs when the solid is impregnated with liquid. Reduced liquid separation results in a more evenly impregnated solid that is ultimately stronger and more durable. Another advantage of solids dispersion is that the low energy surface can be wetted by more viscous aqueous liquids.

The aqueous liquid may be a mixed liquid. The mixed liquid may be a water-based resin, a water-based paint, or a dye. The resin may have a high viscosity with the ability to harden or cure. Resin may be a natural substance that is produced by some trees. However, the resin may be natural or synthetic. The resin may be an epoxy, vinyl ester or polyester resin. The resin may be an amine or formaldehyde type resin. In some embodiments, the resin is a polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, or resorcinol resin. In one embodiment, the aqueous liquid is a resin for wetting paper or ground wood chips.

One embodiment relates to a resin containing a wetting composition according to the present invention.

In another embodiment, the wetting composition can be used in aqueous fluids used for dust suppression in mine construction, road construction, or other civil engineering applications where dust suppression is needed. It can also be added to water to minimize dust spread by spraying an emulsion of very small droplets for maximum coverage and suppressing dust with minimal liquid volumes. In this case, the wetting composition can be added to clean water or waste or recycle water or any suitable aqueous liquid.

The wetting composition can be used in aqueous liquids to form fire fighting foam.

A wetting composition can be added to a cement composition used to make concrete to improve the distribution or flow of the concrete and to aid in the penetration of the concrete.

The wetting composition can be used in fluids used to separate crude oil from water to provide crude oil recovery. In this case, the wetting composition can help break down the oil-water interface and thereby help separate the oil from the water.

By adding a wetting composition to an aqueous liquid, the surface tension of the aqueous liquid is reduced. When a wetting composition is added, the surface tension of an aqueous liquid is reduced compared to the surface tension of the same aqueous liquid in the absence of a wetting composition. Therefore, the contact angle of an aqueous liquid containing a wetting composition is reduced on a low energy hydrophobic surface compared to the same aqueous liquid in the absence of a wetting composition. The wetting composition, when added to an aqueous liquid, increases the water wettability of the low energy surface. In other words, the wetting composition can be used to increase the wettability of a hydrophobic surface with water.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method for reducing the surface tension of an aqueous liquid, the method comprising the step of adding a wetting composition of any of the embodiments described herein to the aqueous liquid.

Another object of the present invention is an aqueous liquid composition containing a wetting composition of any of the embodiments described in the present invention, with an aqueous liquid. The aqueous liquid composition containing the wetting composition may be a composition having reduced surface tension due to the presence of the wetting composition.

The aqueous liquid composition containing the wetting composition may be a resin reduced surface tension composition or an agricultural composition.

The aqueous liquid composition containing the wetting composition may be an aerosol or spray composition which is formulated to form droplets of an airborne dispersion from a liquid in a gas such as air. When lowering the surface tension of an aqueous liquid by adding a wetting composition of the present invention, the aqueous liquid with the wetting composition can be dosed or supplied from a suitable liquid reservoir in the form of an aerosol or spray with a droplet size smaller than for the same aqueous liquid in the absence of a wetting agent. compositions. An aerosol or spray with reduced droplet sizes provides better coverage for the same volume of applied liquid, and thus provides more efficient application. The aerosol can be prepared for use in the paint industry, for example for spraying paints. Alternatively, an aerosol can be prepared for use in cosmetics such as deodorant or hairspray. In some embodiments, the aerosol is an agricultural product, such as an insecticide. The aerosol can also be used as a cleanser.

Another object of the present invention is a method for reducing the droplet size of an aerosol spray coming from an aerosol spray device connected to a liquid reservoir, comprising adding a wetting composition according to the present invention to a liquid reservoir connected to the aerosol spray device, and spraying the liquid from this device.

