Treatment compositions containing water-soluble polyelectrolyte complex which are self-limiting

摘要

The present invention relates to aqueous compositions of associative polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs), optionally containing surfactants, biocidal agents and/or oxidants, which can provide a cleaning benefit and surface protection to treated articles including reduced soiling tendency, reduced cleaning effort and improved soil repellancy, as well as providing bacteriostatic properties to treated surfaces that thereby gain resistance to water, environmental exposure and microbial challenge. Treatment means and compositions are provided that employ associative polyelectrolyte complexes formed by combining a water soluble cationic first polyelectrolyte with a water soluble second polyelectrolyte bearing groups of opposite charge to the first polyelectrolyte under suitable mixing conditions and at least one oxidant selected from the group: alkaline metal salts and/or alkaline earth metal salts of hypochlorous acid, hypochlorous acid, solubilized chlorine, any source of free chlorine, acidic sodium chlorite, active chlorine generating compound and any combinations or mixtures thereof. Also provided are means to form stable associative polyelectrolyte complexes with at least one oxidant in aqueous solutions having R values from about 0.10 to 20.

主权项

1. A treatment composition comprising:
(i) water; (ii) at least one water-soluble associative polyelectrolyte complex formed by combining a water soluble cationic first polyelectrolyte; and a water soluble second polyelectrolyte bearing groups of opposite charge to said first polyelectrolyte; wherein the resulting water-soluble associative polyelectrolyte complex is non-precipitating in the treatment composition, wherein R, the molar ratio of charged groups present on said first polyelectrolyte to oppositely charged groups present on said second polyelectrolyte is from 0.10 to 20; (iii) wherein said cationic first polyelectrolyte and said second polyelectrolyte each comprise at least one of homopolymers, random copolymers, alternating copolymers, or mixtures thereof; (iv) wherein neither said cationic first polyelectrolyte nor said second polyelectrolyte is a synthetic block copolymer; (v) wherein the at least one polyelectrolyte complex is at a concentration of no more than about 100 mM with respect to a total concentration of charged groups present on the first polyelectrolyte and the second polyelectrolyte making up the at least one polyelectrolyte complex; (vi) wherein the at least one associative polyelectrolyte complex has an average aggregate size in solution of less than about 500 nanometers; and (vii) wherein film formation of the at least one water-soluble associative polyelectrolyte complex during use to treat a surface is self-limiting so as to not grow to macroscopic dimensions which would otherwise become visible to the eye, but instead maintaining a film thickness of less than about 500 nm.