JP4719081B2 - Wet-heat adhesive composite fiber and filler-fixed fiber, fiber structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to sanitary materials such as diapers and napkin members, filters, wipers, agricultural materials, food packaging materials, garbage bags, interior materials, industrial materials, etc., metal materials, inorganic materials, resin materials (plastics, foams) And the like, and a wet heat adhesive composite fiber that can be applied to adhesion to different kinds of objects such as cellulose materials (wood, etc.). In particular, the present invention relates to a filler fixing fiber in which a filler is fixed to the fiber surface and a fiber structure having the filler fixing fiber.

  Low melting point heat-bonding fibers are used in various fields. For example, a low-melt polymer fiber or a low-melt base material containing a low-melting part of a bicomponent fiber and a binder containing a tackifier, wherein the tackifier is rosin, rosin ester, terpene base compound, piperylene base Those selected from compounds and hydrocarbon-based compounds have been proposed (Patent Document 1). Further, as adhesion promoters, those selected from maleic acid or maleic anhydride grafted polyolefins, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers, or combinations thereof have also been proposed.

  In addition, a hot melt adhesive is proposed in which a large amount of hot melt component fibers made of ethylene vinyl acetate resin (EVA) and rosin are laminated into a non-woven fabric (Patent Document 2). Here, the melting point of EVA resin is disclosed as 70 to 100 ° C. Rosin is used for the purpose of imparting tackiness of EVA.

  Further, a hot melt adhesive polyolefin composition containing an aliphatic hydrocarbon resin, a terpene / phenol resin, a polyterpene, a rosin, an ester gum and the like in a mixture of propylene-based copolymer resins having a complicated structure has been proposed (patent) Reference 3). The terpene / phenolic resin and the like are used for the purpose of tackifiers. Further, it is described that a monomer having a functional group (acrylic acid, maleic acid, vinyl acetate) may be used as adhesion promotion.

  On the other hand, as a method for attaching a filler to the surface of a fiber, a method has been proposed in which particles are supported on the surface of a nonwoven fabric by a dry method and then heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point of the fiber to attach the particles. (Patent Document 4). Furthermore, a method of adhering particles by impregnating a sheet-like or block fiber molding into an aqueous dispersion containing particles and pressing the mixture and then heating at a temperature not exceeding 60 ° C. from the melting point of the fiber or the melting point is proposed. (Patent Document 5).

  Conventionally, fiber products in which a filler is attached to the fiber surface are used for various purposes. For example, a fiber or cloth for polishing or cleaning is generally well-known as a fiber for cleaning, a filament fiber (dental floss) for polishing between teeth. For industrial applications, abrasive cloth or abrasive paper is used in various fields such as lenses, semiconductors, metals, plastics, ceramics, and glass. Furthermore, abrasive cloth is also used in home or commercial kitchens.

  Further, since the occurrence of allergic symptoms such as sick house syndrome due to inhalation of a volatile organic compound (hereinafter abbreviated as VOC) is increasing, a gas adsorbing material that adsorbs harmful gas such as VOC gas is desired. As the gas adsorbing material, for example, a gas adsorbing sheet having an adsorbing effect on all VOC gases has been proposed (Patent Document 6). In the gas adsorbing sheet proposed in Patent Document 6, activated carbon particles are sandwiched and fixed between two sheet materials, and adsorbent particles are fixed to at least one of the sheet materials. . As a method for immobilizing adsorbent particles, (1) a method in which adsorbent particles are mixed in a binder resin solution and coated on one sheet material, and the other sheet material is stacked thereon, Examples include a method in which a hot melt agent or the like is coated on a sheet material, adsorbent particles are dispersed thereon, and the other sheet material is further stacked thereon.

  Furthermore, various water purification materials using fibrous activated carbon, that is, activated carbon fibers, have been proposed as water purification materials for purifying factory wastewater or the like (for example, Patent Document 7). However, in the water purification material using activated carbon fibers, activated carbon constituting the activated carbon fibers may fall off during use, and the purification performance may deteriorate. Furthermore, the activated carbon that has fallen into the purified liquid may be mixed. On the other hand, a water purification filter in which organic substance-adsorbing particles such as activated carbon particles are fixed to a sheet-like member via an insoluble binder has been proposed (Patent Document 8).

JP 2003-328232 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-149773 Special Table 2001-523301 JP-A-7-268767 Japanese Patent Publication No.51-22557 JP 2000-246827 A JP-A-9-234365 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-201583

  However, conventional technologies are not satisfactory in adhesion to dissimilar materials (hereinafter referred to as “dissimilar objects”) such as metals, resins (plastics, foams, etc.), cellulose (woods, etc.), inorganics, etc. There is a problem that sometimes fused fibers are generated, or that the thermal shrinkage rate of the obtained fibers is high and the dimensional stability is low.

  On the other hand, as a fiber product in which the filler is attached to the fiber surface, as in Patent Documents 4 and 5, when the fiber is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point or the melting point, the fiber shrinks and becomes hard. The particles cannot be effectively fixed to the fiber, and the temperature needs to be higher than the melting point. In this case, there is a problem that the fiber form cannot be maintained. Further, the fibers shrink and become hard, and as a result, there is a problem that the nonwoven fabric cannot be maintained with shrinkage.

  In addition, since the filler is generally not compatible with the resin constituting the fiber, there is a problem that a sufficient amount of the filler can not be secured because it immediately falls off when trying to fix to the fiber surface. Furthermore, even if the filler is once fixed to the fiber surface, there is a problem that it falls off during use.

  In the immobilization method (1) in the gas adsorbing sheet proposed in Patent Document 6, the adsorbent particles are buried in the binder resin solution, and there is a possibility that a sufficient gas adsorbing effect cannot be obtained. In the immobilization method (2), the contact area between the hot melt agent and the adsorbent particles is small, so that the adsorbent particles may fall off. Further, the gas adsorbing sheet proposed in Patent Document 3 uses a porous sheet material for at least one of the two sheet materials in order to enhance air permeability. When the activated carbon particles are sandwiched between them, it is necessary to make the activated carbon particles larger than the maximum pore size of the porous sheet material so that the activated carbon particles do not fall off. Therefore, activated carbon particles having a particle size of 100 to 1000 μm are used, and there is a possibility that a sufficient gas adsorption effect may not be obtained because the specific surface area of the activated carbon particles is small.

  In the water purification filter proposed in Patent Document 8, the granular water purification material is buried in the binder, the specific surface area of the particles is reduced, and sufficient purification performance may not be obtained. .

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the present invention provides a wet heat adhesive composite fiber having high wet heat adhesion to a different object, low heat shrinkage, and high dimensional stability during heat processing. Furthermore, the present invention provides a filler-fixed fiber and a filler-fixed fiber structure in which a filler is effectively fixed to the fiber surface while maintaining the original fiber properties.

  The wet heat adhesive composite fiber of the present invention is a wet heat gelled component containing a wet heat gelled resin and a wet heat adhesive composite fiber containing a fiber-forming component, wherein the wet heat gelled component comprises 70 wet heat gelled resin. Adhesion promotion with at least one selected from rosin, rosin ester, terpene base compound, piperylene base compound, and hydrocarbon base compound, with a softening point of 70 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower. It is a mixture containing 6 mass% or more and 30 mass% or less of an agent.