The wetting composition of the present invention may be added to the aqueous liquid in any number of ways. In one embodiment, the wetting composition is added dropwise to the aqueous liquid. The addition of the wetting composition can be done manually or can be controlled by a computer with delivery system programs. Different aqueous liquids require different amounts of wetting composition to provide the desired reduction in surface tension. In some embodiments, the wetting composition is added in batches (note that the C10-C14 alcohol, oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent and surfactant are still added together). After the addition of each portion, the surface tension of the aqueous solution and its ability to wet the low energy hydrophobic surface can be examined. Once the desired wetting has been achieved, no further wetting composition should be added to the aqueous liquid. Alternatively, a known amount of wetting composition may be added to the aqueous solution. A known amount can be determined by preliminary experiments.

The amount of wetting composition added to the aqueous liquid is not limited as long as undesired micelle formation does not occur. Therefore, unlike surfactants, which provide a certain degree of wettability up to the concentration at which micelles are formed (critical micelle concentration), the wetting composition of the present invention can be added at any concentration suitable to improve the wetting of very difficult to wet surfaces such as Teflon or other very low surface energy surfaces. In some embodiments, the surface tension of an aqueous liquid can be further reduced by adding increasing amounts of a wetting composition to the liquid.

The amount of wetting composition added to the aqueous liquid should ensure that the wetting composition has a beneficial effect on the surface wettability of the aqueous liquid. The amount of wetting composition added to the aqueous liquid may be about 10%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%, 1.5%, 1%, 0.15%, 0.05%, 0.10%, or 0.005% by volume. In one embodiment, the wetting composition is added to the aqueous liquid in an amount in a range selected from the group consisting of the ranges of 0.1 to 5% by volume, 0.5 to 4% by volume, and 1 to 3% by volume. If too much wetting composition is added, unnecessary costs may result. If too little is added, the desired effect on wetting will not be produced. In some embodiments, an amount of wetting composition is added to an aqueous liquid containing about 0.5, 0.3, 0.1, or 0.15 wt.% C10-C14 alcohol. The only unfortunate consequence of an overdose of the wetting composition appears to be that wetting occurs too quickly, which rarely leads to problems. Smaller doses of the wetting composition can be used to improve the wettability of an aqueous liquid compared to conventional surfactants.

Unlike conventional surfactants, where micelle formation can limit the ability of a surfactant to reduce surface tension after a critical micelle concentration is reached, it is possible to continue adding the wetting composition of the present invention and provide an increasing reduction in surface tension as wetting composition is increased. in an aqueous liquid.

Upon addition of a wetting composition to an aqueous liquid, the surface tension of the aqueous liquid may be reduced to less than about 70 dynes/cm. In preferred embodiments, the wetting composition can effectively reduce the surface tension of the aqueous liquid to less than about 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20 19, or 18 dynes/cm. In some embodiments, the implementation may be desirable to reduce the surface tension to the lowest possible. In other embodiments, it may be necessary to reduce the surface tension to slightly less than what is achievable with today's anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactants. In other embodiments, it may be desirable to provide a surface tension such as current super-spreaders provide, i.e., < 23 dynes/cm. In other embodiments, it may be desirable to provide a surface tension that is provided by current organosilicone super spreaders, i.e., <20 dynes/cm. In other embodiments, it may be desirable to provide a surface tension such as current super spreading fluorosurfactants provide, i.e., <18 dyne/cm. The desired surface tension can be determined by one skilled in the art and the amount of wetting composition necessary to provide it can be added.

The addition of a wetting composition to an aqueous liquid can also affect the static or advancing aqueous liquid contact angle of the surface, indicative of improved wettability. In some embodiments, the advancing contact angle of the aqueous liquid may be reduced to less than about 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, or 5°. In one embodiment, the advancing contact angle of the aqueous liquid may be reduced to less than 10°. The desired wettability can be determined by one skilled in the art.

The wetting composition of the present invention can act as a "super spreader" to help distribute an aqueous liquid over a low surface energy surface. The wetting composition of the present invention can operate at a content that is at least equivalent to or less than that of currently known organosilicone surfactants or fluorosurfactants.

