I got the links from
this post and the subsequent one:
Natural Chemistry® COVERfree™ MSDS that lists 3-7% 1-Octadecanol (stearyl alcohol).
Patent application WO2010071931 describes using a combination of a water soluble chemical with a water insoluble chemical that hydrogen bond with each other. This presumably stabilizes the water insoluble monolayer that otherwise gets easily disrupted by wind. Many different possible combinations of chemicals are mentioned, but the ones that were tested with data are the following:
poly(acrylic acid) and ethylene glycol monostearyl ether
poly(acrylic acid) and stearyl alcohol
poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) and ethylene glycol monostearyl ether
poly(acrylic acid) and stearyl diethylene glycol monomethyl ether
poly(acrylic acid) and ethylene glycol monostearyl ether
ethylene glycol monostearyl ether and carbonyl polymers
cetyl alcohol and polyvinyl pyrrolidone
polyether polymer and ethylene glycol monostearyl ether
polyvinyl alcohol and ethylene glycol monostearyl ether
poly(ethylene-alt-maleic anhydride) and ethylene glycol monostearyl ether
poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) and ethylene glycol monostearyl ether
non-carbonyl polymers and fatty alcohols
polyvinyl pyrrolidone-co-methyl acrylate) and a mixture of fatty alcohols
a mixture of polymers and a blend of fatty alcohols
polyvinyl alcohol and a mixture of fatty alcohols
U.S. Patent 3888995 discloses the following preferred embodiment:
By way of referring to a preferred composition as an example, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, stearic acid, polyethylene glycol and 1,2,6- hexanetriol can be mixed with stirring to about -85C; propylene glycol can be heated to -95C with stirring (a medicant stable at this temperature could be added to either phase during this step); and the two liquids can be mixed with stirring. Good agitation is provided until the mixture cools to room temperature.
U.S. Patent 7867412 refers to a lot of other earlier patents that are good references and then discloses a preferred embodiment with Polyoxyethylene (2) laurel ether at 0.5 to 50% by weight with additional viscosifier and preservative. The main advantage of this product is that it avoids use of a flammable carrier (e.g. isopropyl alcohol).
You can look at a long discussion on another forum
here where you also just posted that references
U.S. patent 6303133 which appears to be the original one for HeatSavr that uses cetyl alcohol as its primary ingredient along with isopropyl alcohol as a carrier that evaporates and some calcium hydroxide is used as a dispersant. The WaterSavr and Natural Chemistry COVERfree products use stearyl alcohol with 18 carbons compared to cetyl alcohol with 16. There is a claim that one of the solar fish products used Polyoxyethylene (2) lauryl ether as described in U.S. Patent 7867412 referenced above.
So to sum up, there are three basic approaches:
- Use a fatty alcohol such as cetyl alcohol or stearyl alcohol along with a carrier such as isopropyl alcohol and a dispersant such as calcium hydroxide
- Use a combination of a water soluble poly(acrylic acid) with a water insoluble stearyl alcohol
- Use Polyoxyethylene (2) laurel ether
Keep in mind that you could be infringing the associated patent if you make these products and use them, even if you do not sell them. In practice, though, making them for personal use will have such little individual economic harm that it's unlikely you will get sued, but technically the patent owner/assignee could sue and get an injunction against your use of it (again, highly unlikely, but legally possible). At a minimum, you would be depriving the rightful recovery of R&D costs to the inventor (or company assigned the patent) of the product. Is it really worth your trying to replicate making one of these products?