Synthetic Leather Research Articles

Construction of a Novel Substrate of Unfigured Islands-in-Sea Microfiber Synthetic Leather Based on Waste Collagen.

This study is to introduce waste collagen into an unfigured islands-in-sea microfiber nonwoven material, replacing the polyurethane impregnation section of the traditional manufacturing process with the collagen impregnation process. The modified collagen was first impregnated in polyamide/low-density polyethylene (PA/LDPE) fiber nonwoven to form a film. Then the low-density polyethylene component was extracted and dissolved in toluene, resulting in a collagen-based microfiber nonwoven substrate. Waste collagen was first modified to introduce C=C into the molecular chain to obtain vinyl collagen (CMA), and then the following film formation conditions for CMA were studied: 73% degree of substitution (DS), 3 h cross-linking time, and 0.005–0.01 wt % initiator concentration. Then, the preparation of CMA-PA/LDPE and toluene extraction processes were investigated. The optimum toluene extraction conditions were obtained as an extraction temperature of 85 °C and an extraction time of 110 min. The properties of the nonwoven materials were compared before (CMA-PA/LDPE) and after (PA-CMA) extraction. It was found that the homogeneity, tensile strength, and static moisture permeability of the PA-CMA materials prepared by CMA with 50 and 73% DS were all superior to those of PA/LDPE. In particular, the static moisture permeability of PA-CMA (691.6 mg/10 cm2·24 h) increased by 36.2% compared to the microfiber synthetic leather substrate currently in the market. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the continuity of a film of PA-CMA with 73% DS was observed to be better and the fibers were differentiated and relatively tighter fiber-to-fiber gap. The studied novel green process can eliminate the large amount of dimethylformamide (DMF) pollution caused by the current solvent-based polyurethane impregnation process.

Preparation and Properties of Thermally Expandable Microspheres for Foam Coating

A type of thermally expandable microspheres (TEMs) for foam coating was prepared by suspension polymerization with acrylonitrile (AN), methyl methacrylate (MMA), vinyl acetate (VAC) as shell polymer monomers and i-pentane as core foaming agent. The effects of an aqueous additive (Sodium Chloride, NaCl) on the size and distribution of TEMs, and the effects of crosslinking degree, i-pentane dosage and monomer mass ratio on the expansion property, expansion temperature and solvent-resistance of TEMs were investigated. The results showed that when the dosage of NaCl was close to the saturation solubility (30%), the dosage of crosslinking agent and alkane were about 0.09% and 7.4%, and the mass ratio of AN/MMA/VAC w rm distribution and good solvent resistance, the expansion diameter ratio was 5 times under 110~120 C, which meets the application requirements for foam coating of leather or synthetic leather.

Construction of waste‐collagen modified superfine fiber substrates based on “click” chemistry: Moisture absorption and permeability

AbstractSuperfine fiber synthetic leather is a high‐grade artificial leather product with numerous characteristics and advantages. However, compared with natural leather, it shows poor moisture absorption and moisture permeability, and it gives people a hot and tacky feeling; thus, the improvement of these properties has become a popular topic in the industry. In this paper, the “click” chemistry method was employed to modify the nylon fiber of the superfine fiber synthetic leather base with waste collagen to improve the moisture absorption and permeability of the superfine fiber synthetic leather base, thus enhancing the hygienic performance and wearing comfort of the end products, realizing waste recycling. This study obtained the optimal reaction conditions for the “click” modification of unfigured sea‐island superfine fiber synthetic leather base with collagen methacrylamide. The characterizations by static contact angle measurements, attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed that collagen was successfully grafted onto the surface of the nylon fiber. Compared with the original base, the moisture absorption, and permeability of the base were improved by 602.4% and 43%, respectively. This study shows the theoretical research significance and excellent practical value for the resource utilization of skin collagen waste.

Rescued Cats Prefer to Scratch Fabrics Commonly Used to Cover Upholstered Furniture

ABSTRACT Preference responses of cats for scratching fabrics commonly used on furniture were evaluated during four consecutive days in three Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that rescue companion animals. Cats were grouped and their choices were registered at a group level (no individual identification). Daily choices for chenille, suede, synthetic leather, or waterproof grosgrain fabrics were evaluated for the cats’ groups. A preference for chenille and non-preference for synthetic leather and waterproof grosgrain was found, independent of the NGO. In conclusion, although not using chenille does not assure that cats stop scratching furniture – especially if no other option to scratch is available – synthetic leather and waterproof grosgrain seem to be less attractive fabrics for these animals. Further studies are needed to investigate whether these findings apply to cats in a home scenario, when just one or a few individuals are usually present and only one type of fabric covering furniture is commonly available. Although we did not investigate the effect of providing scratching posts for these animals, we recommend such posts are available in the environment as scratching behavior is important to cats.

