Articles and Method for Improved Transfer of Bodily Fluids

Abstract

A method is provided to accelerate transfer of released body fluids from a body through a treated textile fabric to promote dryness of a skin of the body, the method comprising providing a treated textile fabric facing the body fluids to be transferred, wherein the treated textile fabric includes a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first surface is positioned facing towards the body fluids and the second surface is positioned facing away from the body fluids, wherein the treated textile fabric is structured with a plurality of pores so to allow a passage of a liquid from the first surface to the second surface, and wherein the first surface is coated with a graphene material such that a permeation flux of the first surface is greater than a permeation flux of the second surface.

Claims

1. A method to accelerate transfer of released body fluids from a body through a treated textile fabric to promote dryness of a skin of the body, the method comprising: providing the treated textile fabric facing the body fluids to be transferred, wherein the treated textile includes a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first surface is positioned facing towards the body fluids and the second surface is positioned facing away from the body fluids, wherein the treated textile is structured with a plurality of pores so to allow a passage of a liquid from the first surface to the second surface, and wherein the first surface is coated with a graphene material such that a permeation flux of the first surface is greater than a permeation flux of the second surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said treated textile fabric constitutes a part of a product.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the body fluids are transferred from one surface of the textile fabric to the second surface, kept on the second surface of the treated textile fabric or released to the open air.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the body fluids are transferred and absorbed by other components of said product.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said treated textile fabric is a part of hygiene absorption product, such as hygiene pad or diaper.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said treated textile fabric is a part of a shoe.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said treated textile fabric is a part of a clothing product, such as shirt or coat.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein said treated textile fabric is a wipe.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the coated first surface promotes and accelerates transfer of body liquids from the first surface to the second surface at a speed higher than the speed of liquid transfer through the same textile fabric before said treatment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said treated textile fabric acts as a filter which improves separation of water from solids suspended or dissolved within the body fluids.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphene material is graphene oxide (GO) or reduced graphene oxide (rGO).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the treated textile fabric is a nonwoven fabric.

13. A method, comprising: dispersing a graphene material in a solvent to form a dispersion; applying the dispersion on at least a portion of a first surface of a textile fabric to form a graphene membrane, wherein the first surface is configured to be positioned facing towards a body of a user and the second surface is configured to be positioned facing away from the body of the user, wherein the membrane is structured with a plurality of pores to allow a passage of a liquid from the first surface to the second surface, and wherein the graphene membrane causes a permeation flux of at least a portion of the first surface to be greater than a permeation flux of the second surface.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein applying the dispersion on at least a portion of a first surface of the textile fabric comprises coating, spraying, brushing, or printing the dispersion.

15. A treated textile fabric, comprising: a textile fabric having a first surface and a second surface; and a graphene membrane on at least a portion of the first surface of the textile fabric, wherein the first surface is configured to be positioned facing towards a body of a user and the second surface is configured to be positioned facing away from the body of the user, wherein the membrane is structured with a plurality of pores so to allow a passage of a liquid from the first surface to the second surface, and wherein a permeation flux of at least a portion of the first surface is greater than a permeation flux of the second surface.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Exemplary articles and methods are described herein. It should be understood that the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment or feature described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or features. The exemplary embodiments described herein are not meant to be limiting. It will be readily understood that certain aspects of the disclosed articles and methods can be arranged and combined in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are contemplated herein.

[0026] As used herein, “permeation flux” means the volume flowing through a membrane per unit area per unit time.

[0027] As used herein, representative “products” include an absorption pad, such as but not limited to hygiene pads such as feminine hygiene pads, adult incontinence pads and diapers, baby diapers and the like; any other garment and clothing, for example, undergarment, shirts, bras and bras components; shoes and sport shoes and their components; medical bandages, wound care products, cosmetic bandages, masks and any other desired body touching product.

[0028] As described above, the graphene material coating treatment of one or more layers on the textile porous surface promotes the creation of hydrophilic structures on or within the textile fabric by creating a series of hydrophilic channels within the material pores, resulting in superior permeation flux. Surprisingly, water passes through these treated pores faster than it would pass through the same pores of a non-treated textile fabric.

[0029] By treating a first surface of a textile fabric with the graphene material and not treating the second, opposite surface, a permeation flux of the first surface may be greater than a permeation flux of the second surface, enabling water to pass through these treated textile fabrics faster than it would pass through the same non-treated textile fabric.

[0030] In addition, the treated fabric acts as a filter which improves not only the water flux, but also the separation of water from other components normally suspended or dissolved within the body fluids, such as proteins, minerals, salts, particles, solids, etc. and where the water is quickly absorbed by absorption/distribution fabrics, while the non-water dissolved components are left on top of the fabric and are either absorbed in a slower manner by other mechanisms or by other functional layers, or left on the fabric to be removed later. An example for such later removal could be washing the product for a reused product, or throwing it away in the case of a disposable product. As a result, the wetting properties and the wicking of fabric are largely improved which, in turn, surprisingly enhances the ability of the fabric to transfer greater amount of body fluids at a given time.

[0031] Reference now will be made to the embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are set forth below.

[0032] In one embodiment, the treated textile is a part of hygiene absorption product, such as hygiene pad or diaper; wherein an improved disposable hygiene pad is provided, the pad comprising a top-sheet, a wicking/distribution layer, an absorption layer and a back-sheet. The pad also comprises at least part of one of the pad layers coated with a GO liquid coating and dried. The coating of the nonwoven sheet layer may be done in different areas, with different coating structures. For example, the coating of the first layer could be done in the core area of the product, while the next layer could be coated in other areas of the improved water distribution along the pad in a more controllable manner.

[0033] In another embodiment, any of the pad layers may be coated with a GO liquid coating.

[0034] In yet another embodiment, the body fluids are transferred and absorbed by other components of said product, for example, the coated textile can be placed as a middle layer of a hygiene pad, or diaper, acting as a separating membrane which accelerates water transfer while leaving other body fluids' physical particles set aside to be treated separately, so that the obstacles and delay that such particles impose on absorption speed is decreased.

[0035] In yet another embodiment, the treated textile constitutes part of a clothing product; such product can be a shirt, where the treated part is the inner side of the shirt, usually exposed to more sweating.

[0036] In yet another embodiment, the body fluids are transferred from one surface of the textile to the second surface kept on the second surface of the treated textile or released to the open air.

[0037] One example of this embodiment is a coat with several interlining layers. Additional examples include socks and shoes provided with the coating.

[0038] In yet another embodiment, the coated treated textile is a part of a medical wound care article, wherein the coated textile accelerates removing wound exudates promoting dryness of the wound area.

[0039] In another embodiment, the product is a wipe.

[0040] The present invention also relates to articles produced by the method.

[0041] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All embodiments within and between different aspects of the invention can be combined unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0042] The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.