The increased water wettability of a low energy surface may mean that the surface can be covered faster with a liquid containing the wetting composition of the present invention. Wetting of the low energy surface can be one, two or three orders of magnitude faster than for liquids not used in the present invention. This means cost and time savings. In some embodiments, less aqueous liquid is required to coat or impregnate substrate surfaces, which also provides significant commercial benefits. The reduced amount of liquid needed to form the coating does not lead to any adverse effect on the quality of the product. Resin coatings require less resin in some embodiments, but this does not change the Taber abrasion resistance, scratch resistance, corrosion resistance, and/or impact resistance of the finished resin coated or impregnated product.

An article comprising resin-coated ground wood chips modified in accordance with the present invention (ie, by adding a wetting composition) may have improved processability. Improved machinability means less chipping, i.e. the separation of individual non-resin-impregnated chips or groups of chips from the surface layer of the panel, which is critical to laminate adhesion and panel strength retention. This is thought to be due to improved resin distribution across individual chips and reduced fluctuations in resin distribution between chips. The use of the wetting composition of the present invention in this embodiment provides versatility in the design of blenders for mixing resin and chips. This can reduce the motor current and save energy. Considering the distribution of the resin, it is possible to reduce the amount of resin used and/or reduce the density and hence the amount of wood used, which inevitably leads to cost savings.

In other embodiments, the wetting composition allows the formation of an aerosol containing smaller droplets than an aerosol formed by the same liquid in the absence of a wetting composition. An aerosol is an air dispersion of liquid droplets. The wetting composition can be added before the formation of the aerosol or during the formation of the aerosol, i.e. when droplets of the air dispersion are formed.

The smaller the aerosol droplets, the more easily the droplets disperse in the air, whereby a finer air dispersion can cover a larger surface area. In one embodiment, the average droplet size of an aerosol formed using a wetting composition of the present invention is about 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, or 80% smaller than the droplet size of the same liquid in the absence of a wetting composition. . In one embodiment, an aerosol produced using a wetting composition of the present invention is capable of being dispersed over an area that is 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, or 80% more than an aerosol of the same liquid when the absence of a wetting composition.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method for wetting a low energy surface with a relatively high surface energy liquid, the method comprising the steps of:

adding a wetting composition of embodiments of the present invention to the liquid; and

interaction of the low energy surface with the liquid containing the wetting composition.

The contact angle of a liquid containing a wetting composition is reduced at a low energy surface compared to the contact angle of the same liquid in the absence of a wetting composition.

Techniques for determining the contact angle should be known to the person skilled in the art. For example, contact angle goniometry is an example of one suitable technique. Contact angle goniometry can allow direct evaluation of the effect of the wetting composition on the target aqueous liquid and the ability of the treated aqueous liquid to wet the target substrate such as leaves, wood, paper, and the like.

The addition of the wetting composition of the present invention to an aqueous liquid can result in rapid and substantially complete wetting of the hydrophobic surface with the aqueous liquid. It is believed that the C10-C14 alcohol in the wetting composition reduces the likelihood of the formation of surfactant micelles that will interfere with wetting.

The low energy surface may form part of the substrate and it may be desirable to improve the wetting of the substrate with an aqueous liquid by using the wetting composition described in the present invention.

There are no restrictions on the substrate that it is desirable to wet with the aqueous liquid containing the wetting composition of the present invention. The substrate may have a relatively large continuous surface area, or the substrate may be particulate. The substrate may be fibrous or porous. In one embodiment, the substrate is paper. In another embodiment, the substrate is an artificial fiber, such as fiberglass insulation. The substrate may be a natural product. In one embodiment, the substrate is leather. The substrate may contain natural or synthetic fibers. The natural fibers may be wool. Natural fibers can be processed, for example, wool can be treated with leather. Synthetic fibers may contain or consist of PTFE, polyester, nylon, acrylic, rayon, acetate, spandex, acrylic (eg Orlon ^™ ) or para-arylamide (eg Kevlar®). The substrate may be a synthetic polymer such as poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (Teflon®). The support may be seeds. The substrate may be plant material, including leaves, shoots, stems and roots of plants. The backing can be based on wool or wood. Wood based products include wood products such as musical instruments; bamboo products; cane and rattan; cork products and rod products. Other wood-based products include lumber, plywood, veneer and wood based products including particle board, fiberboard, medium to high density fiberboard (MDF), oriented strand board and particle board. The substrate may be based on plant material. The plant material substrates may be leaves, branches, seeds, stems, bark, roots, or any part of a plant, living or dead. The substrate is also crushed wood chips, which may be a component of the manufactured wood product or may be sawdust that has been impregnated, for example pressure impregnated, or impregnated with an insecticide or fungicide.

