A tanning agent-free leather making method is provided. A raw hide is subjected to controllable dehydration with a molecular sieve-polar organic solvent composite dehydration media to achieve a dehydrated hide, and then a tanning agent-free leather is prepared by increasing the surface roughness of the dehydrated hide and reducing the surface energy of the dehydrated hide. The present disclosure does not use any metal or non-metal tanning agent, which is eco-friendly. The present disclosure breaks the balance of water distribution between the raw hide and the polar organic solvent, which realizes a multi-medium self-driven directional controllable dehydration of the raw hide, effectively solving the problems during dehydration of the raw hide only using polar organic solvent. The molecular sieve-polar organic solvent dehydration system is easy to recover and can be recycled for the controllable dehydration of the raw hide multiple times. Therefore, a brand-new clean leather making technology is provided.

The present invention provides a coating agent for leather, the coating agent containing: in terms of solid content ratio, (I) an aqueous urethane resin; (II) a matting agent; and (III) a silicone acryl graft copolymer resin emulsion in which the weight ratio of a polyorganosiloxane represented by a specified formula relative to acrylic ester units or methacrylic ester units is 50:50 to 90:10, and a leather on which a coating by the coating agent for leather is formed. This coating agent for leather has exceptional wear resistance and anti-fouling properties, and a leather on which a coating by the coating agent is formed can maintain a high-quality external appearance and high wear resistance.

A method for forming chrome-free retanned leather including: (a) contacting wet white (chrome-free tanned hide) with a retanning mixture comprising from 2% to 15%, by solids weight, based on the wet weight of the wet white, of an amphoteric polymer composition comprising amine functional units and acid functional units; and (b) applying a polymeric overcoat containing an acrylic copolymer with one or more metal transition elements, with a thickness of no greater than 100 microns, to the retanned wet white, is provided. The present invention also provides a chrome-free retanned leather formed by the method.

A method of processing leather, which may be a tanned or synthetic animal leather or a leather of animal origin, includes the steps of providing a leather to be processed and irradiating the leather to be processed with UV rays. A station for processing the leather includes a receiving point for the leather to be processed, a delivery point for the processed leather, a working area for housing the leather to be processed that is interposed between the receiving and delivery points, and a source of UV rays arranged at the working area.

A manufacturing method for decorating natural leather with a decorative image includes applying on a crusted leather a base coat containing a pigment for providing a chromatic colour or an achromatic colour different from black, inkjet printing a colour image on the base coat using one or more pigmented UV curable inkjet inks, optionally applying a protective top coat on the image, and optionally applying a heat pressing or embossing step, wherein the chromatic colour or the achromatic colour different from black of the base coat and the inkjet printed colour image are used in combination to provide the decorative image.

The present invention relates to a composition comprising an aqueous dispersion of submicron-sized polymer particles and micron-sized polymer beads, wherein the polymer particles or beads or both are functionalized with phosphorus acid groups. The composition of the present invention is useful for providing a matte finish on substrates, such as leather, textiles, wallboard, decorative coatings, concrete, and wood, with improved stain resistance. The present invention also relates to a leather substrate coated with a clear matte finish comprising an acrylic or styrene-acrylic polymer film and micron-sized polymer beads, wherein the film or the beads or both are functionalized with a phosphorus acid monomer.

A leather finishing composition includes water, a polymeric component, and a non-ionic surfactant component covalently bonded to the polymeric component. Advantageously, the leather finishing composition is substantially free of ionic groups. A method for applying the leather finishing composition to a leather substrate is provided.

The present disclosure provides a composition for treating leather and similar materials. The composition comprises from about 40% (w/w) to about 60% (w/w) of an oil obtained from natural sources; from about 1% (w/w) to about 15% (w/w) of a wax obtained from natural sources; and from about 20% (w/w) to about 50% (w/w) of water. The present disclosure also provides a method for treating a leather article and a process for the preparation of an emulsion composition.

The invention relates to a method for producing a surface-structured layered material which has a backing layer (I) and a polyurethane layer (2) connected thereto, the backing layer (I) used, in particular in pieces, being a leather, preferably a smoothed full-grain leather or a split cowskin, a textile material, preferably a woven fabric or a knitted fabric, a cellulose fibre material, a split foam, a leather fibre material or a microfibre fleece and being connected to the layer (2), and the layer (2) applied to the backing layer (I) being at least one, preferably a single layer formed of a PU foam, in particular containing gas pockets, preferably a whipped PU foam optionally containing hollow microspheres and/or a PU foam containing hollow microspheres. According to the invention: —the PU foam, in particular containing gas pockets, is created with a PU dispersion mixture, wherein the individual PU dispersions used to create the PU dispersion mixture exhibit different softening points in the dry state; —to create the PU dispersion mixture, one or more PU dispersions having heat—preferably melting and contact adhesive properties and a softening point in the dry state greater than 40° C., preferably greater than 45° C., in an amount of 18 to 52 wt ¾ of the finished PU dispersion mixture is/are mixed with one or more PU dispersions without melting and contact adhesive properties and with a softening point greater than 95° C., preferably greater than 125° C., in an amount of 39 to 73 wt ¾ of the finished PU dispersion mixture; —the PU dispersion mixture for the layer (2) is applied to the backing layer (I) with a thickness such that the layer has a thickness in the dried state of 0.075 to 0.450 mm, preferably 0.150 to 0.280 mm; —before or during structuring of the PU foam, a further layer (3) of a non-foamed PU dispersion which is a mixture of multiple PU dispersions is applied to the layer (2); —the backing layer (I) is optionally cut or punched into banks or pattern parts before or after the application of the PU foam, in particular after the drying thereof, and the coated blanks or pattern parts are subjected to stamping or structuring under pressure and temperature; and —the backing layer (1), the further layer (3) and the layer (2) are compressed and joined to one another and structured with a die (4) under application of a contact pressure of 4 to 48 kg/cm2, preferably 4 to 48 kg/cm2, in particular 18 to 25 kg/cm2.

A method for decorating a natural leather comprising the following steps: a) holding by vacuum suction the natural leather with its corium side to an air-permeable support onto a vacuum support of an inkjet printer; and b) inkjet printing a decorative image on the natural leather wherein the air-permeable support is partly covered by said natural leather. The air-permeable support comprises a fibrous layer in contact with the corium side of the natural leather.