US3897356A - Windshield wipers containing nonionic surfactant - Google Patents

Abstract

Paper towels especially towels having wet strength derived from cationic wet-strength resins are useful for wiping glass surfaces such as windshields of motor vehicles and this usefulness is significantly improved by the incorporation onto the paper towel of a non-ionic surfactant especially ethoxylates of linear secondary alcohols. Preferably the linear alkyl hydrophobe portion of a mixture of secondary alcohols having 11 to 15 carbon atoms and the hydrophylic portion is a polyethylene oxide chain randomly attached to the linear aliphatic chain and having approximately 15 ethylene oxide units.

Description

[ July 29, 1975 WlNDSl-llELD WIPERS CONTAINING NONlONlC SURFACTANT [75] Inventor: Alex Pociluyko, Glen Mills, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Scott Paper Company, Philadelphia,

[22] Filed: Feb. 28, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.: 336,771

[52] US. Cl. 252/91; 252/89; 252/DIG. l [51] Int. Cl. Clld 17/04; Clld H72 [58] Field of Search 252/91, DIG. l, 89

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,075,228 1/1963 Elias l. 252/91 X 3,227,614 l/1966 Scheuer 252/91 X 3,335,449 8/1967 Faessinger et al. 252/91 X 3,354,089 11/1967 York 252/91 3,393,417 7/1968 Schneider ct al.l.... 252/91 X 3,686,025 8/1972 Morton 252/91 X OTHER PUBLICATIONS McCutcheons Detergents and Emulsifiers, 1971 Annual, page 183, Allured Publishing Corporation (1971) Ridgewood, N.J., TP 990.D4.

Primary Examiner-Leland A. Sebastian Assistant ExaminerE. A. Miller Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Nicholas J. DeBenedictis; John W. Kane 5 7 ABSTRACT Paper towels especially towels having wet strength derived from cationic wet-strength resins are useful for wiping glass surfaces such as Windshields of motor vehicles and this usefulness is significantly improved by the incorporation onto the paper towel of a non-ionic surfactant especially ethoxylates of linear secondary alcohols. Preferably the linear alkyl hydrophobe portion of a mixture of secondary alcohols having 11 to 15 carbon atoms and the hydrophylic portion is a polyethylene oxide chain randomly attached to the linear aliphatic chain and having approximately 15 ethylene oxide units.

3 Claims, No Drawings WINDSI-IIELD WIPERS CONTAINING NONIONIC SURFACTANT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to nonionic detergents surfactants on wet strength paper towels in particularly to ethoxylated secondary alcohols on paper towels having cationic wet strength resins.

2. Description of the Prior Art Prior art paper towels designed for wiping purposes have been altered usually both chemically and physically to improve the wiping action. For example, wet strength chemicals (resins) have been added to the towels to retain their strength under the wet or moist conditions encountered during washing and wiping surfaces especially glass surfaces. Also chemical detergents and surfactants have been added to the paper towels to assist in the cleaning function. Most'detergent surfactants can be divided into three subclasses that is anionic, cationic, and non-ionic detergents. As the division suggests, these detergents have certain chemical properties and thus are useful in certain applications because of their properties. Therefore these detergents are generally selected on the basis of their chemical nature.

In developing an acceptable wiping towel for glass surfaces and more particularly, glass surfaces of moving vehicles, the following requirements are important: the products must be of the throw-away variety, i.e., reasonably inexpensive; the detergent must foam with water on the glass to aid in removing visibilityobstructing dirt and grim, and the foam must break down within a short period after foaming. The detergent surfactant must be readily absorbable into the towel so that it can be substantially removed from the windshield during wiping. Moreover, the chemical must not leave a visible or light-defracting film obstructing the drivers visibility. Also, the film should resist condensation or fine droplet formation (i.e. fogging) of the windshield. It was previously believed that most non-ionic detergents were unsuitable because they leave a distinct layer of film on the windshield (see US. Pat. No. 3,354,089). The cationic detergents were eliminated because they are substantive to cellulose and relatively unavailable. Specific anionic detergents were discovered to be suitable and compatible with usual wet strength resins. See US. Pat. No. 3,354,089 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,335,449.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A paper sheet having wet strength and containing a ethoylated secondary alcohol non-ionic surfactant is suitable for wiping glass surfaces. The suitable nonionic ethoxylates of linear secondary alcohols are those having the following formula.