  The filler-fixed fiber of the present invention is characterized in that the filler is fixed to the fiber surface by a gelled product obtained by gelling the wet-heat adhesive conjugate fiber.

  The filler-fixed fiber structure of the present invention is a fiber structure containing the wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber, and the filler is fixed to the fiber surface by a gelled product obtained by gelling the wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber. Features.

  The present invention uses a mixture containing a wet heat gelling resin and a specific adhesion promoter as a wet heat gelling component, thereby adhering to different kinds of objects such as metals, resins (plastics, foams, etc.), wood, and inorganic substances. It is possible to provide a wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber having a high thermal shrinkage rate and a high dimensional stability during heat processing.

  Moreover, this invention can fix a filler efficiently, when a wet heat gelling component is wet-gelled by using the mixture containing a wet heat gelling resin and a specific adhesion promoter as a wet heat gelling component. Furthermore, since the filler is fixed to the fiber surface by the gelled product, the filler can be fixed in an exposed state on the fiber surface without easily falling off.

  The fiber structure of the present invention maintains the original performance of the fiber structure because the functional filler is effectively fixed to the fiber surface by the gelled product, and the fiber structure has been used conventionally. In addition, it is possible to provide a fiber structure with further functionality.

  The wet heat gelling resin used in the present invention refers to a resin that can be gelled by heating in the presence of moisture. “Gelable resin” refers to a resin that swells by gelling at a temperature of 80 ° C. or higher, and that allows the fibers constituting different objects and / or fiber structures to be fixed by the swollen gelled product. That means.

  In the present invention, a wet heat gelling component containing a wet heat gelling resin and a wet heat adhesive composite fiber containing a fiber-forming component are used. As a result, the other fiber-forming components function as a binder that keeps the fiber form and the wet heat gelled resin is gelated to fix the filler to the fiber surface, or as a binder that adheres dissimilar objects. At the same time, the adhesion promoter described below mixed with the wet heat gelling component is softened near the temperature at which the wet heat gelled resin is gelled, or is in contact with a foreign object in a state close to softening. Can be improved. When the different object is a filler, the filler is fixed to the fiber surface by a gelled product obtained by wet heat gelation of the wet heat gelling resin. Furthermore, since the adhesion promoter is softened in the vicinity of the temperature at which the wet heat gelled resin is gelled or is in contact with the dissimilar object in a state close to softening, the filler can be more firmly fixed. In addition, the wet heat gelling component is preferably bonded to other fibers in the case of composite fibers and / or fiber structures.

  The wet heat gelling resin is preferably an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin. This is because the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin can be gelled by wet heat and does not alter the fiber-forming component and / or other fibers. Moreover, it is because compatibility with the adhesion promoter chosen from a rosin, a rosin ester, a terpene base compound, a piperylene base compound, and a hydrocarbon base compound is high, and productivity is good.

  The ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin is a resin obtained by saponifying an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin, and the saponification degree is preferably 95% or more. A more preferable degree of saponification is 98% or more. Moreover, a preferable ethylene content rate is 20 mol% or more. A preferable ethylene content is 50 mol% or less. A more preferable ethylene content is 25 mol% or more. A more preferable ethylene content is 45 mol% or less. If the degree of saponification is less than 95%, it may be difficult to produce a fiber structure due to adhesion to a roll or the like during gel processing. Similarly, when the ethylene content is less than 20 mol%, production of a fiber structure may be difficult due to adhesion to a roll or the like during gel processing. On the other hand, if the ethylene content exceeds 50 mol%, the wet heat gelation temperature becomes high, and the processing temperature has to be raised to the vicinity of the melting point, and as a result, the dimensional stability of the fiber structure may be adversely affected. .

  The ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin preferably has a melt flow rate (MI, discharge amount at 190 ° C. and load of 21.18 N defined according to JIS-K7210) of 5 to 40 g / 10 minutes. More preferably, it is 5-20 g / 10min, and still more preferably 5-15 g / min. When an adhesion promoter is mixed as a wet heat gelling component, the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin tends to have a high flow. Therefore, when the MI is in the above range, the fiber manufacturing processability is improved.

  A preferred gelling temperature of the wet heat gelling resin is 80 ° C. or higher. A more preferable gelation temperature is 90 ° C. or higher. If a resin that can be gelled at a temperature lower than 80 ° C. is used, it may become difficult to produce a fiber structure during gel processing due to intense adhesion to a roll or the like, or may not be used in summer or in a high temperature environment. . Furthermore, if it is a resin that can be gelled at less than 80 ° C., the temperature difference from the softening point of the adhesion promoter becomes too large during gel processing, and the adhesion of the adhesion promoter may not be fully exhibited. The “gel processing” refers to processing for gelling a wet heat gelled resin.

  The wet heat gelled resin is 70% by weight or more and 94% by weight or less based on the whole wet heat gelled component. When the content of the wet heat gelled resin is less than 70% by mass, the content of an adhesion promoter described later increases, and a fused fiber is likely to be generated, or the processability when adhering to a different object is deteriorated. There is a tendency. In addition, the content of the wet heat gelled resin is decreased, and the adhesion of the gelled product to a different object may be lowered. On the other hand, when the content of the wet heat gelled resin exceeds 94% by mass, the adhesion to different objects by the adhesion promoter is not sufficient.

  Next, the adhesion promoter used in the present invention is at least one selected from rosin, rosin ester, terpene base compound, piperylene base compound, ester gum and hydrocarbon base compound, and has a softening point of 70 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. It is below ℃. The preferred softening point is 80 ° C. or higher and 130 ° C. or lower, and more preferably 85 ° C. or higher and 120 ° C. or lower. When the softening point is less than 70 ° C., fused fibers are easily generated during fiber production, or the melt viscosity of the resin becomes too low and the spinnability is deteriorated. Furthermore, the fiber or the fiber structure itself tends to become sticky during use. On the other hand, when the softening point exceeds 150 ° C., a large amount of heat is required to exert adhesiveness with different objects, or the temperature difference from the gelation temperature of the wet heat gelled resin becomes too large. Absent.

  The addition amount of the adhesion promoter is 6 to 30% by mass, preferably 10 to 25% by mass, and most preferably 15 to 20% by mass. When the addition amount of the adhesion promoter is less than 6% by mass, it is difficult to impart adhesion to different kinds of objects. Moreover, when the addition amount of an adhesion promoter exceeds 30 mass%, it becomes easy to generate | occur | produce a fused fiber. In addition, in the range which does not inhibit the adhesiveness with a dissimilar object, you may add a 3rd component other than the said wet heat gelling resin and an adhesion promoter.

  Specific examples of the adhesion promoter include, for example, rosin, gum rosin, wood rosin, and tall oil rosin. In the case of a hydrocarbon base compound, an aliphatic hydrocarbon compound is mentioned. In the case of a terpene base compound, a terpene compound, a terpene phenol compound, and a hydrogenated terpene compound are exemplified.

  For example, terpene phenol is mentioned as an adhesion promoter. Terpenephenol is represented by the general formula shown below (Chemical Formula 1), and is obtained by reacting terpene monomers such as α-pinene, β-pinene, and dipentene with phenol.