The surface of the substrate, which is desirable to be wetted with an aqueous liquid containing a wetting composition, has a low surface energy. The surface may have a surface energy of less than about 50, 40, 30, or 25 dynes. The substrate surface is hydrophobic. "Hydrophobic" means that the surface has a static or advancing water contact angle greater than about 90°, 100°, 110°, 120°, 130°, 140°, 150°, 160°, 170°, or 175°. Hydrophobicity can be imparted by chemical treatment of several upper layers of the surface of the substrate. Alternatively, or in addition, hydrophobicity is imparted by surface roughness. Surface roughness includes surface porosity and other morphological features that impart roughness.

The wetting composition can be used to improve the distribution of an aqueous liquid droplet on a surface. The wetting composition can be used to enhance the penetration of an aqueous liquid into the substrate. The penetration of the aqueous liquid causes the porous substrate to be impregnated with the aqueous liquid.

Surface wettability can be determined by any means known to those skilled in the art. Wettability can be determined using contact angle goniometry. Preferably, wettability is determined by examining a stationary (or static) drop.

Wettability can be determined by techniques that measure changes in the surface tension of an aqueous liquid, including water, for example, using hanging drop goniometry. An aqueous liquid that does not contain a wetting composition can be used as a comparator to determine the reduction in surface tension compared to the comparator.

Alternatively, wettability is determined by measuring the advancing and/or receding contact angle, optionally determined using a Wilhelmy balance. For any comparative data, the same duration of wettability measurement should be used.

The wetting composition can increase the ability of the agricultural composition to wet the surfaces of the plant material. In another embodiment, the wetting composition can increase the ability of the agricultural composition to wet wood-based substrate surfaces and repel pests. For example, sawdust may be impregnated with and/or immersed in an insecticide and/or fungicide prior to use. In addition, the wetting composition can increase the ability of the agricultural composition to wet the seeds. For example, an insecticide and/or a fungicide can be applied to the seeds to protect them prior to germination. Seed dyes can also be added to the wetting system.

The surface of the substrate may be coated or impregnated with an aqueous liquid containing a wetting composition. In embodiments in which the surface of the substrate is covered with an aqueous liquid, it is preferred that at least about 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, or 50% of the total available surface area be covered. In embodiments in which the surface of the porous substrate is impregnated, it is preferred that at least about 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, or 50% of the total available void volume be filled with liquid.

Another object of the present invention is a product having a low energy surface, coated or impregnated with an aqueous liquid composition containing a wetting composition described in the present invention. The product may be paper or particle board that is coated or impregnated with an aqueous liquid composition.

In one embodiment, the substrate to be wetted may be pre-coated or pre-impregnated with an aqueous liquid composition containing the wetting composition of the present invention. Pre-coating or pre-impregnation of the substrate may promote contact of the substrate with the later applied aqueous liquid composition, also treated with the wetting composition. For example, particle board chips can be pre-coated with an aqueous liquid composition containing a wetting composition of the present invention (for example, by spraying an aqueous liquid containing a wetting composition onto the chips) prior to bonding with the rest of the chips to form a particle board. The pre-coated chips can help increase the surface energy of the particle board and thereby make the aqueous liquid composition, also containing the wetting composition, more easily wet the particle board.

