Claims
- 1. A cubic liquid crystalline phase precursor comprising:
(A) a hydrotrope, (B) an amphiphile capable of forming a cubic liquid crystalline phase, (C) an optional solvent, and (D) an additive selected from the group consisting of an anchor, a tether, and combinations thereof, wherein (A), (B), (C), and (D) are present in mass fractions relative to each other such that 1.0a+b+c+d wherein a is the mass fraction of (A), b is the mass fraction of (B), c is the mass fraction of (C), and d is the mass fraction of(D), and wherein 1.0>a>0, 1.0>b>0, 1.0>c ≧0, 1.0>d>0; and with the proviso that a, b, c, and d do not fall within a cubic liquid crystalline phase region on a phase diagram representing phase behavior of (A), (B), (C), and (D).
- 2. The precursor of claim 1, wherein (A) is selected from the group consisting of low molecular weight alcohols; polyols; alcohol ethoxylates; surfactants derived from mono- and poly- saccharides; copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide; fatty acid ethoxylates; sorbitan derivatives; sodium butyrate; nicotinamide; procaine hydrogen chloride; and ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol, and polyglyceryl esters, and the ethoxylated derivatives thereof; and combinations thereof.
- 3. The precursor of claim 1, wherein (B) is a monoglyceride having the formula:
- 4. The precursor of claim 1, wherein (D) is an anchor selected from the group consisting of positively charged surfactants, negatively charged surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, lipids of biological origin, and combinations thereof.
- 5. The precursor of claim 4, wherein said anchor is a positively charged surfactant selected from the group consisting of quaternary surfactants, imidazoline based surfactants, substituted amino acids, and combinations thereof.
- 6. The precursor of claim 4, wherein said anchor is a negatively charged surfactant selected from the group consisting of alkyl carboxylates, modified carboxylates, isethionates, mono- and di-phosphate esters, alkyl sulphates, sulphonates, alkyl sulphonates, olefin sulphonates, alkyl benzene sulphonates, sulphosuccinates, and combinations thereof.
- 7. The precursor of claim 4, wherein said anchor is an amphoteric surfactant selected from the group consisting of betaines, glycinates, amino propionates, and combinations thereof.
- 8. The precursor of claim 4, wherein said anchor is a lipid of biological origin selected from the group consisting of fatty acids, acyl glycerols, glycerolphospholipids, spingolipids, steroids, sugar-based surfacatants, and combinations thereof.
- 9. The precursor of claim 1, wherein (D) is a tether selected from the group consisting of derivatized polysaccharides, linear substituted polymers, star polymers, polypeptides, and polynucleotides, and combinations thereof.
- 10. The precursor of claim 9, wherein said tether is a derivatized polysaccharide selected from the group consisting of cellulose derivatives, chitin derivatives, starch derivatives, glycogen, glycoaminoglycans, glycoproteins, lignan based polymers, and combinations thereof.
- 11. The precursor of claim 9, wherein said tether is a linear substituted polymer selected from the group consisting of vinyl polymers, polyamines, polyamides, polyesters, polyphosphates, polysiloxanes, polycarbonates, polyethoxylates, and combinations thereof.
- 12. The precursor of claim 9, wherein said tether is a polypeptide selected from the group consisting of polylysine, lipoproteins, and combinations thereof.
- 13. The precursor of claim 1, wherein (C) is present, and wherein (D) is selected from the group consisting of polar and nonpolar solvents.
- 14. The precursor of claim 1, further comprising (E) an active ingredient.
- 15. The precursor of claim 1, wherein (C) is present.
- 16. A method for preparing the cubic liquid crystalline phase precursor of claim 1 comprising the steps of:
1) combining (B) an amphiphile capable of forming a cubic liquid crystalline phase with (A) an optional hydrotrope, 2) adding (D) an additive selected from the group consisting of an anchor, a tether, and combinations thereof, and 3) optionally adding (C) a solvent; wherein ingredients (A), (B), (C), and (D) are present in mass fractions relative to each other such that 1.0=a+b+c+d wherein a is the mass fraction of ingredient (A), b is the mass fraction of ingredient (B), c is the mass fraction of ingredient (C), and d is the mass fraction of ingredient (D), and wherein 1.0>a≧0, 1.0>b>0. 1.0>c≧0, 1.0>d>0; and with the proviso that a, b, c, and d do not fall within a cubic liquid crystalline phase region on a phase diagram representing phase behavior of ingredients (A), (B), (C), and (D), and with the proviso that amounts of each ingredient in the composition are such that a cubic liquid crystalline phase forms upon occurrence of a stimulus.
- 17. A bulk cubic liquid crystalline gel comprising:
(A) a hydrotrope, (B) an amphiphile capable of forming a cubic liquid crystalline phase, (C) a solvent, and (D) an additive selected from the group consisting of an anchor, a tether, and combinations thereof, wherein ingredients (A), (B), (C), and (D) are present in mass fractions relative to each other such that 1.0=a+b+c+d wherein a is the mass fraction of ingredient (A), b is the mass fraction of ingredient (B), c is the mass fraction of ingredient (C), and d is the mass fraction of ingredient (D), and wherein 1.0>a>0, 1.0>b>0, 1.0>c>0, 1.0>d>0; and with the proviso that a, b, c, and d fall within a cubic liquid crystalline phase region on a phase diagram representing phase behavior of ingredients (A), (B), (C), and (D).
- 18. The gel of claim 17, further comprising (E) an active ingredient.
- 19. A disperison of cubic liquid crystalline gel particles comprising:
(A) a hydrotrope, (B) an amphiphile capable of forming a cubic liquid crystalline phase, (C) a solvent, and (D) an additive selected from the group consisting of an anchor, a tether, and combinations thereof, wherein ingredients (A), (B), (C), and (D) are present in mass fractions relative to each other such that 1.0=a+b+c+d wherein a is the mass fraction of ingredient (A), b is the mass fraction of ingredient (B), c is the mass fraction of ingredient (C), and d is the mass fraction of ingredient (D), and wherein 1.0>a>0, 1.0>b>0, 1.0>c>0, 1.0>d>0; and with the proviso that a, b, c, and d fall within a region representing cubic liquid crystalline phase in combination with at least one other phase on a phase diagram representing phase behavior of ingredients (A), (B), (C), and (D), with the proviso that the dispersion has a form of functionalized cubic liquid crystalline gel particles dispersed in the other phase.
- 20. The dispersion of claim 19, further comprising (E) an active ingredient.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/270,306 filed Feb. 21, 2001.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60270306 |
Feb 2001 |
US |