(However, m and n indicate the degree of polymerization. They are sold as a product name “YS Polystar T” series manufactured by Yasuhara Chemical Co., Ltd.)

  The wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber of the present invention is a conjugate fiber containing a fiber-forming component. By including a fiber-forming component, the thermal shrinkage rate in the case of heat processing is low, and the dimensional stability is excellent. Moreover, since the shape of the fiber is maintained when the wet heat gelled component is wet heat gelled, the filler can be fixed to the surface of the composite fiber by the gelled product.

  The melting point of the fiber-forming component is preferably higher than the temperature at which the wet heat gelled resin is gelled. The preferred melting point of the fiber-forming component is the gelling temperature + 10 ° C. or higher, even more preferably the gelling temperature + 20 ° C. or higher, and most preferably the gelling temperature + 30 ° C. or higher. The larger the difference between the melting points of the temperatures at which the fiber-forming component and the wet heat gelled resin are gelled, the lower the thermal shrinkage rate in the case of gel processing and the better the dimensional stability. If the fiber-forming component is a component having a melting point lower than the temperature at which the heat-and-humidity gelled resin is gelled (forms a gelled product), the fiber-forming component itself tends to melt and become hard. May become non-uniform with shrinkage.

  The fiber-forming component may be any material such as polyolefin, polyester or polyamide, but is preferably polyolefin. Examples of polyolefin include polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, and polystyrene. When ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin is used as the wet heat gelled resin fiber component, it is easy to form a composite fiber (conjugate fiber) by melt spinning.

  The wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber is preferably a conjugate fiber in which the wet heat gelling component is exposed or partially sectioned. The wet heat gelling component preferably occupies 50% or more of the fiber surface. A more preferable ratio of the wet heat gelling component to the fiber surface is 70% or more. The most preferable ratio of the wet heat gelling component to the fiber surface is 100% (sheath core type having the wet heat gelling component as the sheath component and the fiber-forming component as the core component). When the ratio of the wet heat gelling component to the fiber surface is less than 50%, the adhesion to different kinds of objects tends to deteriorate. The composite shape indicates a concentric core-sheath type, an eccentric core-sheath type, a parallel type, a split type, a sea-island type, and the like. In particular, the concentric core-sheath type is preferable in that the wet heat gelling component is easily fluidized. When the filler is included, it is preferable because the filler is easily fixed to the fiber surface. In addition, the cross-sectional shape may be any of a circle, a hollow, an irregular shape, an ellipse, a star, a flat shape, and the like, but is preferably a circle from the standpoint of easy fiber production. In the case of a split type composite fiber, it is preferable that a high pressure water stream or the like is jetted in advance to be partly split. If it does in this way, the divided | segmented wet heat gelling component will gelatinize by wet heat processing, will form a gelled material, will adhere to the surface of another fiber, and will adhere a filler. That is, it functions as a binder.

  The mass ratio of the fiber-forming component and the wet heat gelling component in the wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber is preferably 80:20 to 20:80. More preferably, it is 70: 30-30: 70. If the content of the fiber-forming component is less than 20% by mass, the heat shrinkability may increase or the productivity of the fiber may decrease. On the other hand, when the content of the fiber-forming component exceeds 80% by mass, the adhesiveness with different kinds of objects tends to deteriorate.

  The fineness of the wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber of the present invention is not particularly limited, but when obtaining staple fibers, wet papermaking nonwoven fabrics, and airlaid nonwoven fabric fibers, it is preferably 0.5 dtex or more and 100 dtex or less. More preferably, it is 1 dtex or more and 50 dtex or less. If the fineness is less than 0.5 dtex, the fibers are too thin and a uniform fiber structure may not be obtained. On the other hand, if the fineness exceeds 100 dtex, the fibers are too thick and the adhesion to different objects may be deteriorated.

  When the wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber of the present invention is a filler-fixed fiber, the fineness is preferably 0.5 dtex or more and 10 dtex or less. More preferably, it is 1 dtex or more and 7 dtex or less. If the fineness is less than 0.5 dtex, the fibers are too thin and a uniform fiber structure may not be obtained. On the other hand, if the fineness exceeds 10 dtex, the fixed amount of the filler may decrease or the adhesiveness with the filler may deteriorate. Moreover, when it is set as a split type composite fiber, it is preferable that the fineness of each component when the ultrafine fiber is expressed is 0.05 to 1 dtex because a filler having a smaller particle diameter can be fixed efficiently.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the wet heat adhesive composite fiber of this invention is demonstrated. The wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber of the present invention is melt-spun using a conventional melt spinning machine to obtain a spun filament. Next, if necessary, the spinning filament is subjected to a drawing treatment. The stretching temperature is preferably 30 ° C or higher and 80 ° C or lower. More preferably, it is 40 degreeC or more and 70 degrees C or less. If the stretching temperature is less than 30 ° C., the stretching ratio tends to be too low, or the thermal shrinkage tends to increase. On the other hand, when the stretching temperature is higher than 80 ° C., it tends to be fused. When the fiber-forming component is polyester, it is preferable to perform a stretching treatment at a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature. When the temperature is lower than the glass transition temperature, thermal shrinkage tends to increase. Therefore, for example, when polyethylene terephthalate is used as the fiber-forming component, the glass transition temperature is about 65 ° C. Therefore, it is preferable that the tension heat treatment is performed at the glass transition temperature or higher at a stretching temperature of 60 ° C. A preferable range of the tension heat treatment is not lower than the glass transition point of the fiber-forming component and lower than the temperature at which the gelation of the wet heat gelled resin starts. A more preferable range is the glass transition temperature of the fiber-forming component + 5 ° C. or higher and the gelation start temperature−5 ° C. or lower. The most preferable range is the glass transition temperature of the fiber-forming component + 10 ° C. or higher and the gelation start temperature−10 ° C. or lower.

  When obtaining staple fibers, a drying process is performed after the stretching process and the crimping process. The drying temperature is preferably 40 ° C. or higher and lower than the temperature at which the gelling of the wet heat gelled resin starts (hereinafter referred to as the gelation start temperature). A more preferable range of the drying temperature is 50 ° C. or higher and a gelation start temperature of −5 ° C. or lower. The most preferable ranges of the drying temperature are 60 ° C. or higher and the gelation start temperature −10 ° C. If the drying temperature is less than 40 ° C., the moisture content of the fibers obtained due to poor drying becomes too high, and it becomes easy to cause trouble in the card process. On the other hand, when the drying temperature is equal to or higher than the gelation start temperature, fusion tends to occur.

  The wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber of the present invention is, for example, raw yarn such as spun yarn, multifilament, spunbond nonwoven fabric, meltblown nonwoven fabric, dry nonwoven fabric such as card or airlaid using short fibers, and nonwoven fabric such as wet papermaking nonwoven fabric, Used for woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, and molded products. The effect of the present invention can be most exerted on a sheet-like material such as a dry nonwoven fabric, a wet papermaking nonwoven fabric, and a woven or knitted fabric made of spun yarn. This is because the sheet-like material has high processability when bonded to a different object, and further has high moldability when formed simultaneously with bonding to a different object.

