The invention relates to a melt-processable fiber-bonding agent made of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), such as KYNAR PVDF from Arkema, as well as to fibrous materials bonded with the PVDF fiber-bonding agent. The PVDF fiber-bonding agent is a low-melt temperature, low melt viscosity PVDF polymer or copolymer with excellent chemical and oxidative resistance properties, and is suitable for bonding fibers in non-woven fabrics, especially for use in chemically-aggressive environments. The PVDF fiber-bonding agent composition allows it to be processed into fibers on conventional melt spinning equipment. The PVDF fiber-bonding agent is introduced into non-woven fabric in the form of a continuous fiber web or as a component of a mixed fiber formulation. When heated above its melting point, the lower melting point PVDF fiber-bonding agent of the invention bonds the fibers of the fiber framework at the fiber cross-over points.

Nonwoven materials having at least one layer are provided, as well as their use in cleaning articles. More particularly, the nonwoven materials can include a rough outer surface useful for scrubbing purposes. Alternatively or additionally, the nonwoven materials can include a carrier composition including a binder and a blocking agent. The carrier composition can repel a sanitizing agent, such as a quaternary ammonium compound, from the surface of the nonwoven material.

A hydroentangled fibrous structure. The hydroentangled fibrous structure can be incorporated into an absorbent article. Methods of forming a hydroentangled fibrous structure are also provided.

A fiber structure includes crimped staple fibers and heat-bonding conjugate staple fibers mixed in a specific weight ratio, the heat-bonding conjugate staple fibers having, as a heat-bonding component disposed on the surface thereof, a thermoplastic resin having a melting point lower by 40 C. or more than that of a thermoplastic resin constituting the crimped staple fibers, the fiber structure having scattered fixing points in which the heat-bonding conjugate staple fibers are heat-fused and intersect together and/or scattered fixing points in which the heat-bonding conjugate staple fibers and the crimped staple fibers are heat-fused and intersect together, the fiber structure having a specified thickness and density and having a laminated structure of three or more layers, wherein the hardness ratio between an intermediate layer portion and a surface layer portion defined when the fiber structure is equally divided into three portions is 0.60 or more.

A bonded and entangled non-woven structure made of at least 50% staple fibers by weight of the bonded and entangled non-woven structure, and at least a partial bonding of the fibers of the non-woven structure. The at least partial bonding including thermally activated bonds between a first polyolefin material produced with a catalyst including at least one metallocene catalyst and having a melting point in the range 130-170 C. and a second material having a melting point which is at least 10 C. higher than the melting point of the first material, the weight of the first material in the non-woven structure being at least 3% of the weight of the nonwoven structure.

A nonwoven composite for high temperature applications requiring Sow flammability, smoke, and/or toxicity, including a fibrous structure having one or more nonwoven material layers including a scrim layer. The scrim is formed from inorganic fibers, at least some of which are adapted to withstand temperatures of up to about 1150 C. The scrim is formed from a wet-laying process. The composite further comprises one or more fiber matrix layers.

A filter medium for filtering matter from a fluid and the manufacture thereof are provided. In one exemplary embodiment, a method may be performed by a filter medium for filtering particulate matter from a fluid. Further, the filter medium may include a nonwoven sliver formed into a predetermined shape and composed of first synthetic staple fibers having a first denier, second synthetic staple fibers having a second denier, and third synthetic staple fibers having a third denier.

A spunbond non-woven fabric includes a plurality of fibers. The fibers are formed from a polymer blend that includes at least one first polymer and at least one second polymer. A melt flow rate of the at least one first polymer is greater than a melt flow rate of the at least one second polymer, and the melt flow rate of the at least one second polymer is about 9 g/10 min to less than 18 g/10 min. The blend may include a percentage by weight of the second polymer that is greater than a percentage by weight of the first polymer.

A non-woven fabric that absorbs only a small amount of volatile low molecular weight compound, and that has good texture when used as a non-woven fabric that makes contact with human skin. This thermal bond non-woven fabric containing cyclic olefin resin includes at least: fibers (A) containing at least 50 mass % of a cyclic olefin resin (A1) having a glass transition temperature Tg.sub.A1 C.; and fibers (B) containing at least 10 mass % of either a cyclic olefin resin (B1) having a glass transition temperature Tg.sub.B1 C., or a crystalline thermoplastic resin (B2) having a melting point Mp.sub.B2 C.; the fibers (A) and the fibers (B) being heat-spliced together; wherein Tg.sub.A1>Tg.sub.B1 or Tg.sub.A1>Mp.sub.B2, and either the difference between the glass transition temperature Tg.sub.A1 C. and the glass transition temperature TgB1 C. or the difference between the glass transition temperature Tg.sub.A1 C. and the melting point Mp.sub.B2 C. exceeds 20 C.

Insulation comprises a plurality of reactive flaps that react to one or more external stimuli, e.g., humidity. The flaps are made up of a fiber mixture that includes: 20-80 wt % reactive bicomponent fibers that are reactive to an external stimulus, and have a first configuration in an unactivated state and a second configuration in an activated state, and wherein the bicomponent fibers can reversibly transform between the unactivated and activated states; 5-40 wt % synthetic binder fibers having a denier of 1.5 to 4.0 denier; 0-75 wt % of a first population of synthetic fibers, being synthetic polymeric fibers having a denier of less than 2.0 denier; and 0-75 wt % of a second population of synthetic fibers, being synthetic polymeric fibers having a denier of 4.0 to 10.0 denier. Related articles and methods are also provided.