Articles comprising water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol blend film and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10240114-B2
Application number	US-201514881190-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2015
Priority date	Oct 13, 2014
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

Articles that include water-soluble films and household care composition, where the films include a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend and optionally one or more additional components such as plasticizers, fillers, surfactants, and other additives. The PVOH resin blend includes a PVOH copolymer including one or more types of anionic monomer units such as a PVOH terpolymer and a PVOH polymer such as another PVOH anionic copolymer or a partially or completely hydrolyzed PVOH homopolymer. When the PVOH copolymer and PVOH polymer are blended in particular proportions and/or selected with regard to various criteria related to physical and chemical film properties, the resulting water-soluble film formed from the PVOH resin blend exhibits substantially improved aqueous dissolution properties, tensile strength properties, and/or tensile modulus properties.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. An article comprising:
a. a water-soluble film comprising:
a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend comprising:
from about 10 wt. % to about 75 wt. % of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend of a first PVOH terpolymer comprising a first anionic monomer unit, the first PVOH terpolymer having a first level of incorporation (a 1 ) of the first anionic monomer unit, wherein the first anionic monomer is selected from the group consisting of acrylamido methylpropanesulfonic acids, alkali metal salts thereof, and combinations thereof, and wherein the first PVOH terpolymer comprises monomer units of vinyl alcohol, vinyl acetate and acrylamido methylpropanesulfonic acid or alkali metal salt thereof; and
from about 25 wt. % to about 90 wt. % of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend of a second PVOH terpolymer comprising a second anionic monomer unit, the second PVOH terpolymer having a second level of incorporation (a 2 ) of the second anionic monomer unit, wherein the second anionic monomer is selected from the group consisting of monomethyl maleate, alkali metal salts thereof, and combinations thereof, and wherein the second PVOH terpolymer comprises monomer units of vinyl alcohol, vinyl acetate and monomethyl maleate or alkali metal salt thereof; and

b. a household care composition proximal to the water-soluble film.

2. The article of claim 1 , wherein the first anionic monomer unit and the second anionic monomer unit are together present in a combined amount in a range of about 2.0 mol. % to about 3.5 mol. % of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend.

3. The article of claim 1 , wherein the first anionic monomer is present in an amount less than about 3 mol. % of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend.

4. The article of claim 1 , wherein:
the first PVOH terpolymer is present in an amount in a range from about 10 wt. % to about 40 wt. % of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend;
the second PVOH terpolymer is present in an amount in a range of about 60 wt.% to about 90 wt. % of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend;
a 1 a 2 is in a range of about 1 mol. % to about 3 mol. %
a 1 is in a range of about 3 mol. % to about 5 mol. %;
a 2 is in a range of about 1 mol. % to about 3 mol. %; and
the first anionic monomer unit and the second anionic monomer unit are present in a combined amount in a range of about 2.0 mol. % to about 2.8 mol. % of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend.

5. The article of claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble film is characterized by at least one of the following values:
a) a residue value of about 48 wt. % or less as measured by the Dissolution Chamber Test;
b) an average tensile strength value of at least about 33 MPa as measured by the Tensile Strength Test;
c) a modulus value of at least about 12 N/mm 2 as measured by the Modulus Test;
d) a Residue-AMPS Factor (RAF) value in a range of about 55 to about 100;
the RAF value is defined as RAF =(2 ×DC)+(10 ×A);
DC is the residue value in weight percent of the film as measured by the Dissolution Chamber Test; and
A is the level of incorporation in mole percent of all acrylamido methylpropanesulfonic acid anionic polymerized monomers relative to the polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend.

6. The article of claim 1 , wherein the first PVOH terpolymer and the second PVOH terpolymer each independently have a degree of hydrolysis in a range of about 75% to about 99%.

7. The article of claim 1 , wherein the first PVOH terpolymer has a 4% solution viscosity at 20° C. in a range of about 4 cP to about 24 cP, and the second PVOH terpolymer has a 4% solution viscosity at 20° C. in a range of about 12 cP to about 30 cP.