  When the wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber contains at least 30% by mass or more, the sheet-like material has high adhesiveness to different objects. The content of a preferable wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber is 50% by mass or more. The content of the wet heat adhesive composite fiber is more preferably 70% by mass or more. The most preferred wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber content is 100% by mass. If the content of the wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber is less than 30% by mass, the adhesion to different objects may be deteriorated.

  The wet heat-adhesive conjugate fiber of the present invention has at least one kind of different object selected from a metal material, an inorganic material, a resin material other than the wet heat gelled resin, and a cellulose material on at least a part of the surface of the sheet-like material. Can be laminated and wet-heat bonded for integration to obtain a heterogeneous object composite molded body. If a sheet-like material containing the wet heat-adhesive conjugate fiber is used as the heterogeneous object composite molded body, the fiber structure is firmly adhered to a non-resin material such as a metal material, an inorganic material, or a cellulose material, which has conventionally been difficult to bond It has a unique texture and function that was not possible in the past. Furthermore, even if it is a resin material, even if the adhesion between the homologous resin materials is high, the adhesion with the heterogeneous resin material has not been high, but a sheet-like material containing the wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber is not used. If used, the adhesiveness to the heterogeneous resin material is high, and for example, it can be used as an adhesive material between different kinds of objects. As said composite molded object, shapes, such as what shape | molded in the sheet form and what was shape | molded in the solid shape, can be taken.

  The filler referred to in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has a shape that can be held on the fiber surface or inside the fiber structure, such as in the form of particles or short fibers. For example, the filler is preferably an inorganic filler. This is because an inorganic filler has a large polishing action when used as an abrasive. Moreover, it is because inorganic filler itself has various functionality. Examples of the inorganic filler include alumina, silica, tripoly, diamond, corundum, emery, garnet, flint, synthetic diamond, boron nitride, silicon carbide, boron carbide, chromium oxide, cerium oxide, iron oxide, silicate colloid, and carbon. , Graphite, zeolite and titanium dioxide, kaolin, clay and the like. These particles can also be used by mixing as appropriate.

  An organic filler can also be used as the filler. Examples of the organic filler include resins such as styrene, acrylic, methacrylic, melamine, phenol, epoxy, fluorine, silicone, polyester, and polyolefin.

  When the filler is a gas adsorbent filler and / or an organic matter adsorbent filler, it is not particularly limited as long as it has a function of adsorbing a gaseous substance in the air, but activated carbon particles, zeolite, silica gel, activated clay, layered phosphoric acid Porous particles such as salts, porous particles in which a chemical adsorbent is supported on these porous particles, and the like are preferable. Among the porous particles, activated carbon particles are particularly preferable.

  When the filler is an ion-exchangeable filler, porous particles such as activated carbon, zeolite, silica gel, activated clay, and layered phosphate containing alkaline substances or acidic substances, and styrene, acrylic, methacrylic Organic polymer ion exchange resins such as cation exchange resins such as styrene, anion exchange resins such as styrene and acrylic can be used.

  In addition to the abrasive, gas adsorbent particles and organic matter adsorbent particles, for example, silica gel as a desiccant, titanium dioxide as a photocatalyst, antibacterial metal ions such as silver ions, zinc ions and copper ions as antibacterial agents Zeolite, zirconium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, etc., microencapsulated fillers, heat absorption / exothermic agents, virus adsorption / decomposition agents, deodorants, conductive agents, antistatic agents, humidity control agents, insect repellents One or more functional fillers such as a fungicide and a flame retardant can be used.

  When the filler is particulate, the average particle size is preferably in the range of 0.01 to 1000 μm. A more preferable average particle diameter is 0.1 μm or more, and even more preferably 0.5 μm or more. A more preferable average particle diameter is 80 μm or less, and even more preferably, 50 μm or less. When the average particle size is less than 0.01 μm, the filler may be buried in the gelled product. On the other hand, when the average particle diameter exceeds 1000 μm, the specific surface area of the filler becomes small, and the functionality of the filler may not be sufficiently exhibited. In particular, when the average particle size of the filler is 100 μm or less, the specific surface area is large, so that even a small amount of filler can exhibit a sufficient function, which is preferable. The average particle diameter can be measured with a laser particle size distribution meter.

  When the filler is in the form of short fibers, the larger length of the fiber length or fiber cross-sectional length (hereinafter referred to as short fiber length) is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 1000 μm. A more preferable short fiber length is 10 μm or more. A more preferable short fiber length is 500 μm or less. The fiber length preferably satisfies the above range and is about 30% with respect to the fiber length of the fiber structure. When the short fiber length is less than 0.1 μm, the filler may be buried in the gelled product. On the other hand, when the short fiber length exceeds 1000 μm, since the fiber length is long, it is not uniformly dispersed in the dispersion liquid, and the specific surface area of the filler becomes small, and the functionality of the filler may not be fully exhibited.

The filler-fixed fiber and the fiber structure are preferably 2 g or more, more preferably 10 g or more per 1 m ^{2 of the} fiber structure, in order to efficiently exhibit the functionality of the filler. It is especially preferable that it is 20 g or more. Further, the upper limit of the amount of the filler fixed is preferably about 5 times that of the fiber structure.

  The fiber structure may be laminated with another sheet on one side or both sides thereof. When laminating other sheets, for example, they may be laminated before applying an aqueous solution or filler dispersion, or after applying an aqueous solution or filler dispersion. When laminating after applying an aqueous solution or filler dispersion, the layers may be laminated before wet heat treatment, may be laminated after wet heat treatment, and may be laminated before drying, or may be laminated after drying after wet heat treatment. For example, when another sheet is laminated on one side of the fiber structure before application of the aqueous solution or filler dispersion, the function of the other sheet can be imparted, for example, moldability and adhesion can be improved. . For example, when used as a polishing nonwoven fabric in which a liquid is included in the fiber structure of the present invention, it is preferable that filler-fixed fibers are present in a web shape on both surfaces, and hydrophilic fibers are present inside. The hydrophilic fiber is preferably at least one fiber selected from rayon fiber, cotton fiber and pulp. This is because, when polishing is performed by applying a liquid such as water, a surfactant, or a cleaning agent, moisture retention is high.

  In addition, when other sheets are laminated on both sides of the fiber structure before applying the aqueous solution or filler dispersion, for example, even when the filler is not sufficiently fixed, the filler is prevented from falling off, In some cases, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the cleaning operation in the manufacturing process by providing an effect of hiding the color or suppressing the falling off of the filler. Furthermore, functions of other sheets can be imparted, and for example, moldability and adhesiveness can be improved. For example, it is preferable in applications where there is a concern about filler falling off or filler color such as gas adsorbents and water purification filters.

  For the fiber structure after application of the aqueous solution or filler dispersion, another sheet can be laminated on one side or both sides for the same reason as described above. A more preferable form of lamination is, for example, a sheet in which heat-adhesive fibers are integrated on both surfaces of a fiber structure after application of an aqueous solution or filler dispersion by heat treatment. When the aqueous solution or filler dispersion is applied, the other sheet can be prevented from being soiled by being immersed in the aqueous solution or filler dispersion, and the filler can be prevented from falling off.