wherein x and y are integers each having a value from to l4 and the sum of x plus y is from to 14. Wet strengthened paper stock suitable for windshield wiper or toweling use is impregnated either by spraying, by size-press application. or by any other standard coating application technique with an active amount of the abovedisclosed nonionic surfactant. Such a paper towel impregnated with the nonionic surfactant when used with moisture to wipe glass surfaces exhibit moderate sudsing to facilitate cleaning of the glass surface and wipes clean without leaving a light-defracting film, that is no haziness is left on the glass surface.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The one class of nonionic detergents surfactants discovered to be suitable for use on paper windshield wipers is ethoxylated linear secondary alcohols of the following general formula:

wherein x and y are integers each having a value of from 0 to 14 and the sum ofx plus y is from 10 to l4.

Wet-strength resin containing paper stock (cellulosie sheet material) is suitable as the base sheet for practicing this invention. Typical wet strength resins which are employed in making such paper stock are ureaformaldehyde, polyureaformaldehyde, melamineformaldehyde, glyoxalacrylamide and similar known wet strength resins for papermaking. The specific wet strength resin employed is not critical to the practice of this invention since the nonionic detergent surfactant is compatible with conventional wet-strength resins. The nonionic surfactant can be applied to the paper either before or after the application of the wet strength resin to the paper and either before or after the curing of the wet strength resin. Furthermore, formed wet strength paper products can be rewet with a solution of the nonionic surfactant to impart an activating amount of the surfactant to the paper.

It has been found that the present non-ionic detergent surfactant when applied to wet-strengthen paper cleans glass surfaces and does not leave a visible film upon the glass surface while it loosens dirt by easily foaming up in small quantities of water without producing excessiveamounts of suds. The non-ionic detergent surfactants can be sprayed onto paper products under usual production line conditions without causing significant eye irritation to the workers in the evirons of the spraying activity.

An active amount of a nonionic detergent surfactant of the present invention on paper towels depends upon the contemplated end use of the towel especially the type and amount of soil that may be encountered on the glass surface. Usually from about 0.01 to about 2.0% of the surfactant based upon the weight of the dry wet-strengthen paper stock is suitable with from about 0.5 to about 0.75% preferred.

The nonionic detergent surfactants used in the present invention are produced by ethoxylating a mixture of linear secondary alcohols containing from I 1 carbon atoms to 15 carbons atoms with a hydrophylic moiety containing about 15 ethylene oxide groups. Such ethoxylated secondary alcohols comprise a mixture of compounds of the above general formula wherein n is from I l to 15. Such detergent surfactants are available commercially under the tradename TERGITOL 15 S 15.

The following examples are illustrative and further describe this invention. Included are examples employing a representative sampling of other non-ionic surfactants which demonstrate the surprising functionality of only one non-ionic detergent surfactant namely those of the above general formula which function satisfactorily as a detergent surfactant for windshield wipers. Obviously the functionality of these specific non-ionic detergents surfactant employed in this invention could not be predicted on a basis of their being a member of the class of non-ionic surfactants in view of the demostrated inoperability of representative members of the class of nonionic detergent surfactants shown in the following examples and table and in view of the negative teachings in US. Pat. No. 3,354,089 in column 2, lines 7 to l 1.

EXAMPLE I Detergents surfactants listed in Table I were each sprayed in a regular pattern onto a clean windshield that had been previously washed and then rinsed with distilled water. An ordinary commercially available paper towel having some wet strength but having no detergent or surfactant was then used to wipe the area of the Windshields that had been sprayed with the detergent surfactant being tested. During moderate handwiping of the windshield with the paper towel, the sudsing characteristics of the test solution were observed. The moderate wiping of the windshield in a regular pattern was continued for approximately one minute thereby duplicating the usual effort of a service station attendant cleaning a motor vehicle windshield. The first observation during initial wiping was whether any sudsing developed. The quantity and duration of the sudsing was observed and those which gave a large quantity of suds which could not be substantially removed during the one minute wiping action were rated as no good as were those which gave no suds. Those surfactants that sudsed and whose suds were essentially removed during the wiping test were rated as having good sudsing characteristics.