It has been found that surface energy modified substrates can be obtained using the wetting composition of the present invention. For example, the surface energy of a particle board substrate can be modified by fabricating a particle board with particle board chips pre-coated with an aqueous liquid containing the wetting composition of the present invention. This allows the particle board to be more easily wetted by a conventional liquid, such as a conventional resin, which may be an aqueous or non-aqueous liquid. In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the wetting composition can increase the surface energy of the particleboard substrate and thereby reduce the interfacial energy between the particleboard and the liquid (e.g., resin) that desirably wets the particleboard substrate, allowing the liquid to spread more efficiently on the substrate. This, in turn, can improve the ability of the resin to wet the particleboard substrate and can lead to an improvement in the mechanical characteristics of the substrate, such as the particleboard's bending resistance and tear resistance.

Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying examples, which are not in any way limiting.

EXAMPLES

General procedure for preparing wetting compositions

To obtain a wetting composition, the initial mixture is prepared by combining the desired amount of surfactant with the desired amount of oxygen-containing C4-C6 co-solvent. The desired amount of C10-C14 alcohol is added to this initial mixture, then the resulting composition is mixed. If necessary, the desired amount of water and other additives can also be added after the C10-C14 alcohol.

Examples 1-27 Wetting Compositions and Effect of Wetting Compositions on Surface Tension

Using the above General methodology received a set of different wetting compositions containing a range of different types and amounts of components described in table 1.

Samples of the resulting wetting composition were diluted with ultrapure water to form aqueous compositions containing the wetting composition at concentrations of 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1.0% by weight. Then the surface tension of the obtained samples was determined using hanging drop goniometry. Reference samples (R1 - R6) with only water or water with only surfactant or with only C12 alcohol, as well as comparative examples containing 1-octanol (C8 alcohol) with surfactant (CE1) or 1 -dodecanol (C12 alcohol) with zwitterionic surfactant (CE2).

Surface tension measurements (mN/m) were performed on aqueous compositions containing test compositions at different concentrations using hanging drop goniometry. Ultrapure water was used to test the goniometer at 20° C. after calibrating the video image against a 4.0002 mm titanium ball.

Table 1 also shows the results for surface tension as measured by hanging drop goniometry, as well as for the effect of concentration. The result shown is the result of the analysis of variance, where p-values for liquid and concentration differences are <0.001.

Table 1. Results for surface tension of various examples of wetting compositions and reference compositions tested at various concentrations.

