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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10336973-B2
Application number	US-201514881195-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2015
Priority date	Oct 13, 2014
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed herein are articles that include water-soluble films, where the water-soluble films include a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) polymer and a combination of at least three plasticizers. The combination of plasticizers includes dipropylene glycol as a first plasticizer, a sugar alcohol such as sorbitol as a second plasticizer, and a polyol such as glycerin as a third plasticizer. When the PVOH polymer and plasticizers 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 beneficial combinations of aged tensile strength, aged melting transition delta elevation, aged adhesion value, and/or resistance to seal peeling, which provide strong film seals that retain their water-solubility characteristics.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. An article comprising:
a. a water-soluble film, wherein the water-soluble film comprises:
a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) polymer, wherein the PVOH polymer comprises a polymer blend comprising a first PVOH copolymer comprising a first anionic monomer unit selected from the group consisting of acrylamido methylpropanesulfonic acids, alkali metal salts thereof, and combinations thereof, and a second PVOH copolymer comprising a second anionic monomer unit selected from the group consisting of monomethyl maleate, alkali metal salts thereof, and combinations thereof, wherein the first PVOH copolymer is present in an amount of about 20 wt. % of total PVOH polymers in the film; and the second PVOH copolymer is present in an amount of about 80 wt. % of total PVOH polymers in the film;
dipropylene glycol as a first plasticizer;
sorbitol as the second placticizer; and
glycerin as the third plasticizer; wherein the first, second, and third plasticizers are present in the water-soluble film in a combined amount in a range of about 5 parts to about 50 parts total plasticizer per 100 parts total resin (phr) in the water-soluble film; wherein the first plasticizer is present in the water-soluble film in an amount in a range of about 13 wt. % to about 58 wt. % relative to the combined amount of the first, second, and third plasticizers in the water-soluble film; wherein the second plasticizer is present in the water-soluble film in an amount in a range of about 13 wt. % to about 58 wt. % relative to the combined amount of the first, second, and third plasticizers in the water-soluble film; wherein the third plasticizer is present in the water-soluble film in an amount in a range of about 28 wt. % to about 73 wt. % relative to the combined amount of the first, second, and third plasticizers in the water-soluble film; and

b. a household care composition.

2. The article of claim, wherein the first, second, and third plasticizers are present in the water-soluble film in a combined amount in a range of about 5 parts to about 40 parts total plasticizer per 100 parts total resin (phr) in the water-soluble film.

3. The article of claim 1 , wherein:
the water-soluble film has an aged tensile strength of at least about 25 MPa as measured by the Aged Tensile Strength Test; and
the water-soluble film has a seal tear value of at least about 170% as measured by the Sum Seal Tear Test.

4. The article of claim 1 , wherein:
the first plasticizer is present in the water-soluble film in an amount in a range of about 13 wt. % to about 40 wt. % relative to the combined amount of the first, second, and third plasticizers in the water-soluble film;
the second plasticizer is present in the water-soluble film in an amount in a range of about 13 wt. % to about 30 wt. % relative to the combined amount of the first, second, and third plasticizers in the water-soluble film; and
the third plasticizer is present in the water-soluble film in an amount in a range of about 40 wt. % to about 70 wt. % relative to the combined amount of the first, second, and third plasticizers in the water-soluble film.

5. The article of claim 1 , wherein:
the first plasticizer is present in the water-soluble film in an amount in a range of about 13 wt. % to about 19 wt. % relative to the combined amount of the first, second, and third plasticizers in the water-soluble film;
the second plasticizer is present in the water-soluble film in an amount in a range of about 41 wt. % to about 52 wt. % relative to the combined amount of the first, second, and third plasticizers in the water-soluble film; and
the third plasticizer is present in the water-soluble film in an amount in a range of about 35 wt. % to about 44 wt. % relative to the combined amount of the first, second, and third plasticizers in the water-soluble film.

6. The article of claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble film has at least two of the three properties (a), (b), and (c):
(a) an aged melting transition delta elevation of about 12° C. or less as measured by the Aged Melting Transition Delta Test;
(b) an aged adhesion value of at least about 1300 g/s as measured by the Aged Adhesion Test; and
(c) an aged tensile strength of at least about 25 MPa as measured by the Aged Tensile Strength Test.

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

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

9. The article of claim 8 , wherein the at least one compartment comprises at least one wall, wherein the at least one wall comprises the water-soluble film.

10. The article of claim 8 , wherein the pouch comprises at least two compartments.

11. The article of claim 10 , wherein a second compartment is superposed on a first compartment.

12. The article of claim 10 , wherein the pouch comprises at least three compartments.

13. The article of claim 8 , wherein the household care composition is contained in the at least one 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, laundry detergent gels, bleaching compositions, laundry additives, fabric enhancer compositions, shampoos, body washes, 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. The article of claim 1 , wherein the household care composition is in contact with the water-soluble film.

18. A method of forming the article of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the steps of:
providing the water-soluble 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.

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

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Labeque Regine
• Courchay Florence Catherine
• Friedrich Steven George
• Lee David M

Classifications

• C08K2201/014

  Additives containing two or more different additives of the same subgroup in C08K · CPC title

• C08K5/053

  Polyhydroxylic alcohols · CPC title

• C11D17/042 Primary

  Water soluble or water disintegrable containers or substrates containing cleaning compositions or additives for cleaning compositions · CPC title

• C08J2300/14

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

• B65B7/02

  Closing containers or receptacles deformed by, or taking-up shape, of, contents, e.g. bags, sacks · CPC title