Nonwoven fabrics suitable for a wide variety of applications (e.g., healthcare, filtration, industrial, packaging, etc.) are provided. In one aspect, the nonwoven fabric includes a plurality of segmented fibers. Each of the plurality of segmented fibers may comprise a fiber axis and a plurality of alternating larger diameter and smaller diameter segments along the fiber axis. The plurality of segmented fibers may be substantially aligned in a first direction.

Disclosed is a napped artificial leather including: an artificial leather base material that includes a non-woven fabric of polyester fibers having a Young's modulus of 1 to 6 GPa, an average fiber-toughness of 8 to 40 cN.Math.%, and a crystallinity of 35% or less, and an elastic polymer, the artificial leather base material having, on at least one surface thereof, a napped surface on which the polyester fibers are napped. Also disclosed are polyester fibers having a Young's modulus of 1 to 6 GPa, an average fiber-toughness of 8 to 40 cN.Math.%, and a crystallinity of 35% or less, and a non-woven fabric including the polyester fibers.

A network of microfibers are fabricated with a core-shell construction from sustainable materials, where the core includes a phase-change material, such as coconut oil, and the shell includes a biomass, such as cellulose. The microfibers are made via a wet-wet electrospinning process utilizing a coaxial spinneret with an inner conduit and an outer conduit. The biomass and the phase-change material are coaxially extruded into a coagulation bath including a mixture of ethanol and water. The collected microfibers exhibit a beaded structure of PCM aggregates and biomass connecting regions between the aggregates and are effective to aid in the thermoregulation of the immediate environment surrounding the network. The microfibers are suitable for use in a variety of sustainable products such as wearable thermoregulating textiles, wall/ceiling panels, insulation, packaging material, and more.

The invention relates to the use of a lyocell fiber (1) for the manufacture of a nonwoven fiber fleece (10, 100). To manufacture a thin nonwoven fiber fleece with sufficient mechanical properties, the use of a lyocell fiber is proposed, where the fiber (1) has a cross-sectional aspect ratio of at least 1.8.

The invention further relates to a nonwoven fiber fleece (10, 100). In order to manufacture a thin nonwoven fiber fleece (10, 100) suitable for use as a battery separator, it is proposed, that the fiber fleece comprises at least two layers (11, 12) of fibrillated lyocell fibers (13), with the fibrillated lyocell fibers (13) having solid cores (14, 110) and fibrils (15) protruding from said cores (14), the fibers and fibrils (15) being intermingled to form the fiber fleece (10), embedding the solid cores (14) therein, whereby the solid cores (14, 110) of the fibrillated lyocell fibers (13) have an average cross-sectional aspect ratio k of at least 1.5.

A nonwoven fabric useful as a component in a personal hygiene product and a nonwoven personal hygiene component, which is substantially free or free of non-ribbon shaped (e.g., round-shaped) spunbond fibers and includes a meltblown layer between and in direct contact with ribbon-shaped spunbond layers. The meltblown layer has a basis weight of at least about 0.008 gsm and not greater than about 5 gsm, and the nonwoven fabric or component has a basis weight of at least about 8 gsm and not greater than about 40 gsm, a pore size of less than or equal to about 27 microns when measured at 10% of cumulative filter flow. The nonwoven fabric also can have a low surface tension liquid strike through flow of less than 0.9 ml per second, a ratio of low surface tension liquid strike through flow to air permeability of greater than or equal to about 0.016, or both. Personal hygiene articles can incorporate the nonwoven fabric or component.

Provided is a fiber structure which can have both a high filtering efficiency and a small pressure loss. The fiber structure comprises ultrafine fibers having a number average single fiber diameter of 4.5 μm or smaller and non-ultrafine fibers having a number average single fiber diameter of 5.5 μm or larger, wherein the ultrafine fibers and the non-ultrafine fibers are unitedly intermingled, and the fiber structure includes projections on at least one surface thereof. For example, in the fiber structure, the ultrafine fibers may be heat-resistant ultrafine fibers, and the non-ultrafine fibers may be heat-resistant non-ultrafine fibers.

Provided is a fiber structure which can have both a high filtering efficiency and a small pressure loss. The fiber structure comprises ultrafine fibers having a number average single fiber diameter of 4.5 μm or smaller and non-ultrafine fibers having a number average single fiber diameter of 5.5 μm or larger, wherein the ultrafine fibers and the non-ultrafine fibers are unitedly intermingled, and the fiber structure includes projections on at least one surface thereof. For example, in the fiber structure, the ultrafine fibers may be heat-resistant ultrafine fibers, and the non-ultrafine fibers may be heat-resistant non-ultrafine fibers.

A needle punched carpet for use in a car is disclosed. The needle punched carpet comprises at least a needle punched facing layer defining a top layer and made of staple fibers. The staple fibers comprise hollow fibers having a hollow fiber content that is at least more than 45 weight % of the total staple fibers.

A method for making a high topography nonwoven substrate includes generating a foam including water and synthetic binder fibers; depositing the foam on a planar surface; disposing a template form on the foam opposite the planar surface to create a foam/form assembly; heating the foam/form assembly to dry the foam and bind the synthetic binder fibers; and removing the template from the substrate after heating the foam/form assembly, wherein the substrate includes a planar base layer having an X-Y surface and a backside surface opposite the X-Y surface; and a plurality of projection elements integral with and protruding in a Z-direction from the X-Y surface, wherein the projection elements are distributed in both the X- and Y-directions, and wherein the density of a projection element is the same as the density of the base layer.

A nonwoven fabric layered body includes a first nonwoven fabric layer including a crimped fiber (A), which is a fiber made of a thermoplastic polymer and which has an average crimp diameter of 800 μm or less; and a hydrophilic agent.