Disclosed is an artificial leather base material including: a non-woven fabric that is an entangle body of fibers (A) and fibers (B); and an elastic polymer applied inside the non-woven fabric, wherein the fibers (A) are crimped fibers that are formed from two types of resins with intrinsic viscosities different from each other, and that are filaments of 0.6 dtex or more, and the fibers (B) are ultrafine fibers of less than 0.6 dtex.

Fibrous structures, for example sanitary tissue products, containing a plurality of filaments that employ one or more filament-forming materials, such as one or more hydroxyl polymers, and one or more hueing agents, present within the filaments such that the fibrous structures exhibit a Whiteness Index of greater than 72 as measured according to the Whiteness Index Test Method described herein.

There is provided a laminated nonwoven fabric having excellent sound absorbing performance in a low frequency range, the laminated nonwoven fabric having a skin layer and a base material layer, the skin layer having a nonwoven fabric A, the nonwoven fabric A having a density of 100 to 500 kg/m.sup.3, a thickness of 0.5 to 2.5 mm, and an air permeability of 4 to 40 cm.sup.3/cm.sup.2/s; and the base material layer having a nonwoven fabric B, the nonwoven fabric B having a basis weight of 200 to 500 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of 5 to 40 mm.

The invention provides polymer-grafted and functionalized nonwoven membranes adapted for use in bioseparation processes, the membranes including a nonwoven web of polyester fibers having an average fiber diameter of less than about 1.5 microns, each of the plurality of polyester fibers having grafted thereon a plurality of polymer segments constructed of a methacrylate polymer, each polymer segment carrying a functional group adapted for binding to a target molecule. The invention also provides a method of bioseparation comprising passing a solution comprising the target molecule, such as a protein, through the nonwoven membrane of the invention such that at least a portion of the target molecule in the solution binds to the nonwoven membrane. A method for preparing a polymer-grafted and functionalized nonwoven membrane adapted for use in bioseparation processes is also provided.

Provided is an artificial leather that achieves both a soft texture and excellent durability, and a method for manufacturing the same, the leather comprising: a fibrous base material formed from superfine fibers having an average single fiber diameter of 0.1-10 m; and a polymeric elastic body, where the polymer elastic body comprises a compound having a hydrophilic group and a compound having an ethylene oxide skeleton, the content of the compound in the polymeric elastic body of the artificial leather being 0.1-5 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the polymeric elastic body.

A fiber formed from a thermoplastic composition that contains a thermoplastic starch and an aliphatic-aromatic copolyester is provided. The copolyester enhances the strength of the starch-containing fibers and facilitates the ability of the starch to be melt processed. Due to its relatively low melting point, the copolyester may also be extruded with the thermoplastic starch at a temperature low enough to avoid substantial removal of the moisture in the starch. Furthermore, the copolyester is also modified with an alcohol to contain one or more hydroxyalkyl or alkyl terminal groups. By selectively controlling the conditions of the alcoholysis reaction (e.g., alcohol and copolymer concentrations, temperature, etc.), the resulting modified aliphatic-aromatic copolyester may have a relatively low molecular weight. Such low molecular weight polymers have the combination of a higher melt flow index and lower apparent viscosity, which is useful in a variety of fiber forming applications, such as meltblowing nonwoven webs.

A sheet is produced by (i) producing a sheet by entangling woven or knitted material including a thread composed of a composite fiber such that two kinds or more of polyethylene terephthalate polymers different in intrinsic viscosity are stuck together in a side-by-side type along the fiber length direction and/or of a core-in-sheath type composite fiber such that two kinds or more of polyethylene terephthalate polymers different in intrinsic viscosity form an eccentric core-in-sheath structure, with a fiber capable of converting into ultra fine fibers composed of two kinds or more of polymeric substances different in solubility in solvent, (ii) developing an ultra fine fiber with an average single fiber fineness of 0.001 dtex or more and 0.5 dtex or less by treating the sheet with a solvent to thereafter provide elastomer having polyurethane as a main component by impregnating and solidifying solvent solution of elastomer having polyurethane as a main component into the sheet, or of providing elastomer having polyurethane as a main component by impregnating and solidifying solvent solution of elastomer having polyurethane as a main component into the sheet to thereafter develop an ultra fine fiber with an average single fiber fineness of 0.001 dtex or more and 0.5 dtex or less by treating the sheet with a solvent, and (iii) rubbing and shrinking the woven or knitted material under the condition of 110 C. or more.

The present invention relates to methods of producing polymer fibers and polymer fiber products and materials recovery from these processes. It is an object of this invention to produce polymer fibers and products that include these fibers using selective dissolution of multicomponent fiber and to recover the dissolved polymer and solvent for subsequent use.

A melt-spun polymer fiber is provided having a cross-section and a length. A detectable particulate has a size of less than 31 microns and present in an amount of 2.0 to 50.0 weight percent loadings of metal or 10 to 80 weight percent loadings of radiopaque particles to render the polymer fiber detectable by metal (magnetic) or X-ray detection, alone or in combination with a secondary functional particulate distributed in or on the polymer fiber to render the polymer fiber chemically responsive to a chemical reactant, change in pH or temperature. The detectable particulate and the secondary functional particulate are each independently present in a core, a sheath, or both portions of polymer matrix. A process of detecting a fabric made from such a fiber. The fabric article passes through detector. A signal is collected from the detector indicative of the presence of the fabric article.

A sheet is produced by (i) producing a sheet by entangling woven or knitted material including a thread composed of a composite fiber such that two kinds or more of polyethylene terephthalate polymers different in intrinsic viscosity are stuck together in a side-by-side type along the fiber length direction and/or of a core-in-sheath type composite fiber such that two kinds or more of polyethylene terephthalate polymers different in intrinsic viscosity form an eccentric core-in-sheath structure, with a fiber capable of converting into ultra fine fibers composed of two kinds or more of polymeric substances different in solubility in solvent, (ii) developing an ultra fine fiber with an average single fiber fineness of 0.001 dtex or more and 0.5 dtex or less by treating the sheet with a solvent to thereafter provide elastomer having polyurethane as a main component by impregnating and solidifying solvent solution of elastomer having polyurethane as a main component into the sheet, or of providing elastomer having polyurethane as a main component by impregnating and solidifying solvent solution of elastomer having polyurethane as a main component into the sheet to thereafter develop an ultra fine fiber with an average single fiber fineness of 0.001 dtex or more and 0.5 dtex or less by treating the sheet with a solvent, and (iii) rubbing and shrinking the woven or knitted material under the condition of 110 C. or more.