After the one minute of wiping a moist film remained on the windshield which was allowed to dry..The windshield was then visually observed with an unaided eye for any detectable haze or visible film residue. These observations were recorded as either leaving a visible residue (yes) or not leaving a visible residue (no). The above test was performed for all of the detergent surfactants listed in Table I and from the results reported it is obvious that the non-ionic detergent surfactant employed in the present invention has unique properties not attributable to the general class of non-ionic detergents surfactants even the closely related detergent surfactants sold under the trade name TERGlTOL l S.

lgepal is a series of non-ionic surfactants available from GAF Corporation. lgepal CO-63O and lgepal CO- 880 are nonylphenoxpoly (ethyleneoxy) ethanols having 9 and 30 moles of ethylene oxide in their respective molecular structure. lgepal RC 520 is Dodecylphenoxy (ethyleneoxy) ethanol having 6 moles of ethylene oxide in its molecular structure. lgepal DM 430. DM 710 and DM 880 are Dialkylphenoxypoly (ethyleneoxy) ethanol having 9. IO-I l and 30 moles of ethylene oxide in their respective molecular structure.

TERGlTOL I5-S is a series of non-ionic sufactants available from Union Carbide and are ethoxylates of secondary linear alcohols of the formula:

wherein .r and are integers each having a value of from 0 to I4. plus y is from IO to 14 and ii is 3 for TERGlTOL 15 S 3, 5 for 15 S5, 7 for 1587. 9 for I589, 12 for IS S12 andl5 forl5 SIS.

Pluronic is a series of non-ionic surfactants available from Wyandotte Chemical Company formed by the condensation of propylene oxide with propylene glycol and have the general formula:

The characteristics of the specific Pluronic surfactant in Table I are listed in Table II.

TABLE I SUDSING VISIBLE SURFACTANT CHARACTERIS- FILM TICS.

Polyethoxylethyl- Good Yes aliphatic Aliphatic polyester Yes IGEPAL (IO-630 Yes IGEPAL CO-880 Yes lGEPAL RC-SZO No good Yes IGEPAL DM 430 Good Yes IGEPAL DM 7I0 Yes IGEPAL DM 880 Yes Octylphenoxypolyethoxy Yes ethanol TERGlTOL I553 Yes TERGlTOL I555 .Yes TERGlTOL I5S7 Yes TERGlTOL I559 Yes TERGlTOL l5SI2 Yes TERGlTOL 15SI5 No PLURONIC L-o'lDAP Yes PLURONIC L-35 Yes PLURONIC L-44 Yes PLURONIC L-64 Yes PLURONIC F-87 Yes PLURONIC F-88 Yes PLURONIC F-IOS No good Yes PLURONIC F-I27 Good Yes PLURONIC P-75 Yes PLURONIC P-I03 Yes TABLE II MOLECULAR 7r POLY SURFACTANT WEIGHT /IPOLY(ETI IYLENEOX- Y)GROUP Pluronie L-62DAP I750 20 Pluronic L-35 950 30 Pluronic L-44 I200 40 Pluronic L-o4 I750 40 Pluronic F-87 2250 Pluronic F-88 2250 80 Pluronic F-IOB 3250 80 Pluronic F-l 27 4000 70 Pluronic P- 2050 50 Pluronic P-l03 3250 30 What is claimed:

1. A wiper for glass surfaces consisting essentially of a wet-strengthened paper sheet containing an active amount of a nonionic detergent surfactant of the following general formula: 7

wherein .r and y are integers each having a value of from to 14 and the sum of x plus y is from to 14. 2. The paper sheet of claim 1 wherein the activating amount of detergent surfactant is from about 0.01 to about 2.0%, based upon the dry weight of the paper.

containing 15 ethylene oxide groups.

Claims (3)

1. A WIPER FOR GLASS SURFACE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A WET-STRENGTHENED PAPER SHEET CONTAINING AN ACTIVE AMOUNT OF A NONIONIC DETERGENT SURFACTANT OF THE FOLLOWING GENERAL FORMULA:

2. The paper sheet of claim 1 wherein the activating amount of detergent surfactant is from about 0.01 to about 2.0%, based upon the dry weight of the paper.

3. A wiper for glass surfaces consisting essentially of wet-strengtened paper sheet containing an active amount of a non-ionic detergent surfactant wherein the non-ionic detergent surfactant is an ethoxylated secondary alcohol produced by ethoxylating a mixture of linear secondary alcohols containing from 11 carbon atoms to 15 carbon atoms with a hydrophylic moiety containing 15 ethylene oxide groups.