This application is an application under 35 U.S.C. Section 371 of International Application Number PCT/FR991/01691 filed on Jul. 9, 1999.
A subject matter of the present invention is a novel terephthalic polyester composition, its process of preparation by transesterification/condensation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and of polyethylene glycol, and its use as soil-release agent in detergent formulations, in rinsing, softening or finishing formulations, for the washing, with or without pretreatment, the rinsing, the softening or the finishing of textiles, in particular polyester-based textiles.
The soil-release activity of ethylene terephthalate/polyethylene oxide terephthalate copolymers in the finishing of textiles, in particular polyester-based textiles, and the use of said copolymers as soil-release and/or antiredeposition agents in detergent formulations for the washing, with or without pretreatment, of textiles, in particular polyester-based textiles, are well known (U.S. Pat. Nos. 396,252; 4,116,885; 4,785,060).
These copolymers can, for example, derive from the transesterification/condensation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and of polyethylene glycol (U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,060).
The Applicant Company has found a novel terephthalic polyester composition which can be obtained by transesterification/condensation of a poly(ethylene terephthalate) and of a polyethylene glycol and which in particular exhibits particularly good soil-release properties.
According to the invention, it is a terephthalic polyester composition (TPC) comprising, as a mixture
an ethylene terephthalate homooligomer (PET1) essentially comprising oxyethylene terephthalate (TE) repeat units of formula (I)
xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94Axe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(I)
xe2x80x83where A represents the 1,4-phenylene group,
and a block terephthalic copolymer (PET2/TE-POE) comprising
at least one polyethylene terephthalate block (PET2) composed of oxyethylene terephthalate (TE) repeat units of formula (I)
xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94Axe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(I)
xe2x80x83where A represents the 1,4-phenylene group,
and at least one polyoxyethylene terephthalate block (TE-POE) of formula
xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94Axe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94O)nxe2x80x94
xe2x80x83the value of n being such that said block exhibits a number-average molecular mass of the order of 1500 to 4000, preferably of the order of 3000 to 4000,
said composition being characterized in that:
the amount of (TE) units of the polyethylene terephthalate (PET1) does not represent more than 10%, preferably not more than 7%, of all the (TE) units present in the terephthalic polyester composition (TPC),
the amount by weight of all the (TE) units present in said (TPC) composition represents at least 11%, preferably from 11.5 to 17%, of the weight of said (TPC) composition,
the amount by weight of mono(oxyethyleneoxy) (OEO) residues of formula
1/2Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94O1/2
xe2x80x83represents at least 1.3%, preferably from 1.3 to 2.3%, of the weight of said terephthalic polyester composition (TPC),
said (OEO) residues belonging to the oxyethylene aromatic diester (OAD) groups of formula
xe2x80x94Axe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94C (O)xe2x80x94Axe2x80x94
xe2x80x83present in all the (PET1) and (PET2) blocks,
and in that the weight-average molar mass of said block terephthalic copolymer (PET2/TE-POE) is at least 30000, preferably at least 35000, very particularly at least 40000.
The ends of the chains of (PET1) homooligomers are generally composed of xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94Axe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94OH units.
The ends of the chains of block terephthalic copolymer (PET2/TE-POE) are generally composed of
xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94Axe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94OH
units and/or
xe2x80x94(CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94O)nxe2x88x921xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94OH
units.
The characteristics of the (TPC) composition of the invention can be determined by subjecting said composition to the following analyses:
size exclusion chromatography (SEC) using a size exclusion chromatography device with simultaneous detection by refractometry and ultraviolet, using N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) comprising 10xe2x88x922 mol/l of LiBr as eluent at 100xc2x0 C.
This measurement (UV chromatography) makes it possible:
to detect the presence of the A (terephthalic) aromatic nuclei,
to determine the percentage of ethylene terephthalate homooligomer (PET1) in the terephthalic polyester composition (TPC),
to determine the weight-average molar mass of the block terephthalic copolymer (PET2/TE-POE), expressed in polystyrene equivalents.
proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) using an NMR spectrometer in a CDCl3/deuterated hexafluoroisopropanol/deuterated trifluoroacetic anhydride mixture.
This measurement makes it possible to detect
the aromatic (terephthalic T) nuclei,
the oxyethylene units,
the mono(oxyethyleneoxy) (OEO) residues present in the oxyethylene aromatic diester (OAD) groups,
the polyoxyethylene terephthalate blocks (TE-POE), the units at the chain ends.
The calculation makes it possible to deduce therefrom:
the amount by weight of all the (TE) units in the terephthalic polyester composition (TPC),
the amount by weight of mono(oxyethyleneoxy) (OEO) residues in the terephthalic polyester composition (TPC).
Further information with regard to these analyses is given in the examples.