Investigation of polyurethane water dispersions of the Aquapol® brand for the production of artificial leather

The paper presents the results of a study of water dispersions of Aquapol® 11 and Aquapol® 22 polyurethane grades for use in the production of artificial leather.

The Effect of using Ultrasonic In Sewing Leather Garments

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of modern ultrasound sewing on the quality of synthetic leather garments. This research that has been applied will provide information about the ultrasound sewing technology and help the factories move towards these technologies in order to help provide the auxiliary materials and reduce the environmental waste that results from traditional sewing. This research includes recent developments in the construction of modern sewing, and the research paper presents how to take advantage of ultrasonic sewing as an alternative to traditional sewing for leather clothing materials. Two types of synthetic leather were used (synthetic leather with a rubber / synthetic leather without rubber). Research problem: The research problem is presented through the following questions: How can ultrasonic sewing be used to enrich the functional side of leather garments? The effect of ultrasonic sewing on synthetic leather materials? Methodology: The research used the descriptive analytical, and experimental methods. Results: The research sewed five samples of two types of synthetic leather, and each type of leather was given a code where Sample 1-1 means synthetic leather without rubber and Sample 1-2 means synthetic leather with rubber; and sewing was carried out using the traditional method for two types of sewing (objective sewing and overlap sewing). The research made samples of ultrasonic sewing in order to measure the strength and durability of these sewing so that they are an alternative to traditional sewing. Two types of sewing were used: Seam Sealing Tapes and Ultrasonic Welding. The tools used to implement samples such as machines and raw materials were described and initial tests were conducted to characterize the study samples, then tests were conducted after the implementation of modern and traditional sewing. This test was performed in the textile laboratory at the Center for Measurement and Calibration. It is clear from that there are statistically significant differences between traditional sewing (objective, superposed) and ultrasonic sewing (Bonding, Welding) in the variables (tensile strength, water permeability, air permeability) and in favor of ultrasonic sewing, at the level of 0.05, while there are no statistically significant differences between traditional sewing (objective, overlap) and ultrasonic sewing (Bonding, Welding) in the degree of appearance.

Activity of inorganic salts on different properties of synthetic leather

As a matter of fact, it has been witnessed that the synthetic leather is becoming the main substitute to its natural leather counterpart. This phenomenon has been observed in the vast majority of fields where these materials are being exploited such as: vehicles interior materials and furniture skin materials. All of which urges the presence of fundamental characteristics that include but not limited to the soft texture, flexibility, mechanical strength and durability. Since these have the responsibility of being easy to burn, flame retardancy is required. In this article inorganic salts with different concentrations are used as flame retardants to synthetic leather as they cheaper and safer than halogenated one; Pot. Persulfate K2S2O8 (FRA), Sod. Nitrite NaNO2 (FRB), Di Sod. Tetaborate (Borax) Na2B4O7(FRC), Sod. Sulphite anhydrous Na2SO3 (FRD) and Sod. thiosulphite -5-hydroxy Na2S2O3 5H2O (FRE). The current article addresses the focal role of inorganic salts with variable concentrations plays in the process of enhancing the synthetic leather flame retardants. The treated leather was evaluated with different tests, physical properties as thickness, hardness, water vapor permeability and water absorption were determined. In addition, mechanical properties, tensile strength and elongation at break % of the treated leather were evaluated. Thermal stability was determined through, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and the enhancement in the flame retardancy of leather was investigated using horizontal burning test. Correspondingly, delaying firing process help in caring the synthetic leather from burning; led to save money. So the treated synthetic leather be able to use for different manufacturing applications.

