Polymer structured aqueous detergent compositions

Abstract

An aqueous polymer structured detergent liquid composition comprising: (i) a surfactant system comprising surfactant and alkaline material present as surfactant salts and/or as free base, (ii) optionally, 0.01 wt % or more suspended particles, (iii) optionally, 3 wt % or more polymer that reduces the composition viscosity at 20 s, and (iv) at least 0.05 wt % of a suspending system comprising copolymer formed by the addition polymerization of: (A) 0.1 to 5 wt % of a first monomer consisting of an ethylenically unsaturated diacid of formula (I): HOOC—CR═CR—COOH or an unsaturated cyclic anhydride precursor of such an ethylenically unsaturated diacid, the anhydride having formula (II) where Rand Rare individually selected from H, C-Calkyl, phenyl, chlorine and bromine; (B) 15 to 60 wt % of a second ethylenically unsaturated monoacidic monomer consisting of (meth)acrylic acid; (C) 30 to 70 wt % of a third ethylenically unsaturated monomer consisting of C-Calkyl ester of (meth)acrylic acid; (D) 1 to 25 wt %, of a fourth ethylenically unsaturated monomer, consisting of surfmer of formula (III) wherein each Rand Rare each independently selected from H, methyl, —C(═O)OH, or —C(═O)OR; Ris a C-Calkyl; T is —CH2C(═O)O—, —C(═O)O—, —O—, —CHO—, —NHC(═O)NH—, —C(═O)NH—, —Ar—(CE)-NHC(═O)O—, —Ar—(CE)-NHC(═O)NH—, or —CHCHNHC(═O)—; Ar is divalent aryl; E is H or methyl; z is 0 or 1; k is an integer in the range of 0 to 30; and m is 0 or 1; with the proviso that when k is 0, m is 0, and when k is in the range of 1 to 30; m is 1; (RO)is polyoxyalkylene, which is a homopolymer, a random copolymer, or a block copolymer of C-C-oxyalkylene units, wherein Ris CH, CH, CH, or a mixture thereof, and n is an integer in the range of 5 to 250; Y is —RO—, —R—, —C(═O)—, —C(═O)NH—, ═RNHC(═O)NH—, or —C(═O)NHC(═O)—; and Ris substituted or unsubstituted alkyl selected from the group consisting of C-Clinear alkyl, C-Cbranched alkyl, C-Ccarbocyclic alkyl, C-Calkyl-substituted, phenyl, aryl-substituted C-Calkyl, and C-Ccomplex ester; wherein the Ralkyl group optionally comprises one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, alkoxy, and halogen; and (E) 0.005 to 5 wt %, of a cross linking agent, for introducing branching and controlling molecular weight, the cross linking monomer comprising polyfunctional units carrying multiple reactive functionalization groups selected from the group consisting of vinyl, allyl and functional mixtures thereof.