A synthetic radiator fabric with permanent mechanical wicking defines an inner surface and has a raised knit body defining an opposite outer surface. The fabric includes hydrophilic and hydrophobic fiber-containing yarns. At the inner surface, the hydrophilic fiber-containing yarns collect liquid sweat from a wearer's skin surface and maintain the collected sweat at the inner surface, generally in the vicinity of and/or in contact with the wearer's skin, for encouraging evaporation of sweat and providing evaporative cooling. The raised knit body extends from the inner surface toward, and defines, the opposite outer surface. The hydrophobic fiber-containing yarns are arranged in a radiator-like construction forming egg-crate or honey-comb like cells or pores, defined by the knit body and open to the inner surface. At the outer fabric surface, the hydrophobic fibers receive excess sweat from the wearer's body, thereby to encourage rapid evaporation and drying, for improved breathability.

Performance fabrics and methods of manufacturing them where the fabric is knit or woven cotton and cotton elastane blends to which a moisture-management treatment of wax or wax emulsion is applied to one side of the woven or knitted fabric. The treated fabric is wicking, absorbent and not water repellant or water resistant.

A nonwoven fabric. The nonwoven fabric can include a first surface and a second surface and a visually discernible pattern of three-dimensional features on one of the first or second surface. Each of the three-dimensional features can define a microzone comprising a first region and a second region. The first and second regions can have a difference in values for an intensive property, and wherein in at least one of the microzones, the first region is hydrophobic and the second region is hydrophilic.

A cuff, a collar, a welt, a hem, or a waistband structure having moisture management functionality utilizing hydrophilic and hydrophobic knitted yarns, and a method of manufacturing such a cuff or collar are described. The cuff or collar is knit using a patterning mechanism to form a tubular body having one or more individual courses, each of which have adjacent wales the tubular body terminating in a turned welt having moisture management functionality where the hydrophobic/hydrophilic arrangement of individual courses of the tubular body is generally maintained in the turned welt.

Described are very high molecular weight (e.g., over 2 million, such as 3-20 million g/mol) starch-based materials, and formulations including such, which can be spun in spunbond, melt blown, yarn, or similar processes. Even with such very high molecular weights, the formulations can be processed at commercial line speeds, with spinneret shear viscosities of 1000 sec.sup.−1, without onset of melt flow instability. The starch-based material can be blended with one or more thermoplastic materials having higher melt flow index value(s), which serve as a diluent and plasticizer, allowing the very viscous starch-based component to be spun under such conditions. The particular melt flow index characteristics of the thermoplastic diluent material can be selected based on what type of process is being used (e.g., spunbond, melt blown, yarn, etc.). The starch-based material may exhibit high shear sensitivity, strain hardening behavior, and/or very high critical shear stress (e.g., at least 125 kPa).

An elastic band for an article of clothing is described comprising an elongated strip-shaped outer layer of woven, longitudinally stretchable fabric, the outer layer being hydrophilic; an elongated strip-shaped inner layer of a different woven, longitudinally stretchable fabric the inner layer being hydrophobic and a logo woven into the fabric of the outer layer. Also disclosed is a double-layer construct for an elastic band comprising a hydrophobic section having apertures, a hydrophilic section having apertures, wherein the hydrophobic and hydrophilic sections are juxtaposed.

The invention relates to a vaporizer unit (21) for a vaporizer device (2) of an inhaler, in particular of an electronic cigarette (1), the vaporizer unit (21) consisting of a material that comprises at least one thermoplastic, preferably a high-performance thermoplastic. The invention also relates to a method for producing such a vaporizer unit (21).

A nonwoven fabric is provided. The nonwoven fabric can include a first surface and a second surface and a visually discernible pattern of three-dimensional features on one of the first or second surface. Each of the three-dimensional features can define a microzone comprising a first region and a second region. The first and second regions can have a difference in values for an intensive property, wherein at least one of the surfaces has a TS7 value of less than about 15 dB V.sup.2 rms, and wherein the first surface has a TS7 value that is higher than the second surface TS7 value.

Provided is a knit fabric which does not cause feelings of clamminess, feels very cool to the touch and is comfortable, and limits feelings of stickiness and post-sweat chill through rapid drying of sweat, and at the same time is capable of further improving texture.

A nonwoven fabric. The nonwoven fabric can include a first surface and a second surface and a visually discernible pattern of three-dimensional features on one of the first or second surface. Each of the three-dimensional features can define a microzone comprising a first region and a second region. The first and second regions can have a difference in values for an intensive property, and wherein in at least one of the microzones, the first region is hydrophobic and the second region is hydrophilic.