A polymeric material that includes a thermoplastic composition containing a continuous phase that includes a polyester and a copolyetherester elastomer is provided. The copolyetherester elastomer is dispersed within the continuous phase in the form of discrete domains. A porous network is defined within the thermoplastic composition that includes a plurality of nanopores.

In order to provide artificial leather having both strength (in particular, tensile strength and tear strength), surface appearance, and a dense feeling in artificial leather including a fiber-entangled body containing a nonwoven fabric made of ultrafine fibers containing a large amount of inorganic particles (in particular, metal compounds) as a constituent element, and an elastic polymer, the artificial leather of the present invention is artificial leather including a fiber-entangled body containing a nonwoven fabric made of ultrafine fibers having an average single fiber diameter of 1.0 ?m or more and 10.0 ?m or less as a constituent element and an elastic polymer, and satisfies the following requirements: (1) the ultrafine fibers include a polyester-based resin containing a manganese-based compound; (2) an average particle diameter of the manganese-based compound is 0.01 ?m or more and 0.20 ?m or less; and (3) the ultrafine fibers contain a manganese element in an amount of 0.1 ppm or more and 50.0 ppm or less in 100 mass % of the ultrafine fiber.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing: a polishing pad that is long-lasting, has a high polish rate, and is capable of producing a high degree of flatness on polished articles; and a method for manufacturing the polishing pad. The solution provided is to eliminate a sea component from a non-woven fabric that includes a binder fabric and a sea-island type composite fiber composed of the sea component and an island component, the island component having a diameter of 10-2500 nm, and to add a polymer elastic body to the non-woven fabric.

A wound product and a method of manufacturing the wound product is provided. The wound product comprises a first layer comprising a plurality of splittable fibres. At least some of the plurality of splittable fibres are split longitudinally along at least part of their length, and at least some of the plurality of splittable fibres are entangled.

Provided are a filter medium for an air filter capable of having extended life even when composed of embossable material. The filter medium (1) has a tensile elongation of 10% or greater, and includes a main collection layer (30) having a filing rate of 5% to 15%, a thickness of 0.35 mm to 0.70 mm, and a peak in a fiber diameter distribution at less than 1.0 m and a peak at 1.0 m or greater. An average fiber diameter of small fiber diameters of less than 1.0 m is from 0.1 m to less than 0.8 m, and an average fiber diameter of large fiber diameters of 1.0 m or greater is from 1.2 m to less than 3.0 m. A volume ratio of the fibers having the small fiber diameter to the fibers having the large fiber diameter is from 30:70 to 80:20.

An object of the invention is to provide a filter medium having high collection efficiency of dust and low pressure drop. The invention relates to a filter medium including ultrafine fibers subjected to electrospinning, in which the ultrafine fibers have a plurality of ester bonds in a molecule. A mean fiber diameter of the ultrafine fibers is preferably in the range of 10 to 5,000 nanometers, and the ultrafine fibers are preferably ultrafine fibers composed of polylactic acid, polyethylene terephthalate, polymethyl methacrylate or polycarbonate. Moreover, another object is to provide a production method for a fibrous structure for a filter medium, including a step of preparing a spinning solution in which a resin having a plurality of ester bonds in a molecule is dispersed or dissolved in a solvent, and a step of obtaining the fibrous structure including ultrafine fibers by performing electrospinning of the spinning solution.

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.

A method for forming porous fibers is provided. The fibers are formed from a thermoplastic composition containing a continuous phase, which includes a matrix polymer, and a nanoinclusion additive that is at least partially incompatible with the matrix polymer so that it becomes dispersed within the continuous phase as discrete nano-scale phase domains. The method generally includes traversing a bundle of the fibers over one or more draw bars that are in contact with a fluidic medium (e.g., water). In certain embodiments, for example, the draw bar(s) are submerged in the fluidic medium. The fluidic medium is lower than the melting temperature of the matrix polymer.

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.

Provided are a filter medium for an air filter capable of having extended life even when composed of embossable material. The filter medium (1) has a tensile elongation of 10% or greater, and includes a main collection layer (30) having a filing rate of 5% to 15%, a thickness of 0.35 mm to 0.70 mm, and a peak in a fiber diameter distribution at less than 1.0 m and a peak at 1.0 m or greater. An average fiber diameter of small fiber diameters of less than 1.0 m is from 0.1 m to less than 0.8 m, and an average fiber diameter of large fiber diameters of 1.0 m or greater is from 1.2 m to less than 3.0 m. A volume ratio of the fibers having the small fiber diameter to the fibers having the large fiber diameter is from 30:70 to 80:20.