Examples of the other sheet include a spunbond nonwoven fabric, a melt blown nonwoven fabric, a hydroentangled nonwoven fabric, a thermal bond nonwoven fabric, a needle punched nonwoven fabric, and a film. Basis weight of the other sheet is preferably 15~300g / m ^2, and more preferably 20 to 100 g / m ^2.

  As an embodiment of the present invention, for example, a gas adsorbent using a gas adsorbent filler as a filler is not limited to a nonwoven fabric, and a gas adsorption using a fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of filler-fixed fibers as a gas adsorption portion. It may be a module. Moreover, what wound the said filler fixed fiber structure in the cylindrical form, and what was shape | molded in the pleat form can also be used as a gas adsorption filter. Moreover, the water purification material using an organic substance adsorbent filler as a filler is not limited to a nonwoven fabric, It is good also as a water quality purification module which uses the fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of said filler fixed fibers as an organic substance adsorption part. Moreover, what wound the aggregate | assembly of the said filler fixed fiber in the shape of a cylinder, and shape | molded in the shape of a pleat can also be used as a water quality purification filter.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the filler fixed fiber and fiber structure of this invention is demonstrated. The wet heat treatment in the following description is performed in a wet heat atmosphere. The “humid heat atmosphere” here refers to an atmosphere containing moisture and heated. The wet heat treatment refers to a fiber provided with a wet heat gelled resin, a fiber containing a wet heat gelled fiber component, or a fiber structure before treatment containing these fibers (hereinafter, also referred to as “treated fiber structure”). For example, it refers to a process of heating after applying a filler dispersion containing a filler (hereinafter referred to as “filler dispersion”) or a process of heating while applying the filler dispersion. Examples of the heating method include a method of exposing to a heated atmosphere, a method of penetrating through heated air, and a method of contacting a heated body. In addition, as another method, after sprinkling filler on the fiber structure to be treated, moisture is applied and heat treated, or after sprinkling filler on the fiber structure to be treated with water in advance, There is also a method of heat treatment. The method of spraying is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method using a sieve, a method using jetting, and a method performed electrically.

  The method for producing the fiber structure to be treated is not particularly limited, but in the case of a nonwoven fabric, at least selected from methods such as a needle punch method, a hydroentanglement method, an airlaid method, a spunbond method, a melt blow method, and a wet method. It is preferred to use one type of method. Among these, a nonwoven fabric obtained by a hydroentanglement method is preferable in order to efficiently contain and fix a filler having an average particle size in the range of 0.5 to 100 μm to the fiber structure.

When the fiber structure to be treated is produced by the hydroentanglement method, the hydroentanglement treatment conditions are appropriately set according to the basis weight of the fiber structure, the fixed amount of the filler of the obtained nonwoven fabric, the air permeability, and the like. For example, hydroentanglement treatment of a card web having a basis weight of 30 to 80 g / m ² is performed by placing the web on a plain weave support of 80 to 100 mesh, and the orifice having a pore diameter of 0.05 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less is 0. It may be carried out by spraying a water flow with a water pressure of 2 MPa or more and 10 MPa or less on the front and back surfaces of the card web 1 to 5 times from a nozzle provided at intervals of 3 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less. If necessary, after the water entanglement treatment under the above conditions, a web is placed on the support for forming the hole, and a water flow having a water pressure of 2 MPa or more and 10 MPa or less is sprayed from the nozzle onto the web to open it. A hole may be formed. The term “open hole” as used herein refers to a portion having a size of 0.05 to 50 mm ² where fibers are not accumulated. And the web after the said hydroentanglement process is dried in order to remove a water | moisture content, and a to-be-processed fiber structure (to-be-processed nonwoven fabric) is produced.

  The treated fiber structure may be subjected to a hydrophilic treatment. When hydrophilic treatment is performed, when the fiber structure to be treated contains hydrophobic fibers, moisture can be imparted to the fiber structure to be treated substantially uniformly. As a result, the wet heat-adhesive conjugate fiber is substantially uniformly wet-heat gelled, and the filler is easily fixed, which is preferable. As hydrophilic treatment, surfactant treatment, corona discharge method, glow discharge method, plasma treatment method, electron beam irradiation method, ultraviolet ray irradiation method, γ ray irradiation method, photon method, flame method, fluorine treatment method, graft treatment method, Examples thereof include a sulfonation treatment method.

A preferred basis weight range of the treated fiber structure is 30 to 200 g / m ² , and a more preferred basis weight range is 35 to 100 g / m ² . If the basis weight is lower than 30 g / m ^2, the amount of the filler to be fixed after the wet heat treatment decreases, and the function may not be sufficiently exhibited. When the basis weight is higher than 200 g / m ² , the filler may not easily enter the fiber structure to be treated when the filler is applied.

  In the case of heating after applying the filler dispersion, it is preferable that the ratio of moisture applied to the fiber or the fiber structure to be processed in the wet heat treatment (hereinafter referred to as “moisture content”) is 20 to 1500 mass%. . A more preferable moisture content is 30 to 1000% by mass. An even more preferable moisture content is 40 to 900 mass%. If the moisture content is less than 20% by mass, wet heat gelation may not occur sufficiently. On the other hand, when the moisture content exceeds 1500% by mass, the wet heat treatment is not uniformly performed between the surface and the inside of the fiber structure to be treated, and the degree of wet heat gelation tends to be uneven. In addition, as a provision method of a water | moisture content, it can carry out by well-known methods, such as the spray method and the immersion method in a water tank. In particular, the method of impregnating the fiber structure to be treated with the filler dispersion is preferable because a large amount of filler is easily taken into the fiber structure to be treated. The fiber or treated fiber structure to which moisture has been applied can be adjusted to a predetermined moisture content by a method such as squeezing with a squeeze roll or the like.

  In the case of heating after applying the filler dispersion, the ratio of the filler dispersion applied to the fiber or the fiber structure to be treated in the wet heat treatment (hereinafter referred to as “pickup rate”) is 20 to 1500 mass%. Is preferred. A more preferable pickup rate is 30 to 1000% by mass. An even more preferable pickup rate is 40 to 900% by mass. If the pick-up rate is less than 20% by mass, the wet heat gelation may not occur sufficiently. On the other hand, when the pickup rate exceeds 1500% by mass, the wet heat treatment is not uniformly performed between the surface and the inside of the fiber structure to be treated, and the degree of wet heat gelation tends to be non-uniform. In addition, as a provision method of a water | moisture content, it can carry out by well-known methods, such as spray and immersion to a water tank.

  The concentration of the filler in the filler dispersion may be set as appropriate depending on the basis weight and the amount of fixing of the fiber structure to be used, or the temperature and viscosity of the filler dispersion, but the preferred range is 0.1 to 0.1. It is 75 mass%, and a more preferable range is 1-50 mass%. If the concentration of the filler is lower than 0.1% by mass, the effect of the filler may not be sufficiently obtained. When the concentration of the filler is higher than 75% by mass, the workability is deteriorated, so that the filler may not be uniformly attached.