Example No. Surfactant and its content Type and content of C10-C14 alcohol Oxygen-containing C4-C6 co-solvent and its content Water Other additive Surface tension (mN/m) Wetting system concentrations 0.1% 0.5% 1.0% R1 No surfactant Alcohol free 100% ¹ 72.86 R2 8NB 100% ² Alcohol free ³ 0% 29.32 29.76 29.84 R3 BAC 80 ^3&4
100% Alcohol free 0% 39.28 ⁴ R4 LABS acid ⁵ Alcohol free 0% 27.98 ⁴ R5 P408 ⁶ 100% Alcohol free 0% 20.53 20.36 20.19 R6 No surfactant Dodecanol 100% 0% 68.1 ⁴ one 8NB 45% Decanol 4.5%, Dodecanol 22.5% 2-Butoxyethanol 18% ten% 22.6 19.24 23.03 2 8NB 45% Dodecanol 22.5% 2-Butoxyethanol 22.5% ten% 23.97 18.67 17.5 3 8NB 45% Dodecanol 24.75% 2-Butoxyethanol 20.25% ten% 28.84 21.33 22.83 four 8NB 45% Dodecanol 27% 2-Butoxyethanol 18% ten% 27.48 22.56 22.89 5 8NB 45% Dodecanol 29.25% 2-Butoxyethanol 15.75% ten% 28.08 22.96 21.58 6 8NB 45% Dodecanol 31.5% 2-Butoxyethanol 13.5% ten% 24.91 21.63 19.25 7 8NB 50% C12:C14 (70:30) 25% 2-Butoxyethanol 25% 0% 22.86 18.70 19.54 eight 8NB 45% C12:C14 (70:30) 22.5% 2-Butoxyethanol 22.5% ten% 24.7 21.82 22.76 9 8NB 50% C12:C14 (70:30) 27.5% 2-Butoxyethanol 22.5% 0% 26.7 22.06 23.33 ten 8NB 45% C12:C14 (70:30) 24.75% 2-Butoxyethanol 20.25% ten% 27.74 23.76 22.31 eleven 8NB 50% C12:C14 (70:30) 30% 2-Butoxyethanol 20% 0% 27.13 23.11 22.87 12 8NB 45% C12:C14 (70:30) 27% 2-Butoxyethanol 18% ten% 28.64 23.76 23.58 13 8NB 50% C12:C14 (70:30) 32.5% 2-Butoxyethanol 17.5% 0% 26.26 22.63 23.57 fourteen 8NB 45% C12:C14 (70:30) 29.25% 2-Butoxyethanol 15.75% ten% 26.77 24.36 23.17 fifteen 8NB 50% C12:C14 (70:30) 35% 2-Butoxyethanol 15% 0% 26.69 23.50 20.42 16 8NB 45% C12:C14 (70:30) 31.5% 2-Butoxyethanol 13.5% ten% 26.92 23.52 22.84 17 8NB 50% C12:C14 (70:30) 25% Diethylene glycol 25% 0% 23.58 22.02 20.83 eighteen 8NB 45% C12:C14 (70:30) 22.5% Diethylene glycol 22.5% ten% 23.93 21.97 21.98 19 8NB 50% C12:C14 (70:30) 10.5%
Dodecanol 14.5% Diethylene glycol 25% 0% 27.75 22.64 19.76 twenty 8NB 45% C12:C14 (70:30) 9.45%
Dodecanol 13.05% Diethylene glycol 22.5% ten% 25.51 22.87 22.06 21 8NB 50% C12:C14 (56:44) 25% 2-Butoxyethanol 25% 0% 22.16 19.82 21.82 22 8NB 45% C12:C14 (56:44) 22.5% 2-Butoxyethanol 22.5% ten% 25.21 20.21 22.30 23 8NB 45%
Isopropylaminodecylbenzenesulfonate 5% C12 and C14 (70:30) 25% Ethyl lactate 25% 0% 21.68 20.13 19.67 24 8NB 45%
Isopropylaminodecylbenzenesulfonate 5% C12:C14 (70:30) 25% 2-butoxyethanol 25% 0% 22.48 20.05 20.06 25 8NB 50% C12:C14 (70:30) 25% 2-butoxyethanol 25% 0% 26.17 20.46 19.50 26 LABS acid 50% Dodecanol 25% 2-butoxyethanol 25% 0% 26.86 23.70 24.52 27 BAC 80 50% Dodecanol 25% 2-butoxyethanol 25% 0% 30.94 24.01 22.26 CE1 8NB 50% 1-octanol 50% 0% 28.23 24.77 24.5 CE2 Oxymine LO ⁷ 50% Dodecanol 25% 2-butoxyethanol 25% 0% 48.52 ⁴

Notes:

1. Ultrapure water.

2. Teric BL8 (non-ionic) surfactant.

3. Cationic surfactant dimethylbenzylammonium chloride.

4. Saturation at a concentration equal to 0.1 wt.%.

5. Anionic surfactant linear dodecabenzylsulfonic acid.

6. Organosilicone surfactant identical to Silwet L-77.

7. Zwitterionic surfactant lauramine oxide.

Results:

As shown in Table 1, the surface tension of ultrapure water is about 72 mN/m at 20°C. The wetting compositions of the present invention were able to significantly reduce the surface tension of water to less than 24 mN/m at one or more of the concentrations tested. In some examples, the effectiveness of the wetting composition in reducing surface tension is close to or exceeds that of a comparative organosilicone surfactant.

The effect of the wetting compositions of Examples 25, 26 and 27 on the surface tension of water is also shown in FIG. 1-6.

As shown in FIG. 1, if 0.1% of a wetting composition containing a nonionic surfactant and 2-butoxyethanol and a mixture of dodecanol and tetradecanol (70:30) was added to water, a decrease in the surface tension of water occurred and the surface tension continued to decrease over time.

