Among other things, the inventive subject matter generally relates to bulk fill materials suitable for an insulative or cushioning material. The bulk fill material consists of a plurality of discrete units comprising clusters or loose webs of fibers. The fibers consist of superfine fibers and/or fibers in a range of 1 to 5 denier; the fibers being entangled to form the clusters or loose webs. In some embodiments the clusters or webs are multinode fiber structures that mimic natural down. The inventive subject matter is also directed to related methods of production.

Flexible electronically functional fibers are described that allow for the placement of electronic functionality in traditional fabrics. The fibers can be interwoven with natural fibers to produce electrically functional fabrics and devices that can retain their original appearance.

Nanofiber filter media ribbons are flexible elongate strips of polymeric material having a surface on which is formed an array of nanofibers. Ribbons are formable into woven or non-woven mats. The array of nanofibers can be configured to filter a predetermined contaminant from a fluid stream passing through the mats. Filter ribbons are formable by applying a moldable polymer to a first angular location of a rotating cylindrical roll having an array of nanoholes formed in a circumferential surface thereof so that the polymer covers the surface of the roll and infiltrates the nanoholes; cooling the polymer while rotating the polymer-covered roll to a second angular position; and removing the cooled polymer from the roll as an elongate film having an array of nanofibers formed on a surface thereof by the polymer that infiltrated the nanoholes.

Disclosed is a napped artificial leather napped including: a non-woven fabric that is an entangle body of ultrafine fibers; and an elastic polymer impregnated into the non-woven fabric, the napped artificial leather having, at least on one side thereof, a napped surface formed by napping the ultrafine fibers, wherein the ultrafine fibers contain 0.5 mass % or more of a pigment (A), the elastic polymer contains 0 to 0.01 mass % of a pigment (B), and the ultrafine fibers and the elastic polymer are undyed; the napped surface has a lightness L* value of 25 or less in a color coordinate space (L*a*b* color space); and a ratio of an area occupied by the elastic polymer, observed on the napped surface, to a total area of an area occupied by the ultrafine fibers and the area occupied by the elastic polymer is 0.5% or less.

The present invention relates to fibrillated lyocell fibers which have a fibrillation ratio Q of 20 or more and whose content of microfibers with a fineness of less than 14 mesh and a diameter of less than 2 μm is at least 50%, as well as the use thereof for producing a wipe, which contains cellulosic fibers and 5 to 20 wt. % of fibrillated lyocell fibers.

A sheet-shaped object which is thin and, despite this, has a surface that is dense and is soft to the touch and which has practicable strength and a process for producing the sheet-shaped object are disclosed. This sheet-shaped object comprises ultrafine fibers having an average single-fiber diameter of 0.1-7 μm and a polymeric elastomer comprising a polyurethane as a major component, wherein when a layer extending from one surface to a depth of 50% of the thickness is referred to as layer (A) and a layer extending from the other surface to a depth of 50% of the thickness is referred to as layer (B), then the ratio of the density of fibers (A′) in the layer (A) to the density of fibers (B′) in the layer (B) satisfies the following expression (a) and the ratio of the density of the polymeric elastomer comprising a polyurethane as a major component (A″) in the layer (A) to the density thereof (B″) in the layer (B) satisfies the following expression (b). The sheet-shaped object as a whole has a density of 0.2-0.6 g/cm.sup.3. 1>(A′)/(B′)≧0.5 (a) 1>(A″)/(B″)≧0.6 (b).

A nonwoven web comprising a layer of polymeric fibers, wherein, based on the total number of polymeric fibers, at least 10% the polymeric fibers in said layer are coarse fibers having a fiber diameter of 4 μm or more, and at least 10% of the polymeric fibers in said layer are fine fibers having a fiber diameter of 2 μm or less. Also described herein is a method for making the nonwoven web, comprising melt-blowing a polymer mixture comprising two immiscible or partially miscible polymers.

The invention is directed to a method for producing a composite material comprising a biofabricated material and a secondary component. The secondary component may be a porous material, such as a sheet of paper, cellulose, or fabric that has been coated or otherwise contacted with the biofabricated material. The biofabricated material comprises a uniform network of crosslinked collagen fibrils and provides strength, elasticity and an aesthetic appearance to the composite material.

Filter media comprising a filtration layer comprising synthetic fibers (e.g., pleatable backer layer) and related components, systems, and methods associated herewith are provided. In some embodiments, the filtration layer comprising synthetic fibers may be a non-woven web comprising a blend of coarse and fine diameter fibers. The filtration layer comprising synthetic fibers may be designed to have desirable performance properties without compromising certain mechanical properties, such as the pleatability of the media. In some embodiments, a filter media, described herein, may comprise the filtration layer comprising synthetic fibers and an efficiency layer. Filter media, as described herein, may be particularly well-suited for applications that involve filtering air, though the media may also be used in other applications.

Nonwoven fibrous webs including randomly oriented discrete fibers defining a multiplicity of non-hollow projections extending from a major surface of the nonwoven fibrous web (as considered without the projections), and a plurality of substantially planar land areas formed between each adjoining projection in a plane defined by and substantially parallel with the major surface. In some exemplary embodiments, the randomly oriented discrete fibers include multi-component fibers having at least a first region having a first melting temperature and a second region having a second melting temperature, wherein the first melting temperature is less than the second melting temperature. At least a portion of the oriented discrete fibers are bonded together at a plurality of intersection points with the first region of the multi-component fibers. In certain embodiments, the patterned air-laid nonwoven fibrous webs include particulates. Methods of making and using such patterned air-laid nonwoven fibrous webs are also disclosed.