THERMAL BOND NON-WOVEN FABRIC CONTAINING CYCLIC OLEFIN RESIN

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A cyclic olefin-based resin-containing thermal bond non-woven fabric comprising at least a fiber (A) comprising no less than 50 mass % of a cyclic olefin-based resin (A1) having a glass transition point Tg.sub.A1 C., a fiber (B) comprising no less than 10 mass % of a cyclic olefin-based resin (B1) having a glass transition point Tb.sub.B1 C., or a crystalline thermoplastic resin (B2) having a melting point Mp.sub.B2 C., wherein the fiber (A) and the fiber (B) are thermally fused, Tg.sub.A1>Tg.sub.B1, or Tg.sub.A1>MP.sub.B2, a difference between the glass transition point Tg.sub.A1 C. and the glass transition point Tg.sub.B1 C., or the difference between the glass transition point Tg.sub.A1 C. and the melting point Mp.sub.B2 C. exceeds 20 C.

2. The cyclic olefin-based resin-containing thermal bond non-woven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the fiber (B) comprises no less than 10 mass % of the cyclic olefin-based resin (B1) having a glass transition point Tb.sub.B1 C.

3. The cyclic olefin-based resin-containing thermal bond non-woven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the fiber (A) and the fiber (B) are short fibers having a length of 0.2 mm to 10 mm.

4. The cyclic olefin-based resin-containing thermal bond non-woven fabric according to claim 1, formed by a wet method.

5. The cyclic olefin-based resin-containing thermal bond non-woven fabric according to claim 1, wherein the cyclic olefin-based resin-containing thermal bond non-woven fabric is a substrate of a patch.

Description

EXAMPLES

[0060] Below, the present invention is specifically explained by showing examples, but the present invention is not in any way limited by these examples.

<Used Materials>

[0061] Cyclic olefin-based resin 1: Product name TOPAS 9506F-04 produced by TOPAS Advanced Polymers, glass transition point 64 C. Cyclic olefin-based resin 2: Product name TOPAS 8007F-04 produced by TOPAS Advanced Polymers, glass transition point 78 C. Cyclic olefin-based resin 3: Product name TOPAS 5013L-10 produced by TOPAS Advanced Polymers, glass transition point 134 C. Cyclic olefin-based resin 4: Product name TOPAS 6013F-04 produced by TOPAS Advanced Polymers, glass transition point 138 C. Cyclic olefin-based resin 5: Product name TOPAS 6015S-04 produced by TOPAS Advanced Polymers, glass transition point 158 C. Cyclic olefin-based resin 6: Product name TOPAS 6017S-04 produced by TOPAS Advanced Polymers, glass transition point 178 C. Cyclic olefin-based resin 7: Product name TOPAS 6013M-07 produced by TOPAS Advanced Polymers, glass transition point 142 C. Polypropylene: Product name Novatec PP SA3A produced by Japan Polypropylene Corporation, melting point 165 C. High density polyethylene (HDPE): Product name Novatec HD HJ580N, produced by Japan Polypropylene Corporation, melting point 134 C.

<Production of the Non-Woven Fabric>

Examples 1 to 6

[0062] As the fiber for the non-woven fabric (thermal bond fiber), using the materials shown in Table 1, a 2 dtex short cut fiber (short fiber) with a cut length of 5 mm was obtained by using a melt spinning apparatus consisting of an extruder, a nozzle, a winding system, and the like, a heating apparatus, and a drawing apparatus provided with a take-up roll, and carrying out the preparation of the fiber using a fiber cut machine. A short fiber (A) made of a cyclic olefin-based resin (A1) and a short fiber (B) made of a cyclic olefin-based resin (B1) were blended such that the mass ratio was 80:20, and the blended short fibers were blended with water, and were filtered as paper to form a sheet, and heat processing was carried out at 150 C. in a Yankee drier, and the fibers were melt bonded to each other at the short fibers made of the resin (B1), and a non-woven fabric with a mass per unit area of about 50 g/m.sup.2 was obtained.

Example 7

[0063] The short fibers (A) made from the resin (A1) show in Table 1 and, a polypropylene-based (PP) core-shell type composite fiber as the short fiber (B) (core portion: polypropylene (PP)/shell portion: high density polyethylene (HDPE) (the mass ratio of the core portion and the shell portion is 50:50, therefore, in the fiber (B), HDPE was comprised at 50 mass % as a crystalline fiber thermoplastic resin (B2)), 2 dtex, fiber length 5 mm) were blended in a ratio (A):(B) of 80:20, and the high density polyethylene of the shell (melting point 130 C.) was melted whereby the fibers were melt bonded and the non-woven fabrics of Examples 1 to 6 were obtained in the same way.

Comparative Examples 1 and 2

[0064] The fiber (A) made from the cyclic olefin-based resin (A1) shown in the table and the fiber (B) made from the cyclic olefin-based resin (B1) or the (B2) were blended in a fiber ratio of (A):(B)=80:20 in the same way as Examples 1 to 7, and thermal processing was carried out in a Yankee drier at 150 C. Because the glass transition temperature difference between the short fiber (A) made from the resin (A1) and the fiber (B) comprising the resin (B1) or the crystalline thermoplastic resin (B2) is small, the fiber (B) was not sufficiently softened, and the joining of the fibers was weak, and a serviceable non-woven fabric could not be obtained.

