MODEL DISHWASHER RINSE AID INCLUDING AN ANIONIC POLYMER AND NONIONIC SURFACTANTS

A dishwasher rinse aid consists of an aqueous solution of an acrylic p olymer, a terminated polyoxyethylenated alcohol and a polyoxyethylenat ed p-octylphenol. Each of those ingredients plays a specific role in t his rather simple, homogeneous mixture. Aiming at a better understandi ng of the interactions of the three components, and at a new convenien t formulation, physical chemical studies of this system were carried o ut. The partial phase diagrams could be determined as well as bulk and surface properties: surface tension, liquid-solid contact angle, foam height and viscosity. In a wide composition range, the better surfact ant properties of the terminated polyoxyethylenated alcohol are only s lightly modified by the addition of the other two ingredients. Moreove r, synergetic effects are observed. Finally a formulation of the rinse aid product is proposed.