Similar results for reducing surface tension are also obtained using wetting compositions containing anionic or cationic surfactants combined with dodecanol and 2-butoxyethanol added to the water at different doses, as shown in FIG. 2-6.

Example 29 Wetting Composition Compatibility with Agricultural Compositions

The compatibility of the wetting composition of the present invention with commercially available herbicide concentrates was investigated.

A wetting composition containing a mixture of 2-butoxyethanol (25%), C12:C14 (70:30) (25%) and 8NB (50%) was prepared.

Commercially available concentrated herbicide preparations were diluted with water according to the manufacturer's instructions to give ready-to-use preparations with the desired herbicide concentration. The wetting composition was then added to the diluted herbicide preparation in an amount equal to 2 g of the wetting composition per liter of preparation. Therefore, the concentration of the wetting composition in the herbicide is 0.2% by weight. The herbicide containing the wetting composition was stored at 4°C for at least 5 hours and the compatibility of the wetting composition with the herbicide preparation and the stability of the final composition were evaluated.

Got the following results:

The GARLON type product, emulsion concentrate, was diluted with water to a final herbicide concentration of 1.7 ml/l in a ready-to-spray formulation. The wetting composition was added to the spray formulation. A stable cloudy emulsion formed without incompatibility after storage for 5 hours.

The GRAZON type product, emulsion concentrate, was diluted with water to a final herbicide concentration of 5 ml/l in a ready-to-spray formulation. The wetting composition was added to the spray formulation. A stable cloudy emulsion formed without incompatibility after storage for 5 hours.

MCPA 750 Water Soluble Concentrate was diluted with water to a final herbicide concentration of 1.4 ml/l in a ready-to-spray solution. The wetting composition was added to the spray formulation. A stable clear solution formed without incompatibility after storage for 5 hours.

2,4-D 625 amine, water soluble concentrate, was diluted with water to a final herbicide concentration of 1.4 ml/l in a ready-to-spray solution. The wetting composition was added to the spray formulation. A stable clear solution formed without incompatibility after storage for 5 hours.

Metsulfuron, a wettable powder, was diluted with water to a final herbicide concentration of 0.5 g/l in a ready-to-spray solution. The wetting composition was added to the spray formulation. A slightly cloudy composition formed.

Example 30: Compatibility of different wetting compositions with agricultural compositions

The compatibility of several different wetting compositions of the present invention with commercially available herbicide concentrates was investigated.

The herbicidal compositions were diluted to a concentration of 1% (w/w) in water and the selected wetting composition was added to the herbicidal composition at a concentration of 2% (w/w). The wetting compositions used for compatibility testing were those of Examples 23, 24 and 25 shown in Table 1.

The herbicidal compositions tested were as follows:

Glyphosate 360 g/l (Roundup®)

MCPA (2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid), broadleaf herbicide

Grazon 300 g/l triclopyr available as butoxyethyl ester 100 g/l

Picloram, herbicide against woody weeds

BrushOff® (metsulfuron-methyl powder), 600 g/kg woody weed herbicide, which is a wettable powder

2,4D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), broadleaf herbicide

All herbicidal mixtures containing wetting compositions were stable at 5° C. for 48 hours. No separation of the wetting composition from the herbicide formulation was observed.

Example 31 Compatibility of Wetting Compositions with Resin Compositions

Compatibility of the wetting compositions of the present invention with melamine urea formaldehyde resin containing up to 65% solids was tested in aqueous solution by adding the wetting composition to the resin.

Solids did not interact with the wetting composition and the resin containing the wetting composition was a stable emulsion.

Example 32 Compatibility of Wetting Compositions with Foliar Fertilizers

The compatibility of wetting compositions with liquid foliar fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate, dolomite and gypsum dispersions, copper salts, (calcium) and various nitrogenous foliar fertilizers was investigated by adding wetting compositions to the fertilizers. The liquid fertilizer preparation was stable.

Example 33: Application of a wetting composition in particle board for flooring

The compatibility of the wetting composition with particle board resin for flooring and the preparation procedure was investigated to determine the improvements provided by the use of the wetting composition.

