Surfactant microemulsions

• US 10,584,306 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2017
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novus International, Inc. (Nippon Soda Company Limited), The Board of Regents of the University of Colorado (University of Colorado System)
• Original Assignee: The Board of Regents of the University of Colorado (University of Colorado System)
• Inventors: Long, Scott, Arhancet, Graciela, Grady, Brian, Harwell, Jeff, Yu, Guangzhe
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Yanzhi
• Application Number:
  US15/675,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20190048287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 8/068 Microemulsions
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 8/46 containing sulfur A61K8/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61Q 19/10 Washing or bathing preparations
• CPC Class Codes: A61Q 5/02 Preparations for cleaning the hair
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/755 Sulfoxides
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/0021 Aqueous microemulsions
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 2111/14 Hard surfaces

Abstract

The present invention relates to microemulsions and methods of preparing and using the microemulsions.

Claims

1. A microemulsion comprising at least one surfactant, an oil phase, and an aqueous phase, wherein the surfactant is a compound of Formula (IV) or Formula (IVa):

2. The microemulsion of claim 1, wherein R¹ is methyl, and n is 2.

3. The microemulsion of claim 1, wherein M is an alkali metal, R¹ is methyl, and n is 2.

4. The microemulsion of claim 1, wherein the oil phase comprises at least one hydrocarbon solvent.

5. The microemulsion of claim 4, wherein the at least one hydrocarbon solvent is selected from the group consisting of hexane, n-hexane, heptane, n-heptane, octane, n-octane, nonane, n-nonane, decane, n-decane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane, cycloheptane, cyclooctane, methyl cyclohexane, ethyl cyclohexane, propyl cyclohexane, and combinations thereof.

6. The microemulsion of claim 5, wherein the at least one hydrocarbon solvent is selected from the group consisting of cyclohexane, methyl cyclohexane, ethyl cyclohexane, and propyl cyclohexane.

7. The microemulsion of claim 5, wherein the at least one hydrocarbon solvent is selected from the group consisting of hexane, heptane, octane, nonane, and decane.

8. The microemulsion of claim 1, wherein the oil phase is present in the microemulsion in an amount from about 1% (v/v) to about 99% (v/v).

9. The microemulsion of claim 1, wherein the aqueous phase comprises at least one aqueous liquid selected from the group consisting of water, distilled water, purified water, de-ionized water, tap water, salt solutions, and combinations thereof.

10. The microemulsion of claim 9, wherein the at least one aqueous liquid is water.

11. The microemulsion of claim 9, wherein the at least one aqueous liquid is a salt solution.

12. The microemulsion of claim 11, wherein the salt solution comprises an alkali metal salt or an alkaline earth metal salt.

13. The microemulsion of claim 12, wherein the salt solution comprises sodium chloride.

14. The microemulsion of claim 1, wherein the aqueous phase is present in the microemulsion in an amount from about 1% (v/v) to about 99% (v/v).