Hydrophobic, breathable cellulose nonwoven fabrics for disposable hygiene applications

Mei Liu; Chi Ma; Dawang Zhou; Shiyan Chen; Liming Zou; Huaping Wang; Jing Wu

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119367

Hydrophobic, breathable cellulose nonwoven fabrics for disposable hygiene applications

Carbohydr Polym. 2022 Jul 15:288:119367. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119367. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Authors

Mei Liu¹, Chi Ma², Dawang Zhou¹, Shiyan Chen¹, Liming Zou³, Huaping Wang¹, Jing Wu⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.
² Sateri, Jiujiang 332017, China.
³ State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China. Electronic address: lmzou@dhu.edu.cn.
⁴ Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Co-innovation Center for Textile Industry, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China. Electronic address: wuj@dhu.edu.cn.

PMID: 35450629
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119367

Abstract

Cellulose-based fabrics with suitably high hydrophobicity and good air-permeability are highly promising for disposable hygiene applications. Herein, a facile, one-step method is reported, which effectively converts the completely hydrophilic cellulose nonwoven substrate into highly hydrophobic fabrics (water contact angle of 130-135°) with preservation of a good air-permeability (variation ± 6% after modification compared to the original 1337 mm·s^-1). Mono-isocyanates with bulky, hydrophobic moieties were adopted and 3-isocyanatopropyltrimethoxysilane (ISPTMOS) was found to be the most efficient one compared to tert-butyl isocyanate (TBIS) and m-toluene isocyanate (MTIS). The influence of the type and concentration of modifiers on the structure and key properties (hydrophobicity, air-permeability, breaking strength, flexibility) of the fabrics was systematically investigated. This approach has a great potential for industrial scale-up at the stage of post-finishing of nonwoven fabrics, which can be applied in medical, hygiene and personal care areas.

Keywords: Biodegradable material; Cellulose; Hydrophobic materials; Nonwoven fabrics; One-step impregnation.

MeSH terms

Cellulose*
Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
Hygiene
Textiles*

Substances

Cellulose