Floor decking was prepared by applying 0.2% wetting composition made from up to 50% 8NB alkyl ethoxylate, 25% 70:30 mixture of C12 and C14 alcohols (1-dodecanol and 1-tetradecanol) and 25% 2-butoxyethanol to the surface and core flooring made on a single-plate press for particle board. Significant improvements were observed in wettability, which is the most important characteristic of particle board for flooring, i.e. resistance to bending under wetted conditions.

The use of the wetting composition of the present invention is possible at lower levels, resulting in significant cost savings. It is also possible to use recycled chips from waste, which reduces the environmental impact and carbon footprint of the process and product.

Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In the following claims, unless the context otherwise requires, the expression "comprises" and its variants such as "comprise" and "comprising" should be understood to include the specified integer or step, or group of integers or steps, but not exclusion of any other integer or stage, or group of integers or stages.

In this specification, reference to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any subject matter that is known, is not and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that the prior publication (or information derived from it) information), or a known object form part of the well-known prior art in the field of technology to which the present description relates.

Claims (28)

1. Wetting composition intended to be added to an aqueous liquid to reduce the surface tension of an aqueous liquid, where the specified wetting composition consists of: (a) from 10% to less than 50% by weight of one or more C10-C14 alcohols; (b) from 10 to 30% by weight of one or more oxygenated C4-C6 solvents; (c) 20 to 60% by weight of one or more surfactants selected from the group consisting of a nonionic, cationic, anionic, and amphoteric surfactant; (d) from 0 to 25% by weight of water; and (e) 0 to 10% by weight of other additives. 2. Wetting composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition contains up to 35% by weight of one or more C10-C14 alcohols. 3. Wetting composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the composition contains C12 alcohol. 4. Wetting composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-3, where the composition contains a mixture of C12 alcohol and C14 alcohol. 5. Wetting composition according to claim 4, wherein the ratio of the mass of C12 alcohol to the mass of C14 alcohol in the mixture is in the range from 50:50 to 90:10. 6. Wetting composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-3, where the composition contains a mixture of C12 alcohol and C10 alcohol. 7. A wetting composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the composition contains up to 25% by weight of one or more oxygenated C4-C6 solvents. 8. A wetting composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the composition comprises an oxygenated C4-C6 cosolvent selected from the group consisting of C4-C6 water-soluble alcohols, C4-C6 water-soluble esters, C4-C6 water-soluble ethers, and their mixtures. 9. The wetting composition of claim 8 wherein the oxygenated C4-C6 co-solvent is selected from the group consisting of ethyl lactate, 2-butoxyethanol and diethylene glycol. 10. A wetting composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the composition comprises a surfactant selected from the group consisting of an alcohol alkoxylate, an alkylbenzenesulfonate and a benzylalkyl quaternary ammonium surfactant and mixtures thereof. 11. A wetting composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the composition comprises a mixture of alcohol alkoxylate and alkylbenzenesulfonate surfactants. 12. A wetting composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the composition contains up to 10% by weight of water. 13. Aqueous liquid composition containing an aqueous liquid, to which is added a wetting composition to reduce surface tension according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12. 14. The aqueous liquid composition of claim 13, wherein the aqueous liquid is water. 15. An aqueous liquid composition according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the aqueous liquid is a water-based resin. 16. An aqueous liquid composition according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the aqueous liquid consists of or includes an agricultural composition. 17. The method of reducing the surface tension of an aqueous liquid, the method includes the step of adding a wetting composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12 to an aqueous liquid. 18. Method for wetting a low energy surface with a relatively high surface energy liquid, the method includes the step of: adding a wetting composition according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12 to liquid; and interaction of the low energy surface with the liquid containing the wetting composition. 19. A low energy surface product coated or impregnated with an aqueous liquid composition according to claim 13. 20. A resin composition containing an aqueous resin to which is added a wetting composition to reduce surface tension according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12. 21. Agricultural composition containing a wetting composition to reduce surface tension according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12.

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