Composition and use

1. A composition comprising:

(i) an anti-microbial agent comprising a polymeric biguanide, alone or in combination with at least one other microbiologically active component selected from the group consisting of quaternary ammonium compounds, monoquaternary heterocyclic amine salts, urea derivatives, amino compounds, imidazole derivatives, nitrile compounds, tin compounds or complexes, isothiazolin-3-ones, thiazole derivatives, nitro compounds, iodine compounds, aldehyde release agents, thiones, triazine derivatives, oxazolidine and derivatives thereof, furan and derivatives thereof, carboxylic acids and the salts and esters thereof, phenol and derivatives thereof, sulphone derivatives, imides, thiomides, 2-mercapto-pyridine-N-oxide, azole fungicides, strobilurins, amides, carbamates, pyridine derivatives, compounds with active halogen groups, and organometallic compounds; and

(ii) a basic co-polymer of the Formula (1):

[A] m -[B] n -[D] y q   Formula (1)

wherein:

[A] is of Formula (9),

[B] is of Formula (10),

and [D] is of Formula (12),

[X] is of Formula (11),

wherein [A], [B]and [D] may occur in any order;

T is an optionally substituted substituent selected from the group consisting of CN, OH, F, Cl, Br, —OR 6 , —C(O)R 6 , —OC(O)R 6 , —C(O)OR 6 , —C(O)NR 7 R 8 and aryl, optionally substituted by —OC(O)R 6 , F, Cl, Br, C 1-6 -alkyl , —CH 2 Cl or —C(O)OR 6 , wherein R 6 is a C 1-10 -alkyl optionally substituted by a ketone, ether, epoxide, silane or ketoester group, and wherein R 7 and R 8 are each independently H, C 1-8 -alkyl or C 3-8 -cycloalkyl optionally substituted by —OH, ketone or alkyl ether groups:

L is an optionally substituted linking group represented by a formula selected from the group consisting of

Z is an optionally substituted linking group represented by a formula selected from the group consisting of

R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are each independently H, optionally substituted C 1-20 -alkyl or optionally substituted C 3-20 -cycloalkyl;

R 4 and R 5 are each independently H or C 1-4 alkyl;

E is a basic substituent:

q is 15 to 1000;

m is 0 to 350;

n is 1 to 75;

y is 1 to 100;

s is 0 or 1;

p is 3 to 50; and

wherein [A] is present in the basic co-polymer in an amount of from 0% to 25% by weight and [B] is present in the basic co-polymer in a range of from 10% to 95% by weight, said amounts being based on the total weight of the basic co-polymer; and

provided that at least one of R 4 and R 5 is H and provided that R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , T, L and Z do not contain an acidic group which can protonate E on [D].

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein the polymeric biguanide is of Formula (6):

wherein n 1 is from 4 to 20.

3. The composition of claim 1 wherein the basic co-polymer comprises a cloud point of greater than 15° C.

4. The composition of claim 1 wherein the basic co-polymer comprises from 10 to 95% by weight [B], from up to 25% by weight [A] and from 1 to 80% by weight [D].

5. The composition of claim 1 wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are each independently H or —CH 3 .

6. The composition of claim 1 wherein R 4 and R 5 are each independently H.

7. The composition of claim 1 wherein T comprises a group of the Formula —C(O)OR 6 , wherein R 6 comprises C 1-10 -alkyl; and L comprises a group of the Formula,

8. The composition of claim 1 wherein [Z] shown linked to basic substituent E in [D] is of the Formula;

wherein [E] comprises a secondary or tertiary aliphatic amine or a protonated or quaternised salt thereof and R 1 is as described in claim 1 .

9. The composition of claim 1 wherein the basic co-polymer of Formula (1) comprises:

[A] of Formula (14),

[B] of Formula (15),

and [D] of Formula (16),

wherein:

R 1 , R 2 and R 3 is H or CH 3 ;

R 6 is C 1-108 alkyl optionally substituted by a ketone, ether, —OH, epoxide, silane or ketoester group;

R 9 and R 10 are each independently H, optionally substituted C 1-10 -alkyl or C 3-8 -cycloalkyl; and

m, n, y, p, s, [X] and [Z] are as defined in claim 1 .

10. The composition of claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of polymeric biguanide to basic co-polymer is from 100:1 to 1:1000 weight percent.

11. The composition of claim 1 which comprises a pH of from 1 to 12.

12. The composition of claim 1 wherein the anti-microbial agent further comprises a fungicide.

13. A formulation comprising:

(i) a linear polymeric biguanide;

(ii) a basic co-polymer; and

(iii) a carrier,

wherein the polymeric biguanide and basic co-polymer are as defined in claim 1 .

14. The formulation of claim 13 wherein the carrier is water or a mixture of water and/or a water miscible organic solvent.

15. The formulation of claim 13 which comprises from 0.01 to 5% by weight polymeric biguanide and from 0.01 to 50% by weight basic co-polymer.

16. The formulation of claim 13 which comprises a pH in the range from 1 to 10.

17. A method of substantially reducing and sustaining the level of micro-organisms on a surface which comprises contacting the surface with the composition of claim 1 .

18. A method of substantially reducing and sustaining the level of micro-organisms on a surface which comprises contacting the surface with the formulation of claim 13 .

19. The composition of claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of polymeric biguanide to basic co-polymer is from 20:1 to 1:500 weight percent.