8. The article of claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble film further comprises at least a third water-soluble polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethyleneimines, polyvinyl pyrrolidones, polyalkylene oxides, polyacrylamides, cellulose ethers, cellulose esters, cellulose amides, polyvinyl acetates, polyamides, gelatines, methylcelluloses, carboxymethylcelluloses and salts thereof, dextrins, ethylcelluloses, hydroxyethyl celluloses, hydroxypropyl methylcelluloses, maltodextrins, starches, modified starches, guar gum, gum Acacia, xanthan gum, carrageenan, polyacrylates and salts thereof, copolymers thereof, and combinations thereof.

9. The article of claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble film further comprises components selected from the group consisting of plasticizers, plasticizer compatibilizers, lubricants, release agents, fillers, extenders, cross-linking agents, antiblocking agents, antioxidants, detackifying agents, antifoams, nanoparticles, bleaching agents, surfactants, and combinations thereof.

10. The article of claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble film further comprises one or more plasticizers in an amount in a range of about 1 wt. % to about 40 wt. % of the film.

11. The article of claim 1 , wherein the article is in the form of a pouch comprising at least one sealed compartment.

12. The article of claim 11 , wherein a second compartment is superposed on a first compartment.

13. The article of claim 11 , where the household care composition is contained in the at least one sealed compartment.

14. The article of claim 1 , wherein the household care composition is selected from the group consisting of light duty liquid detergents compositions, heavy duty liquid detergent compositions, hard surface cleaning compositions, detergent gels, bleaching compositions, laundry additives, fabric enhancer compositions, shampoos, body washes, personal care compositions, and mixtures thereof.

15. The article of claim 1 , wherein the household care composition comprises surfactant.

16. The article of claim 1 , wherein the household care composition is in the form of a liquid, solid, a powder, or mixtures thereof.

17. A method of forming the article of claim 1 , where the method comprises the steps of:
providing the film, wherein the film defines an interior pouch container volume;
filling the container volume with a household care composition; and
sealing the film to form a sealed compartment, wherein the sealed compartment contains the composition.

18. A method of treating a substrate, where the method comprises the step of contacting the substrate with the article of claim 1 .

19. An article comprising:
a. a water-soluble film comprising:
a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend comprising:
from about 10 wt. % to about 75 wt. % of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend of a first PVOH terpolymer comprising a first anionic monomer unit, wherein the first anionic monomer is selected from the group consisting of acrylamido methylpropanesulfonic acids, alkali metal salts thereof, and combinations thereof, and wherein the first PVOH terpolymer comprises monomer units of vinyl alcohol, vinyl acetate and acrylamido methylpropanesulfonic acid or alkali metal salt thereof; and
from about 25 wt. % to about 90 wt. % of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin blend of a second PVOH terpolymer comprising a second anionic monomer unit, wherein the second anionic monomer is selected from the group consisting of monomethyl maleate, alkali metal salts thereof, and combinations thereof, and wherein the second PVOH terpolymer comprises monomer units of vinyl alcohol, vinyl acetate and monomethyl maleate or alkali metal salt thereof;

wherein the water-soluble film has the following properties
(a) the water-soluble film has a residue value of from about 12 wt. % to about 48 wt. %, as measured by the Dissolution Chamber Test;

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Labeque Regine
• Courchay Florence Catherine
• Keuleers Robby Renilde François
• Friedrich Steven George
• Lee David M
• Yogan Thomas J

Classifications

• C11D17/043

  Liquid or thixotropic (gel) compositions · CPC title

• C08J2300/14

  Water soluble or water swellable polymers, e.g. aqueous gels · CPC title

• C11D17/045

  Multi-compartment · CPC title

• C08J2429/04

  Polyvinyl alcohol; Partially hydrolysed homopolymers or copolymers of esters of unsaturated alcohols with saturated carboxylic acids · CPC title

• C08J5/18 Primary

  Manufacture of films or sheets · CPC title