Compositions and methods for imparting oil repellency and/or water repellency

• US 7,820,563 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2009
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Soane Labs, LLC
• Original Assignee: Hawaii Nanosciences, LLC
• Inventors: Berg, Michael C., Soane, David S., Mowers, William A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Salvatore; Lynda
• Application Number:
  US12/424,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20100068960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 442 80- 81
• US Class Current: 442/81
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 77/452 containing nitrogen-containing sequences
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/3742 Nitrogen containing silicones
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 15/53 Polyethers polyacetals D06M15/39
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 15/61 Polyamines polyimines
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 15/643 containing silicon in the main chain
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 2200/11 Oleophobic properties
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 2200/12 Hydrophobic properties
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2172 Also specified as oil repellent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/218 Organosilicon containing

Abstract

Compositions and methods for treating substrates, such as fibrous materials, are disclosed. Such compositions and methods can be used to impart or maintain a level of oil repellency and/or water repellency in fibrous substrates such as paper-based materials and/or textiles. In general, such compositions can utilize a copolymer having a plurality of polycationic segments, which can be joined by various other polymeric segments such as silicones and/or hydrophilic polymeric segments. The copolymer can be formulated as a highly-branched polymer, which can have substantivity to a fibrous material to impart oil repellency and/or water repellency. In several instances, the copolymer can be formulated to be fluorine-free. Various details of such copolymers are discussed, as well as methods of utilizing and making such copolymers.

Claims

1. A copolymer for imparting at least one of oil repellency and water repellency to a fibrous material, comprising:

a plurality of aliphatic amine polymer segments, each segment including a plurality of repeat units, each unit including at least one amine group; and

a first plurality of silicone segments, each segment being attached to at least two amine groups, each amine group being a part of a distinct aliphatic amine polymer segment.

2. The copolymer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of aliphatic amine polymer segments include at least one of polyalkyleneimine, polyvinylamine, polyallylamine, polydiallylamine, and copolymers thereof.

3. The copolymer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of aliphatic amine polymer segments have an average molecular weight greater than about 100,000 Daltons.

4. The copolymer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of aliphatic amine polymer segments include a polyalkyleneimine segment comprising a repeat unit represented by Structural Formula (Ia):

5. The copolymer of claim 4, wherein the polyalkyleneimine segment further comprises another repeat unit represented by Structural Formula (Ib):

6. The copolymer of claim 1, wherein the aliphatic amine polymer segments include a polyalkyleneimine segment with a degree of branching smaller than about 0.33.

7. The copolymer of claim 1, wherein the aliphatic amine polymer segments include polyalkyleneimine segments having an average molecular weight between about 100,000 Daltons and about 2,000,000 Daltons.

8. The copolymer of claim 1, wherein the copolymer has a molecular weight of greater than about 200,000 Daltons.

9. The copolymer of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of silicone segments include a polymer segment having a repeat unit represented by Structural Formula (II):

10. The copolymer of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of silicone segments have an average molecular weight between about 500 Daltons and about 10,000 Daltons.

11. The copolymer of claim 1, wherein the copolymer is substantially fluorine free.

12. The copolymer of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of softening segments for imparting softness to a textile material when the copolymer is applied to the textile, wherein each of the plurality of softening segments is attached to only one aliphatic amine polymer segment.

13. The copolymer of claim 12, wherein the plurality of softening segments include a second plurality of silicone segments.

14. The copolymer of claim 1, wherein a range of about 10% to about 40% of all amine groups of the plurality of aliphatic amine polymer segments are attached to the first plurality of silicone segments.

15. A treated fibrous material comprising:

a fibrous material; and

a composition including the copolymer of claim 1, the composition contacting a surface of the fibrous material.

16. The treated fibrous material of claim 15, wherein the fibrous material is at least one of a textile material and a paper-based material.

29. A method for imparting at least one of water repellency and oil repellency to a fibrous material, comprising:

applying the copolymer of claim 1 to the fibrous material to impart at least one of water repellency and oil repellency to the fibrous material.

17. A copolymer for imparting at least one of water repellency and oil repellency to a fibrous material, comprising:

a plurality of polycationic segments, each segment including a plurality of repeat units, each unit including at least one amine group;

a first plurality of silicone segments, each silicone segment being attached to at least one amine group of any of the plurality of polycationic segments; and

a plurality of hydrophilic segments, each hydrophilic segment being attached to at least one amine group of any of the plurality of polycationic segments.

18. The copolymer of claim 17, wherein each of the first plurality of silicone segments is attached to at least two amine groups, each amine group being part of a distinct polycationic segment.

19. The copolymer of claim 17, wherein the plurality of polycationic segments include aliphatic amine polymer segments.

20. The copolymer of claim 19, wherein the aliphatic amine polymer segments include at least one of polyalkyleneimine, polyvinylamine, polyallylamine, polydiallylamine, and copolymers thereof.

21. The copolymer of claim 20, wherein the aliphatic amine polymer segments include polyalkyleneimine segments having an average molecular weight between about 10,000 Daltons and about 2,000,000 Daltons.

22. A fibrous-substrate-treating composition comprising a polymer mixture including the copolymer of claim 17, wherein a concentration of the copolymer is in a range from about 1 part per million to about 40% by weight of the composition.

23. A fibrous-substrate-treating composition comprising a polymer mixture including the copolymer of claim 17 and at least one of a UV blocker, a dye, an optical brightening agent, a thickener, a deposition agent, a hindered amine light stabilizer, and a fragrance material.

24. A fibrous-substrate-treating composition comprising a polymer mixture including the copolymer of claim 17, wherein the composition includes a cleansing agent for cleaning a textile material.

25. The copolymer of claim 17, wherein the first plurality of silicone segments include a polymer segment having a repeat unit represented by Structural Formula (II):

26. The copolymer of claim 17, wherein the first plurality of silicone segments have an average molecular weight between about 500 Daltons and about 10,000 Daltons.

27. The copolymer of claim 17, further comprising:

a plurality of softening segments for imparting softness to a textile material when the copolymer is applied to the textile, wherein each of the plurality of softening segments is attached to only one polycationic segment.

28. The copolymer of claim 17, wherein a range of about 10% to about 40% of all amine groups of the plurality of polycationic segments are attached to at least one of the first plurality of silicone segments and the plurality of hydrophilic segments.

30. A treated fibrous material comprising:

a fibrous material; and

a composition including the copolymer of claim 17, the composition contacting a surface of the fibrous material.

31. A method for imparting at least one of water repellency and oil repellency to a fibrous material, comprising:

applying the copolymer of claim 17 to the fibrous material to impart at least one of water repellency and oil repellency to the fibrous material.