A study on the subjective feeling affecting tactile satisfaction of leather in automobile: A structural equation modeling approach

Customer expectations for automotive design are increasingly rising, which plays an important role in purchasing behavior. Among them, automobile interior materials are one of the factors that have a significant influence on the overall luxuriousness and satisfaction of automobiles. One of the main affective responses to automotive interior materials is a tactile sensation, and since it is complexly constructed, systematic modeling is required. The current research proposed and tested a structural equation model (SEM) that describes hypothesized relationships among affective variables affecting tactile satisfaction such as luxury, soft, slippery, smooth, bumpy, and thick. A total of 26 samples including natural and synthetic leather using interior material in an automobile was selected as a stimulus to recruit 53 participants. All affective variables were found to affect luxuriousness that subsequently affected tactile satisfaction (path coefficient = 0.652). In particular, perceived softness was a dominant factor affecting tactile luxuriousness in leather (path coefficient = 0.305). The findings of the present study have significant implications for both theory and practice on affective responses and levels that affect tactile satisfaction in leather using automobile interior.

Preparation of Flame-Retardant Polyurethane and Its Applications in the Leather Industry.

As a novel polymer, polyurethane (PU) has been widely applied in leather, synthetic leather, and textiles due to its excellent overall performance. Nevertheless, conventional PU is flammable and its combustion is accompanied by severe melting and dripping, which then generates hazardous fumes and gases. This defect limits PU applications in various fields, including the leather industry. Hence, the development of environmentally friendly, flame-retardant PU is of great significance both theoretically and practically. Currently, phosphorus-nitrogen (P-N) reactive flame-retardant is a hot topic in the field of flame-retardant PU. Based on this, the preparation and flame-retardant mechanism of flame-retardant PU, as well as the current status of flame-retardant PU in the leather industry were reviewed.

Development of a process based on coagulation of polyurethane in aqueous solution for manu-facturing leather-like products

Multilayer synthetic leather-like textiles are traditionally manufactured by using dimethylformamide as a diluent via polymeric polyurethane coating and coagulation processes. Unfortunately, this process has a strong environ-mental impact since it encompass a complex and polluting grinding process to separate dimethylformamide from water. Furthermore, this compound was proved harmful for both environment and textile practitioners’ health. The aim of this work is to improve the state of the art in the production of leather-like fabrics through the devel-opment of an innovative process of coagulation of polyurethane in aqueous solution to replace the current highly polluting process that involves the use of dimethylformamide. The coagulation is obtained by means of a IR ther-mal fixing thus resulting in a completely eco compatible manufacturing process. The obtained quality of the man-ufactured synthetic leather, tested according to textile standards, is comparable to the one obtained by means of conventional processes.

Applications of Hybrid Polymers Generated from Living Anionic Ring Opening Polymerization.

Increasingly precise control of polymer architectures generated by “Living” Anionic Ring-Opening Polymerization (Living AROP) is leading to a broad range of commercial advanced material applications, particularly in the area of siloxane macromers. While academic reports on such materials remain sparse, a significant portion of the global population interacts with them on a daily basis—in applications including medical devices, microelectronics, food packaging, synthetic leather, release coatings, and pigment dispersions. The primary driver of this increased utilization of siloxane macromers is their ability to incorporate the properties of silicones into organic structures in a balanced manner. Compared to organic polymers, the differentiating properties of silicones—low Tg, hydrophobicity, low surface energy, and high free molal space—logically lend themselves to applications in which low modulus, release, permeability to oxygen and moisture, and tactile interaction are desired. However, their mechanical, structural and processing properties have until recently precluded practical applications. This review presents applications of “Living” AROP derived polymers from the perspective of historical technology development. Applications in which products are produced on a commercial scale—defined as not only offered for sale, but sold on a recurrent basis—are emphasized. Hybrid polymers with intriguing nanoscale morphology and potential applications in photoresist, microcontact printing, biomimetic soft materials, and liquid crystals are also discussed. Previously unreported work by the authors is provided in the context of this review.

Survival of SARS-CoV-2 on Clothing Materials.

In order to plan and execute proper preventative measures against COVID-19, we need to understand how SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted. It has been shown to remain infectious on surfaces from hours to days depending on surface type and environmental factors. The possibility of transmission through fur animals and contaminated pelts, along with the safety of those working with them, is a major concern. SARS-CoV-2 can infect minks and raccoon dogs and has spread to mink farms in numerous countries. Here, we studied the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on blue fox, Finn raccoon, and American mink pelt, fake fur, cotton, plastic, faux leather, and polyester and tested its inactivation by UV light and heat treatment. We detected infectious virus up to 5 days on plastic, up to 1 day on fake fur, less than a day on cotton, polyester, and faux leather, and even 10 days on mink fur. UV light failed to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 on pelts, most likely due to the mechanical protection by the fur. Hence, it should not be used to inactivate the virus on fur products, and its use for other surfaces should also be considered carefully. Heat treatment at 60°C for 1 h inactivated the virus on all surfaces and is a promising method to be applied in practice. This study helps prevent further spread of COVID-19 by increasing our understanding about risks of SARS-CoV-2 spread through contaminated clothing materials and giving important information needed to improve safety of those working in the production line as well as people using the products.

