[nanoRequest] Alternative routes to lowering interfacial tension

Alternative routes to lowering interfacial tension.

Background to the problem

We are a large multinational consumer goods company, seeking novel materials / technologies and/or new mechanisms that deliver low interfacial tension. Consumer products such as laundry detergents contain large amounts of surfactants (up to 40% by weight of the formulation). Their primary role is to aid cleaning by reducing the interfacial energy between the dirt / soil and the wash solution. This is achieved by adsorption of material at or across the interface. We now want to identify alternatives that are more weight-efficient than the current surfactant technologies.

Success criteria

We seek new chemical methods that reduce the interfacial tension between:

• Solid soils such as clays and/or soot and aqueous solutions.
• Oily liquid soils such as mineral and cooking oils and aqueous solutions.
• Solid / liquid soils (as above) and fabrics such as cotton and polyester.

In addition we would consider any novel chemical solution that could produce an emulsion between mineral and/or food oils and water.

All solutions should:

• Be compatible with an aqueous environment.
• Operate at ambient temperature, but ideally up to 100oC.
• Operate over a range of pH (4-11).

We will also consider new mechanisms and ideas at an early stage if supported by proof of principle data or well-established principles.

Approaches not of interest:

We are not interested in solutions that exploit:

1. Mixed surfactant systems to increase adsorption at interfaces.

2. Polymer / surfactant interactions that manipulate aggregation in solution and increase adsorption at interfaces.

3. Biological solutions involving Lipase, Protease and Amylase that operate by either modification of soils to facilitate removal or generate further active material from the soil.

4. Particles that have been modified to have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces on a single particle.

5. Modifications to washing machines, to remove or add species to the wash solution or to increase energy input into the wash process.

6. Ancillary devices that are added into the machine that perform operations as in 5.

Material properties:

Materials used must be inherently safe for incorporation into laundry products, in particular they should have no known issues relating to:

• Toxicity.
• Skin irritancy.
• Release into the environment.

Suitable responses:

• I am a company that has suitable materials that are available either commercially or on a lab-scale and ready for testing.
• I am a company or institution who has technology that should be suitable, but some limited proof of principle work is necessary.
• I am a company or institution who has an idea for technology and/or mechanism that might be suitable, but a significant program of work would be needed for proof of principle and development of the technology.

PLEASE NOTE:

Your initial response should contain only non-confidential information, which we will use for initial review and assessment. If we decide to take it further we may request additional information, in which case we may want to put in place a suitable confidentiality agreement designed to protect your interests and ours.

If you are interested then please contact Andy Garland, andy.garland@nanoposts.com , T: +44 (0) 1786 474768.