Reduced-residue hard surface cleaner and method for determining film/streak

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12270010-B2
Application number	US-202117151441-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2021
Priority date	Jul 20, 2018
Publication date	Apr 8, 2025
Grant date	Apr 8, 2025

Abstract

Dilutable concentrates useful for hard surface cleaners with improved film/streak performance on high-energy surfaces are disclosed. The concentrates comprise a nonionic alkoxylated surfactant and a polyetheramine. A relatively minor proportion of a polyetheramine can resolve film/streak issues that characterize hard surface cleaners formulated with nonionic surfactants. The efficacy of polyetheramines for improving film/streak performance of hard surface cleaners formulated with nonionic alkoxylated surfactants far exceeds the benefits available from known improvements, such as the use of hydrotropes. Other inventive dilutable concentrates and hard surface cleaners comprise an amine-functional hydrophobe and an auxiliary surfactant. Still other dilutable concentrates or hard surface cleaners comprise a nonionic alkoxylated surfactant and lactic acid. An improved method for measuring film/streak properties of hard surface cleaners is also disclosed.

First claim

We claim:

1. A dilutable concentrate for hard surface cleaners with improved film/streak performance on high-energy surfaces, comprising:
(a) 25 to 95 wt.% of a nonionic alkoxylated surfactant;
(b) 2 to 30 wt.% of a polyetheramine; and
(c) optionally, up to 50 wt.% of a cosolvent, a builder, an auxiliary surfactant, or a mixture thereof, said wt.% values based on the amount of dilutable concentrate, wherein the nonionic alkoxylated surfactant is a mixture comprising 80 to 99 wt.% of an alcohol ethoxylate and 1 to 20 wt.% of a trisiloxane alkoxylate.

2. The concentrate of claim 1 wherein the polyetheramine has an average amine functionality within the range of 1 to 8.

3. The concentrate of claim 1 wherein the auxiliary surfactant is an anionic surfactant, an amphoteric surfactant, a zwitterionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, an alkyl polyglucoside, or a combination thereof.

4. A dilutable concentrate for hard surface cleaners with improved film/streak performance on high-energy surfaces, comprising:
(a) 30 to 90 wt.% of a nonionic alkoxylated surfactant;
(b) 2 to 30 wt.% of a polyetheramine comprising at least one primary amino group and having a number-average molecular weight of 300 to 5,000 g/mol and at least 50 mole% of oxypropylene units, oxybutylene units or both, based on the combined amounts of oxyalkylene units;
(c) optionally, up to 50 wt.% of a cosolvent, a builder, an auxiliary surfactant, or a mixture thereof, said wt.% values based on the amount of dilutable concentrate, and
(d) lactic acid.

5. A hard surface cleaner comprising water and the concentrate of claim 1 .

6. The cleaner of claim 5 comprising 50 to 99.9 wt.% of water based on the amount of cleaner.

7. The cleaner of claim 5 formulated at a pH within the range of 3.0 to 9.0.

8. A dilutable concentrate for hard surface cleaners with improved film/streak performance on high-energy surfaces, comprising:
(a) 30 to 90 wt.% of a nonionic alkoxylated surfactant selected from the group consisting of C 8 -C 14 alcohol alkoxylates, EO-PO block copolymers, alkoxylated fatty amides, alkoxylated oils, alkoxylated carbohydrate esters, siloxane alkoxylates, and mixtures thereof;
(b) 2 to 20 wt.% of lactic acid;
(c) optionally, up to 50 wt.% of a cosolvent, a builder, an auxiliary surfactant, or a mixture thereof, said wt.% values based on the amount of dilutable concentrate; and
(d) 2.0 to 20.0 wt.% of a polyetheramine comprising at least one primary amino group and having a number-average molecular weight of 300 to 5,000 g/mol and at least 50 mole% of oxypropylene units, oxybutylene unites or both, based on the combined amounts of oxyalkylene units.

9. A hard surface cleaner comprising 50 to 99.9 wt% of water based on the amount of cleaner and a dilutable concentrate comprising:
(a) 30 to 90 wt.% of a nonionic alkoxylated surfactant selected from the group consisting of C 8 -C 14 alcohol alkoxylates, EO-PO block copolymers, alkoxylated fatty amides, alkoxylated oils, alkoxylated carbohydrate esters, siloxane alkoxylates, and mixtures thereof;
(b) 2 to 20 wt.% of lactic acid; and
(c) optionally, up to 50 wt.% of a cosolvent, a builder, an auxiliary surfactant, or a mixture thereof, said wt.% values based on the amount of dilutable concentrate.

10. The dilutable concentrate of claim 1 wherein the nonionic alkoxylated surfactant is present in an amount from 40 to 85 wt.%.

11. The dilutable concentrate of claim 8 wherein the nonionic alkoxylated surfactant is present in an amount from 40 to 85 wt.%.

Assignees

• Stepan Co

Inventors

• Masters Ronald A
• Knock Mona Marie
• Wolfe Patrick Shane
• Boebel Timothy A
• Dong Xue Min
• Murphy Dennis S

Classifications

• C11D17/0008

  aqueous liquid non soap compositions (C11D3/0015, C11D3/3947, C11D3/3956 take precedence) · CPC title

• C11D3/3792

  Amine oxide containing polymers · CPC title

• C11D3/2086

  Hydroxy carboxylic acids-salts thereof · CPC title

• C11D2111/18

  Glass; Plastics · CPC title

• G01N2021/945

  Liquid or solid deposits of macroscopic size on surfaces, e.g. drops, films, or clustered contaminants · CPC title