  The filler dispersion may contain other functional agents. For example, in the case of a gas adsorbing material, it is preferable to further include a gas adsorbing compound in addition to the gas adsorbing filler. It does not specifically limit about the density | concentration of a gas adsorbing compound, Although what is necessary is just to set suitably according to the fabric weight of the to-be-processed fiber structure, and the fixed amount, A preferable range is 0.1-15 mass%. When the concentration of the gas adsorbing compound is lower than 0.1% by mass, the filler effect may not be sufficiently obtained. If the concentration of the gas adsorbing compound is higher than 15% by mass, the workability may be deteriorated. Further, when the concentration of the gas adsorbing compound is higher than 15% by mass, an effect commensurate with the increase in concentration may not be obtained.

  The wet heat treatment temperature in the wet heat treatment is preferably not less than the gelling temperature of the wet heat gelled resin and not more than the melting point-20 ° C. A more preferred wet heat treatment temperature is 80 ° C. or higher. An even more preferable wet heat treatment temperature is 85 ° C. or higher. On the other hand, a more preferable wet heat treatment temperature is the melting point of the wet heat gelled resin −30 ° C. or lower. An even more preferable wet heat treatment temperature is a melting point of the wet heat gelled resin of −45 ° C. or lower. When the wet heat treatment temperature is lower than the gelation temperature of the wet heat gelled resin, the filler may not be effectively fixed. When the wet heat treatment temperature exceeds the melting point of the wet heat gelled resin −20 ° C., the wet heat heat gelled resin becomes close to the melting point of the wet heat gelled resin.

  The fiber structure subjected to the wet heat treatment may be 1) dried as it is, 2) washed once with water, then dried, or 3) once dried, washed with water. After that, a drying process may be performed. When washing with water, the above method 3) is convenient because the amount of the filler fixed increases.

  The drying treatment temperature is not particularly limited as long as it is a temperature at which the filler-fixed fiber structure is dried. In this drying process, the filler-fixed fiber structure may be dried while being widened in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the machine base). By widening in the width direction, the basis weight can be adjusted and the dimensional stability in the length direction and the width direction can be achieved. Further, in the present invention, since the adhesion promoter is mixed in addition to the wet heat gelled resin, the adhesion promoter is softened again by setting the drying treatment temperature to be equal to or higher than the softening point of the adhesion promoter, and the sticking property of the filler. Can be made stronger. Specifically, the drying treatment temperature is preferably not lower than the softening point of the adhesion promoter and not higher than the melting point of the wet heat gelled resin −20 ° C.

Examples of wet heat treatment methods include the following methods, and the respective production methods will be described.
(1) A method of performing a steam treatment after applying a filler dispersion to a fiber structure to be treated (hereinafter referred to as “steam treatment method”).
(2) A method in which a filler dispersion is applied to a fiber structure to be treated and then brought into contact with a heating body (hereinafter referred to as “heating body contact method”).
(3) A method of bringing the fiber structure to be treated into contact with the heated filler dispersion (hereinafter referred to as “heating liquid contact method”)
The steam treatment method is suitable for imparting bulkiness and / or flexibility to the fiber structure to be obtained, and a filler dispersion liquid is applied to the fiber structure to be treated comprising the fiber and the web containing the wet heat gelled resin. Then, after adjusting to a predetermined moisture content, by performing a steam treatment, a gelled product in which the wet heat gelled resin is gelled is formed to fix the filler.

  Examples of the steam treatment method include, for example, a method of spraying steam from above and / or below a treated fiber structure adjusted to a predetermined moisture content, and steam on a treated fiber structure in a chamber filled with steam. Examples thereof include a contact method (pad steamer method) and a method of exposing the fiber structure to be treated to steam using an autoclave or the like. According to such a method, pressure is not applied to the treated fiber structure more than necessary during gel processing. As a result, it is possible to fix the filler in a state where the filler is exposed on the fiber surface of the treated fiber structure while maintaining the fiber form of the treated fiber structure. Furthermore, by adjusting the conditions of the steam treatment, the fiber structure to be treated can be covered with a gelled product (hereinafter referred to as “film-like gelled product”) spread in a film shape at the entangled portion between the fibers. This increases the effective area for fixing the gas and can further improve the gas adsorption performance.

  In the pad steamer method, the steam discharged from the steam outlet is not directly brought into contact with the fiber structure to be treated, and the steam heat treatment is performed in a uniform steam atmosphere, so that the wet heat gelled resin is wet heat gelled. It is particularly preferable because a gelled product can be formed. It is also convenient for continuous operation. Furthermore, according to the pad steamer method, since the temperature can be easily controlled, the strength and air permeability of the fiber structure can be controlled according to the purpose while maintaining the function of the filler. It is particularly preferable because it can also form a gelled product that spreads out. For example, when the filler on the gelled resin that maintains the fiber shape is insufficiently fixed, the fluidity of the gelled resin is improved and the filler can be firmly fixed by raising the temperature of the pad steamer. . Moreover, since the pad steamer method plays the role of the preliminary process of the drying process simultaneously with the gel processing, the efficiency of the drying process can be improved.

  The temperature of the filler dispersion may be a temperature at which the wet heat gelled resin does not gel, or may be a temperature at which gelation starts, and the filler type, particle diameter or short fiber length, or filler dispersion What is necessary is just to set suitably according to the density | concentration, viscosity, etc. For example, when the moisture content of the fiber structure to be treated is high, the fiber structure to be treated may be heated in a temperature range in which the fiber structure to be treated does not gel so that the wet heat gelled resin is easily gelled during the wet heat treatment. If the wet heat gelled resin is at or above the temperature at which gelation starts, it becomes a method combined with a heating liquid contact method described later, which is effective for fixing the filler more firmly.

  The steam treatment temperature is not particularly limited as long as the temperature in the vicinity of the fiber structure to be treated is not less than the gelation temperature of the wet heat gelled resin or the wet heat gelled resin fiber component and the melting point is -20 ° C or lower. A preferable temperature range is 80 to 120 ° C, and a more preferable temperature range is 90 to 110 ° C.

  By the steam treatment, the filler is fixed in an exposed state on the surface of the wet heat gelled resin or wet heat gelled resin fiber, so that an excellent effect is exhibited with a small amount of filler. In the case of a gas adsorbent, when the filler dispersion further contains a gas adsorbing compound, the gas adsorbing compound is not only on the surface of the filler but also on the surface of the wet heat gelled resin or wet heat gelled resin fiber. Since it is fixed, a more excellent effect is exhibited compared to the case where only the gas adsorbing compound is used as the gas adsorbing component.

  The fiber structure after the drying treatment may be pressed through a pair of press rolls at the outlet after the drying treatment. By performing press working at the outlet after the drying treatment, the filler is firmly fixed while maintaining flexibility.

  Next, the heating body contact method will be described. In the heating body contact method, when the filler is more firmly fixed, the filler dispersion is applied to the fiber structure to be treated including the fiber and the web containing the wet heat gelled resin, and then adjusted to a predetermined moisture content. By bringing this into contact with the heating body, a gelled product obtained by gelling the wet heat gelled resin is formed, and the filler is fixed. Examples of the method for bringing the fiber structure to be treated into contact with the heating body include a method for bringing it into contact with a hot roll, a method for bringing it into contact with a hot press plate, and the like. According to such a method, the wet heat gelled resin fiber component can be instantly wet heat gelled, and at the same time the gelled product can be expanded, so that the filler can be fixed over a wide area. Moreover, according to this method, when wet-heat gelation occurs, the filler is pushed into the gelled product, and the filler can be more firmly fixed to the fiber surface.

