Clear silicone microemulsions formed spontaneously

Abstract

Clear microemulsions are formed spontaneously without mixing, stirring, shearing, or input of mechanical energy for agitating ingredients used in making microemulsions, by simply combining (i) water; (ii) a volatile siloxane; (iii) a long chain or high molecular weight silicone polyether; and, as an optional ingredient, (iv) a cosurfactant such as a monohydroxy alcohol, an organic diol, an organic triol, an organic tetraol, a silicone diol, a silicone triol, a silicone tetraol, and a nonionic organic surfactant. In an alternate embodiment, a non-volatile siloxane is included as an ingredient, and the silicone polyether is a long chain or high molecular weight silicone polyether, or a short chain or low molecular weight silicone polyether.

1 . A method comprising spontaneously forming a clear microemulsion without mixing, stirring, shearing, or input of mechanical energy for agitating ingredients used in making microemulsions, by simply combining as ingredients (i) water; (ii) a volatile siloxane; (iii) a long chain or high molecular weight silicone polyether; and, as an optional ingredient, (iv) a cosurfactant selected from the group consisting of a monohydroxy alcohol, an organic diol, an organic triol, an organic tetraol, a silicone diol, a silicone triol, a silicone tetraol, and a nonionic organic surfactant; the long chain or high molecular weight silicone polyether (iii) having formula  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         where R1 represents an alkyl group containing 1-6 carbon atoms;  
         R2 represents the radical —(CH 2 ) a O(C 2 H 4 O) b (C 3 H 6 O) c R3; x is 20-1,000; y is 2-500; z is 2-500; a is 3-6; b is 4-20; c is 0-5; and R3 is hydrogen, a methyl radical, or an acyl radical.  
       
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1  in which volatile siloxane (ii) is a volatile linear methyl siloxanes of the formula (CH 3 ) 3 SiO{(CH 3 ) 2 SiO} k Si(CH 3 ) 3  where k is 0-5; or a cyclic methyl siloxane of the formula {(CH 3 ) 2 SiO} t  where t is 3-9; the volatile siloxane having a boiling point less than about 250° C., and a viscosity of 0.65-5.0 mm 2 /s.  
     
     
         3 . Clear microemulsions prepared according to the method defined in  claim 1 .  
     
     
         4 . A method comprising spontaneously forming a clear microemulsion without mixing, stirring, shearing, or input of mechanical energy for agitating ingredients used in making microemulsions, by simply combining as ingredients (i) water; (ii) a volatile siloxane; (iii) a non-volatile siloxane; (iv) a long chain or high molecular weight silicone polyether, or a short chain or low molecular weight silicone polyether; and, as an optional ingredient, (v) a cosurfactant selected from the group consisting of a monohydroxy alcohol, an organic diol, an organic triol, an organic tetraol, a silicone diol, a silicone triol, a silicone tetraol, and a nonionic organic surfactant.  
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 4  in which silicone polyether (iv) is a long chain or high molecular weight silicone polyether having formula  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         where R1 represents an alkyl group containing 1-6 carbon atoms;  
         R2 represents the radical —(CH 2 ) a O(C 2 H 4 O) b (C 3 H 6 O) c R3; x is 20-1,000; y is 2-500; z is 2-500; a is 3-6; b is 4-20; c is 0-5; and R3 is hydrogen, a methyl radical, or an acyl radical.  
       
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 4  in which volatile siloxane (ii) is a volatile linear methyl siloxanes of the formula (CH 3 ) 3 SiO{(CH 3 ) 2 SiO} k Si(CH 3 ) 3  where k is 0-5 or a cyclic methyl siloxane of the formula {(CH 3 ) 2 SiO} t  where t is 3-9; the volatile siloxanes have a boiling point less than about 250° C. and a viscosity of 0.65-5.0 mm 2 /s.  
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 6  in which non-volatile siloxane (iii) is a nonvolatile linear or cyclic higher alkyl or aryl siloxane of the formula R a   3 SiO(R a   2 SiO) p SiR a   3  or (R a   2 SiO) r  where R a  is an alkyl group with 1-20 carbon atoms or an aryl group, hydrogen, an aralkyl (arylalkyl) group, or an alkaryl (alkylaryl) group; p is 0-375; r is 3-9; and the non-volatile siloxane has a viscosity greater than five mm 2 /s to 1,000 mm 2 /sec.  
     
     
         8 . Clear microemulsions prepared according to the method defined in  claim 4.