Comparative identificational characteristic of artificial leather with embossed surface damages caused by airgun pistol pellets with different head end forms

Background: Authors of this article have made a comparative identificational description of artificial leather damage caused by air gun pistol pellets with different head end forms. Aim: This study aimed to provide a comparative identification characteristic of injuries caused by shots from an air pistol MP-53 M on artificial leather with a raised surface and a textile net glued to the wrong side at different angles and from different distances by bullets with different head end shapes (hemispherical, flat round, and conical). Used: Air pistol MP-53M, bullets with different head end shape, a fragment of black artificial leather with an embossed surface, and a textile mesh glued to the wrong side. Shots were fired at close range, 50 and 100 cm at angles of 30, 45, 60, and 90. The prevailing forms of damage (defects) of artificial skin, characteristic of bullets with a hemispherical, conical, and flat rounded head end, dependence of the form of damage (defect) on the distance of the shot, and the angle of entry of the bullet into the material. Conclusion: A comparative study showed that the form of damage to the material depends on the head end shape of bullets. Moreover, intragroup differences were found in the damage due to the distance of the shot and angle of entry of the bullet into the material in groups of bullets with the same head end shape.

Investigation of Flame Retardant Effects of Resins on the Flammability of Leather

Natural leather products, which are by-products of the meat industry, are used because of their high air vapor permeability and elegant appearance compared to synthetic leather. The production of flame retardant leather is important for some leather types such as motorcyclist jackets, flight or automotive upholstery leathers, military boots. It is frequently mentioned in the literature that resinous chemicals create flame retardant effects in textile materials due to their nitrogen content. Urea, melamine and dicyandiamide resins are always used in the traditional retanning process of cattle leathers. It has been investigated which of these resins has the highest flame retardant effect on the leather. In the study, 2%, 3% and 4% ratios were studied for these three resins; flame resistance of the leathers were investigated by LOI and TGA analysis. The study also examined the chemical effects of resins on the leather surface with FTIR and SEM analyses.

Perception modeling based on vision and touch: “authenticity” of leather defined through observational experience

Nowadays, numerous products use artificial leather as it is a cost-effective alternative to genuine leather. However, products made from artificial leather may leave impressions on consumers that are dissimilar to those left by products made of genuine leather. In other words, products that use artificial leather but are perceived as genuine leather are more attractive to consumers. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to understand and quantify the factors that affect the mechanism via which consumers perceive a leather product to be made of genuine leather. We conducted several experiments to evaluate the hypothesis regarding human perception. Measurement experiments were performed to obtain the visual and physical properties of such impressions. We estimated the representative impressions formed by people during their interaction with leather samples through subjective experiments and derived models of these impressions in terms of the measured properties. Subjective evaluation experiments were performed under visual, tactile, and visual–tactile conditions. Finally, we quantified leather “authenticity” using these representative impressions. Participants, who are general consumers, were divided into two groups according to their familiarity with leather. The “authenticity” perception model of the group familiar with leather was constructed under visual and visual–tactile conditions, whereas the model of the group unfamiliar with leather was constructed under visual–tactile conditions, suggesting the influence of a cross-modal phenomenon. The results of this study can be applied to develop attractive artificial leather, which is expected to contribute to the protection of animal rights while promoting the sale of artificial leather products.

Comparison of the Technical Performance of Leather, Artificial Leather, and Trendy Alternatives

The market for biogenic and synthetic alternatives to leather is increasing aiming to replace animal-based materials with vegan alternatives. In parallel, bio-based raw materials should be used instead of fossil-based synthetic raw materials. In this study, a shoe upper leather and an artificial leather, and nine alternative materials (Desserto®, Kombucha, Pinatex®, Noani®, Appleskin®, Vegea®, SnapPap®, Teak Leaf®, and Muskin®) were investigated. We aimed to compare the structure and technical performance of the materials, which allows an estimation of possible application areas. Structure and composition were characterized by microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy, the surface properties, mechanical performance, water vapor permeability, and water absorption by standardized physical tests. None of the leather alternatives showed the universal performance of leather. Nevertheless, some materials achieved high values in selected properties. It is speculated that the grown multilayer structure of leather with a very tight surface and a gradient of the structural density over the cross-section causes this universal performance. To date, this structure could neither be achieved with synthetic nor with bio-based materials.