[0065] Further, the melt fiber spinning temperatures of the respective cyclic olefin-based resins of Examples 1 to 7, and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, were as follows. [0066] Cyclic olefin-based resin 1: 200 C. [0067] Cyclic olefin-based resin 2: 220 C. [0068] Cyclic olefin-based resin 3: 280 C. [0069] Cyclic olefin-based resin 4: 290 C. [0070] Cyclic olefin-based resin 5: 300 C. [0071] Cyclic olefin-based resin 6: 320 C. [0072] Cyclic olefin-based resin 7: 290 C.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 difference fiber(A) fiber(B) in heat Tg Tg or resistance (A1) ( C.) (B1) or (B2) Mp ( C.) ( C.) Example1 cyclic olefin- 134 cyclic olefin- 78 56 based resin3 based resin2 Example2 cyclic olefin- 134 cyclic olefin- 64 70 based resin3 based resin1 Example3 cyclic olefin- 138 cyclic olefin- 78 60 based resin4 based resin2 Example4 cyclic olefin- 138 cyclic olefin- 64 74 based resin4 based resin1 Example5 cyclic olefin- 158 cyclic olefin- 78 80 based resin5 based resin2 Example6 cyclic olefin- 178 cyclic olefin- 78 100 based resin6 based resin2 Example7 cyclic olefin- 178 PP-based core- 130 48 based resin6 shell fiber (shell: HDPE core: PP) Comparative cyclic olefin- 158 cyclic olefin- 142 16 Example1 based resin5 based resin7 Comparative cyclic olefin- 178 cyclic olefin- 158 20 Exainple2 based resin6 based resin5

[0073] (In the table, Tg or Mp indicates a glass transition point in the case that the resin is a cyclic olefin-based resin, or in the case of the fiber (B) of Example 7 (olefin-based core-shell composite fiber) indicates a melting point of the high density polyethylene (HDPE) resin (crystalline thermoplastic resin (B2) of the shell portion. In the table, the difference in heat resistance indicates the difference between the Tg of the cyclic olefin-based resin (A1) included in the fiber (A), and the Tg or Mp of the cyclic olefin-based resin (B1) or crystalline thermoplastic resin (B2) included in the fiber (B).)

[0074] The rate of absorption of volatile low molecular compounds was measured for each of the non-woven fabrics of the Examples and Comparative Examples. Specifically, 30 g of a volatile substance (as the volatile substance, dl-camphor (molecular weight: 152) and 1-menthol (molecular weight: 156) were used), and each of the non-woven fabrics (0.1 g) shown in Table 1 were placed in a desiccator, and after leaving for 2 weeks at room temperature, the amount of the volatile substance (d1-camphor, 1-menthol) absorbed in the resin was measured by a headspace GC method. The results are shown in Table 2.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 non-woven fabric d1-camphor 1-menthol Example1 1.9 microgram 3.7 microgram Example2 2.0 microgram 3.6 microgram Example3 1.9 microgram 3.6 microgram Example4 1.9 microgram 3.6 microgram Example5 1.9 microgram 3.7 microgram Example6 1.9 microgram 3.7 microgram Example7 102 microgram 80 microgram Comparative measurement not measurement not Example1 possible, could not possible, could not obtain non-woven fabric obtain non-woven fabric Comparative measurement not measurement not Example2 possible, could not possible, could not obtain non-woven fabric obtain non-woven fabric

[0075] From Table 2, it can be understood that the non-woven fabrics of the present invention have a small rate of absorptivity of the volatile substance compared to the non-woven fabrics produced with polyethylene terephthalate. From these experimental results, it can be understood that the cyclic olefin-based resin-containing thermal bond non-woven fabric of the present invention produced from fibers including a cyclic olefin-based resin has a small rate of absorption of volatile low molecular compounds.

[0076] [Feel Tests]

[0077] Tests were carried out to confirm the feel in relation to the adhesion sensation of the non-woven fabric of the present invention. Specifically, tests (sensory evaluations) were carried out to confirm the feel of the non-woven fabrics disclosed in Table 2. Further, a polyester-based wet process non-woven fabric (mass per unit area 50 g/m.sup.2) was set as Comparative Example 3.

(Basis of Evaluation)

[0078] A: supple and soft feel [0079] B: a somewhat soft feel [0080] C: a hard and starchy feel

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 non-woven fabric feel Example1 A Example2 A Example3 A Example4 A Example5 A Example6 A Example7 A Comparative Example1 measurement not possible, could not obtain non-woven fabric Comparative Example2 measurement not possible, could not obtain non-woven fabric Comparative Example3 B-C

[0081] From Table 3, it can be understood that a patch produced using the non-woven fabric of the present invention is a patch excelling in feel compared with the polyester-based wet process non-woven fabric according to Comparative Example 3.