  When the said heating body is planar things like a hot press board, it is preferable that the surface pressure at the time of making a to-be-processed fiber structure contact is 0.01-3 Mpa. A more preferable lower limit of the surface pressure is 0.02 MPa. A more preferable upper limit of the surface pressure is 2.5 MPa. When the surface thickness is less than 0.01 MPa, the filler may not be sufficiently fixed, and when the surface thickness exceeds 3 MPa, the texture may become hard.

  Moreover, when the said heating body contact method is the method of compression-molding processing with a hot roll, it is preferable that the linear pressure of a hot roll is 10-400 N / cm. A more preferable lower limit of the linear pressure of the hot roll is 50 N / cm. A more preferable upper limit of the linear pressure of the hot roll is 200 N / cm. When the linear pressure is less than 10 N / cm, the filler may not be sufficiently fixed, and when the linear pressure exceeds 400 N / cm, the texture may become hard.

  The set temperature of the heating body (for example, the set temperature of the wet heat treatment machine) is not particularly limited as long as it is not less than the gelling temperature of the wet heat gelled resin and the melting point is not more than -20 ° C. It is -160 degreeC, and a more preferable temperature range is 80-150 degreeC. Note that when the set temperature is set to 100 ° C. or higher in order to gel the fiber structure to be treated containing moisture, the moisture in the fiber structure to be treated first evaporates. At that time, since the gelation of the wet heat gelled resin proceeds, the actual temperature of the gel processing tends to be lower than the set temperature. Therefore, even when the melting point of the other fiber is lower than the set temperature, it may not melt or shrink substantially, and the gel processing temperature is a temperature at which the other fiber does not substantially shrink. It is preferable to process.

  By treating with a heating element, the filler is firmly fixed in a state exposed on the surface of the wet heat gelled resin or wet heat gelled resin fiber, so when using a small amount of filler, it can be securely fixed, Even when a large amount of filler is used, since most of the filler can be firmly fixed, the amount of filler falling off is small, and the effect is excellent. When the filler dispersion further contains a gas adsorbing compound, the gas adsorbing compound is fixed not only on the surface of the filler but also on the surface of the wet heat gelled resin or the wet heat gelled resin fiber. Compared with the case where only an adsorbing compound is used as a gas adsorbing component, a further excellent effect is exhibited. Therefore, for example, in the conventional gas adsorbent, a remarkable effect is exhibited even for gases such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde that are difficult to remove.

  Next, the heating liquid contact method will be described. In the heating liquid contact method, the fiber structure to be treated is brought into contact with a heated filler dispersion to form a gelled product in which the wet heat gelled resin is gelled, and the filler is fixed. Examples of the method of bringing the fiber structure to be treated into contact with the heating liquid include a method of immersing in a heated filler dispersion, a method of spraying the heated filler dispersion onto the fiber structure to be processed, and the like. According to such a method, since the surface pressure is not applied more than necessary to the fiber structure to be treated at the time of gel processing, the fluidity of the gelled wet heat gelled fiber decreases, and the fiber form of the fiber structure to be treated In addition, the gelled product can be bonded without being spread in the form of a film at the entangled portion between the fibers while being maintained, and can be fixed in a state where the filler is exposed to the fiber surface, and the resulting filler-fixed fiber structure is bulky And / or flexibility can be provided. Further, when the wet heat gelled resin gels, the gelation of the wet heat gelled fiber proceeds simultaneously with the application of moisture, so the concentration of the filler in the filler dispersion and the temperature of the filler dispersion are adjusted. Thus, the amount of filler fixed may be adjusted. Specifically, the filler can be fixed to the fiber surface by impregnating the fiber or the fiber structure to be treated into hot water (85 ° C. or higher) containing the filler. In particular, the method of immersing in a heated filler dispersion is preferable because the wet heat gelled fiber can be uniformly gelled.

  The gel processing temperature of the heating liquid contact method is not particularly limited as long as it is not less than the gelation temperature of the wet heat gelled resin or the wet heat gelled resin fiber component, and the melting point is −20 ° C. or less. It is 85-120 degreeC, and a more preferable temperature range is 90-100 degreeC. When the temperature is lower than 85 ° C., the filler may not be sufficiently fixed. When the temperature is higher than 120 ° C., the texture becomes hard and may be in the form of a film.

  The filler concentration of the filler dispersion in the heating liquid contact method may be set as appropriate depending on the basis weight and fixed amount of the fiber structure to be used, the temperature and viscosity of the filler dispersion, and the preferred range is 0.1 to 75. It is mass%, and a more preferable range is 1 to 50 mass%.

  In the heating liquid contact method, by immersing the fiber structure to be treated in a heated filler dispersion, gelation of the wet heat gelled resin or wet heat gelled resin fiber and fixation of the filler are simultaneously performed in the liquid. . Thereby, compared with the case where it gelatinizes after giving a filler, since a filler can be fixed more uniformly in the state exposed to the fiber surface, the outstanding effect is exhibited with a small amount of filler. In addition, when the filler dispersion further contains a gas adsorbing compound, the gas adsorbing compound is fixed not only on the surface of the filler but also on the surface of the wet heat gelled resin or wet heat gelled resin fiber. As compared with the case where only the active compound is used as the gas adsorbing component, the effect is further improved.

  As described above, the wet heat treatment method for the fiber structure to be treated includes a steam treatment method, a heating body contact method, a heating liquid contact method, etc., but the same treatment may be repeated or other treatment methods. May be performed in combination.

  When the filler-fixed fiber structure of the present invention is used as a gas adsorbent, for example, it is formed into a pleated fold structure or a honeycomb structure to be used as an air purifier filter, an air conditioner filter, a vehicle cabin filter, a cigarette smoke filter, etc. Can be used. In this case, it can also be used in combination with other filter materials such as electret filters, HEPA filters, ULPA filters and the like.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exemplary process diagram of a method for producing a filler-fixed fiber or fiber structure (steam treatment method) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The fiber 11 (or the fiber structure 11 to be treated) is impregnated with a filler dispersion liquid 13 containing a filler in the tank 12, squeezed with a squeeze roll 14, and steam is blown out from below so that the steam is uniformly filled in the chamber. The pad steamer 15 is steam-treated, dried if necessary, washed with water, and dehydrated (not shown), and then dried by the dryer 16 and wound by the winder 17. In addition, when performing the steam process with the pad steamer 15, the blown-out steam does not directly hit the fibers 11 (or the fiber structure 11 to be processed).

  Hereinafter, a specific description will be given using examples. The present invention is not limited to the following examples. The evaluation method of each physical property in the examples is as follows.

[Melt flow rate (MI)]
According to JIS-K7210, the melt index of the resin before fiber production measured at 190 ° C. and a load of 21.18 N was measured.

[Melting point]
According to JIS-K-7122, the melting point of the resin before fiber production measured by the DSC method was measured.

[Glass transition point]
About the resin before fiber manufacture, the glass transition point temperature when it heated up with the temperature increase rate of 10 degree-C / min from -20 degreeC to 200 degreeC was used for the glass transition point using the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC).