Ethical Consumers’ Awareness of Vegan Materials: Focused on Fake Fur and Fake Leather

With an increase in ethical awareness, people have begun to criticize the unethical issues associated with the use of animal materials. This study focused on the transition of global consumers’ awareness toward vegan materials and the relationship between the interest in ethical subjects such as animals, the environment, and vegan materials. For this purpose, consumers’ posts about fur/fake fur and leather/fake leather uploaded on Google and Twitter from 2008 to 2019 were utilized, and the Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (Tf-idf) value was extracted using Python 3.7. Furthermore, the worldwide Google keyword search volume of each word was analyzed using Smart PLS 3.0 to investigate global consumers’ awareness. First, with time, consumers began relating animal materials such as fur and leather to topics such as animal rights, animal abuse, and animal protection. Second, as interest in “animal welfare” increased, interest in “fake fur” also rose, and as interest in “cruelty free” increased, interest in “fake fur”, “vegan fur”, and “vegan leather” also increased. Third, as consumers’ interest in the “environment” increased, interest in vegan materials such as “fake fur” and “fake leather” decreased. However, as interest in “eco” increased, interest in “vegan leather” also augmented.

Decontamination of common healthcare facility surfaces contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 using peracetic acid dry fogging

BackgroundThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for safe and effective surface decontamination methods, particularly in healthcare settings.AimTo evaluate the effectiveness of peracetic acid (PAA) dry fogging in decontaminating healthcare facility surfaces experimentally contaminated with SARS-CoV-2.MethodsNine materials (stainless steel, latex painted wood, unsealed hardwood, melamine countertop, vinyl flooring, clear plastic, faux leather, computer keyboard button, and smartphone touch screen) were surface contaminated with >106 median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) of SARS-CoV-2, and allowed to dry before exposing to PAA dry fogging.FindingsWhen fumigated with PAA dry fog for 1 h, no infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus was recovered from any of the experimentally inoculated surface types. By contrast, high titres of infectious virus were recovered from corresponding untreated drying controls of the same materials.ConclusionStandard surface decontamination processes, including sprays and wipes, are laborious and frequently cannot completely decontaminate sensitive electronic equipment. The ease of use, low cost, and overall effectiveness of a PAA dry fogging suggest that it should be considered for decontaminating healthcare settings, particularly intensive care units where severely ill SARS-CoV-2 patients are cared for.

Tangram based technology for clothing design

The trends in the society regarding environment protection and more optimized production are reason for the research of the author in this direction. The technology of the item connect with the stamina of the product. Within the report, there is an author’s development for series of clothing presented in the context of the steady design. Using zero-waste technology aims the improvement of the functional characteristics, as it is being experiment with different textile materials like artificial leather, cotton, wool, spandex and others. The design through transformation of square into other figure through cutting connect with the Chinese tangram game. Problems are included, such as construction, functional, and aesthetic character, as well social and ecological aspect.

Novel bio-based filler: hyperbranched polymer modified leather buffing dust and its influence on the porous structure and mechanical properties of polyurethane film.

An amino-terminated hyperbranched polymer (A-HP) was employed to modify leather buffing dust (BD) to prepare functional filler, hyperbranched buffing dust (HBD). The structure and morphology of BD and HBD were characterized by XPS, DSC and SEM. Furthermore, HBD was added into the typical solvent type polyurethane (PU) to prepare a wetting PU film which was used as the coating for synthetic leather. By changing the dosage of HBD, the filler species, the properties of the porous structure and mechanical strength of the PU film were analyzed by SEM, DMA and so on. The experimental results indicated that with the increase of the dosage of HBD, the porous structure of the PU film increase. The content of the N element for BD increases from 4.27% to 7.29%. After modification and ball milling, the fineness of most fibers was in the range of 6.7–6.9 μm. The fiber dispersion state of HBD was more uniform. The Tg of the PU film with HBD is −8.67 °C, while for lignin is −8.41 °C, indicating that the wetting PU film filled with HBD has better flexibility at low temperature.