[Softening point]
The resin before fiber production was measured according to JIS-K-6863.

[Filler sticking amount]
The difference between the basis weight of the filler-fixed fiber structure and the basis weight of the treated fiber structure was determined.

[Filler dropout amount]
The amount of filler falling off was measured by the following method.
(1) A sample is cut to a size of 10 cm and 10 cm wide and dried at 80 ° C. for 1 hour.
(2) The weight W0 (g) of the sample after drying is measured.
(3) Put 1 liter of water in a 2 liter beaker, and put a stir bar and sample.
(4) Place the beaker on a stirrer and stir at a rotational speed of 1200 rpm for 10 minutes.
(5) A sample is taken out from the beaker, dried at 80 ° C. for 1 hour, and the mass W1 (g) of the dried sample is measured.
(6) The amount of filler falling off was measured by the following formula.
Filler dropout amount (g) = W0-W1

[Example 1]
(1) Production of wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber First, the wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber of the present invention was produced by the following method.
(A) Resin used (a) Core resin: Polypropylene (PP) (Nippon Polypro “SA03B” melting point 160 ° C., MFR30)
(B) sheath resin (b-1) wet heat gelled resin: ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin (EVOH) (ethylene content 38 mol%, melting point 170 ° C., MI 8 g / 10 min)
(B-2) Adhesion promoter: terpene phenol (“YS Polystar T115” manufactured by Yashara Chemical), softening point 115 ° C., average molecular weight 600, glass transition point 57 ° C.)

(B) Fiber production conditions Using a core / sheath type composite nozzle, the core resin is PP, the sheath resin is a mixture of 85% by mass of a wet heat gelling resin and 15% by mass of an adhesion promoter, and the core / sheath compound ratio (mass ratio) is 50. : 50, respectively, and melt-spun at 230 ° C. under a take-up speed of 200 m / min. The fineness of the obtained unstretched filament was 17.3 dtex. Next, the unstretched filament is stretched at a stretching temperature of 70 ° C. and a magnification of 3 times, a fiber treatment agent is applied, mechanical crimps are applied, and a dry heat treatment is performed for 15 minutes in a dryer heated to 80 ° C. The fiber length was cut to 51 mm to obtain a wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber of the present invention. The fineness of the obtained wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber was 6.7 dtex.

(2) Manufacture of nonwoven fabric (A) Preparation of nonwoven fabric raw material The wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber was opened with a semi-random card machine to produce a card web having a basis weight of 60 g / m ² . Next, the card web is placed on a 90-mesh plain weave support, and the nozzle is arranged on the card web from a nozzle in which orifices (diameter: 0.12 mm, pitch: 0.6 mm) are arranged in a row in the width direction of the card web. A water stream was jetted at a water pressure of 3 MPa. Subsequently, the card web was turned upside down, and a water flow was jetted from the nozzle at a water pressure of 3 MPa to produce a hydroentangled nonwoven fabric.

(B) Preparation of different object (filler) As the filler, activated carbon particles “Taiko P” (manufactured by Futamura Chemical Co., Ltd., sawdust charcoal, average particle diameter of 25 μm) were used.

(C) Manufacture of filler fixed fiber structure (nonwoven fabric) The hydroentangled nonwoven fabric raw material is immersed in an aqueous dispersion (20 ° C) containing the activated carbon particles (16 mass%) and polyallylamine (1 mass%), The pick-up rate was adjusted to about 500% with the mangle roll squeezing pressure. Next, wet heat treatment was performed in a pad steamer filled with steam adjusted so that the temperature in the vicinity of the nonwoven fabric was 100 ° C. The residence time was 20 seconds. Next, the wet-heat-treated non-woven fabric was dried in a hot air circulation dryer, and further washed with water in a water-washing tank, and then dried in a dryer adjusted to a temperature of 80 ° C., to obtain a non-woven fabric with a fixed filler. In the obtained filler-fixed nonwoven fabric, the filler was fixed to the fiber surface with an adhesion promoter and a gelled product.

[Comparative Example 1]
A filler-fixed nonwoven fabric was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the adhesion promoter was not mixed as the wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber. In the obtained filler-fixed nonwoven fabric, the filler was fixed to the fiber surface with a gelled product.
The above results are shown in Table 1 below.

  As is clear from Table 1, Example 1 of the present invention has a high adhesiveness to different types of objects (fillers), and therefore the amount of filler fixed is larger than that of Comparative Example 1. In addition, the amount of filler falling off in Example 1 was smaller than that in Comparative Example 1 despite the large amount of filler adhered.

The wet heat adhesive composite fiber of the present invention is a metal material, inorganic material, resin material in sanitary materials such as diapers and napkin members, filters, wipers, agricultural materials, food packaging materials, garbage bags, interior materials, industrial materials, etc. It can be used as an adhesive material with different objects such as (plastic, foam, etc.) and cellulose material (wood, etc.).
The filler fixed fiber and fiber structure of the present invention are a filament fiber (dental floss) for polishing between teeth, an industrial abrasive, an abrasive for various fields such as lenses, semiconductors, metals, plastics, ceramics, glass, and household use. Or abrasive materials used in commercial kitchens, gas adsorbent materials that adsorb toxic gases, antibacterial materials, deodorant materials, ion exchange materials, sewage treatment materials, oil absorbing materials, metal adsorbent materials, non-woven materials for battery separators, Conductive material, antistatic (antistatic) material, humidity control, dehumidification (anti-condensation) material, sound absorption, soundproofing material, heat storage material, heat absorption and heating material, insecticide, moldproofing material, antiviral material, seedling material, aromatic material It is useful for magnetic materials, far-infrared materials, and the like. For example, gas adsorbents and antiviral materials are medical gowns, clothing, household and vehicle interior materials, building material curing sheets, wallpaper, curtains, mats, carpets, masks, air conditioning filters, wipers, etc. Can be used for etc.

It is an example process drawing of the manufacturing method (steam processing method) of the filler fixed fiber (fiber structure) which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

11 Fiber (or treated fiber structure)
12 tanks 13 filler dispersion liquid 14 squeezing roll 15 pad steamer 16 dryer 17 winder

Claims (4)

A wet heat gelling component containing a wet heat gelled resin, and a wet heat adhesive composite fiber containing a fiber-forming component,
The wet heat gelled resin is an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin,
The ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin has a melt flow rate (a discharge amount at 190 ° C. and a load of 21.18 N defined according to JIS-K7210) of 5 to 40 g / 10 minutes,
The wet heat gelling component, the comprises a wet heat gelling resin 70 wt% or more 94 wt% or less, rosin, rosin esters, terpene-based compounds, piperylene-based compound, and at least one selected from hydrocarbon-based compounds A wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber, which is a mixture containing an adhesion promoter having a softening point of 70 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower in an amount of 6% by mass to 30% by mass. A filler-fixed fiber in which a filler is fixed to the fiber surface by a gelled product obtained by gelling the wet-heat adhesive conjugate fiber according to claim 1 . The filler fixed fiber according to claim 2 , wherein the filler is an inorganic filler. A fiber structure comprising the wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber according to claim 1 , wherein the filler is fixed to the fiber surface by a gelled product of the wet heat adhesive conjugate fiber that has been wet heat gelled.

Images