Polypropylene Nonwoven Fabrics Research Articles

Atmospheric pressure plasma treatment and breathability of polypropylene nonwoven fabric

Atmospheric pressure plasma treatment is a surface modification technique, which can be used for surface finishing and pretreatment of textiles using a broad range of reactive gases. In this study, atmospheric pressure plasma was created using a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen and was applied to polypropylene spunbond fabric. Physical properties like moisture vapor transport, pore size distribution and tensile strength were evaluated to understand the effect of the plasma treatment on spunbond polypropylene. Chemical composition of the fabric before and after plasma treatment was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The spectra showed that oxygen and nitrogen containing groups were generated on the surface of the plasma-treated fabric. Scanning electron microscope was used to observe the surface morphology of the substrate. It is evident from the capillary flow porometer results, pore size increased after plasma treatment resulting in enhanced moisture vapor transport rate. No significant decrease in breaking load was observed after the plasma treatment.

Mechanical properties and fracture behavior of nonwoven fabric reinforced plastics for rehabilitation of sewage pipes

Trenchless construction of repair works on sewage pipes has been developed. In such methods, fiber reinforced plastics (FRP), especially nonwoven fabric composites with polyester felt, have been used. In order to reduce pressure to force the reinforcements on the wall of a pipe, low weight FRP have been expected. In the present study, FRP using polypropylene (PP) felt and banana-polyester felt which have lower density comparing with conventional polyester poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) felt were developed for alternative reinforcement. Three-point bending and creep tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties of the composites. In static bending, PET and banana composites showed brittleness, whereas PP composites failed in a stable manner. Especially, PP composites with thicker layers showed higher load-bearing capacity. Creep test results indicated that modulus retentions of PET and PP composites are comparable. It was found that the composites using thicker PP nonwoven fabric was a candidate material for the rehabilitation of sewers.

Mechanical properties and crystallization behavior of polypropylene non-woven fabrics reinforced with POSS and SiO2 nanoparticles

PP/POSS and PP/SiO2 composite non-woven fabrics filled with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) and SiO2 respectively using a convenient blending method were prepared through melt-blown process with corona charging. The morphology of the composite fibers and the distribution of POSS and SiO2 nanoparticles in PP matrix were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscope (FSEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. POSS and SiO2 can act as nucleating agent and accelerate the crystallization process during nonisothermal cooling. The shear storage modulus G′, loss modulus G″, and complex viscosity η* of non-woven fabric reduce when 1 wt % POSS was added and increase for PP5/POSS composite non-woven fabric compared with pure PP non-woven fabrics. However, all G′, G″ and η* of PP/SiO2 non-woven fabric decrease with increasing SiO2 content owing to plasticization by SiO2. Both stress and elongation at break of the PP/POSS melt-blown non-woven fabrics are improved compared with PP non-woven fabrics, however decrease when SiO2 was added, as compared to the neat PP non-woven fabric. The onset temperature of decomposition for both the PP/POSS and PP/SiO2 composite non-woven fabrics is higher (5–10 °C) than pure PP and char content is increased with increasing POSS and SiO2.

Adhesion strength behaviour of plasma pre-treated and laminated polypropylene nonwoven fabrics using acrylic and polyurethane-based adhesives

The adhesion strength enhancement of oxygen plasma pre-treated laminated polypropylene nonwoven fabrics using two different types of adhesives was investigated in this study. Fabric surface modification was performed using low-pressure, radio-frequency oxygen plasma treatment. Effect of plasma treatment on fabric surface wettability was determined by vertical wicking measurements. Wettability of highly hydrophobic polypropylene nonwoven samples dramatically increased with increasing plasma power and exposure time. Plasma-treated polypropylene fibers showed rougher surfaces with increased plasma power and treatment times. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed that oxygen plasma treatment of polypropylene fiber surface led to a significant increase in atomic percentage of oxygen compound responsible for hydrophilic surface. Peel strength enhancement of produced laminated fabrics was observed for plasma-treated samples compared to untreated samples. PU-based adhesive attached on the surface of both plasma-treated and untreated polypropylene nonwoven, filling the spaces between the fibers due to the penetration of the adhesive agent. The improvement in surface wettability of polypropylene nonwoven and the introduced sites through oxygen plasma treatment resulted in good adhesive bonding. For both adhesives, peel strength improvement of produced laminated fabrics was observed for plasma-treated samples compared to untreated ones. After lamination with polyurethane-based adhesive and 20 wash cycles, decrease in peel bond strength was between 22% and 25% for plasma-treated samples, while it was 36% for untreated fabrics. Laminated samples using acrylic-based adhesives showed much lower peel strength values and washing resistance than samples laminated with polyurethane-based adhesives.

Functionalized polypropylene non-woven fabric membrane with bovine serum albumin and its hemocompatibility enhancement

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was successfully immobilized onto polypropylene non-woven fabric (PPNWF) membranes using poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as a spacer. Firstly, O2 plasma treatment and UV-irradiated technique were combined to graft PAA onto the membranes. BSA was then immobilized onto the PAA grafted surface through the coupling of amino groups of BSA to the carboxyl groups of PAA. The immobilization of PAA and BSA onto the membrane was confirmed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and water contact angle measurement. The water contact angle measurement results revealed that the membrane hydrophilicity improved after modification with PAA and BSA. After BSA immobilization, the amount of protein adsorption and the number of platelet adhesion on the modified membrane significantly decreased, which indicated that hemocompatibility had been considerably improved compared with neat and PAA grafted PPNWF. The whole blood clotting time measurement showed that the anticoagulant property of the modified membrane was also significantly enhanced.

Developing a tri-laminate antiviral surgical gown

HIV and hepatitis B and C are prevalent in the healthcare patient population. To provide a surgical gown protective against the prevention of viral and blood borne diseases is essential in healthcare today. The aim of this research was to develop a tri-laminate surgical gown comprising of polypropylene nonwoven (outer layer), polytetrafluoroethylene film (middle layer) and polyester nonwoven (inner layer). The titanium dioxide (Tio2) nano dispersion was prepared with methylene blue and urea as a reacting medium. These nano particles have an average size of 9 nm which was revealed by high resolution transmission electron microscope. The polypropylene nonwoven fabrics were treated with nano dispersion by pad-dry-cure method and tri-laminate fabric was formed using a fusing machine. The presence of nanoparticles on the surface of the nonwoven fabric was confirmed by a scanning electron microscope. The tri-laminate surgical gown passes the ASTM 1671 of viral penetration test. The fabric has been tested for the tensile, tearing, puncture resistance, seam strength and moisture vapour permeability which is required in healthcare.

The Primary Study on Polyester/ Polypropylene Sound-Absorption Nonwoven Fabric

As social civilization advances, more and more people reside in the city. Consequently, the number of automobiles and locomotives increases, causing greenhouse effect and noise pollution increasingly serious. Therefore, lowering the temperature and reducing the noise in living conditions has become an urgent task, in order to save resources usage amount and to produce a low-noise dwelling environment. In this study, the sound-absorption and heat-insulation nonwoven fabrics were firstly prepared by three-dimensional crimp hollow polyester fiber (PET) fibers and Polypropylene (PP) fibers based on nonwoven processing technology, following by sound-absorption coefficient test, thermal conductivity test, as well as maximum tensile strength and maximum tearing strength tests. The results show that, 70/30 wt% PET/ PP nonwoven fabrics have the maximum tensile strength of 2.47 MPa (CD) and 1.67 MPa (MD), in addition with the maximum tearing strength of 83.96 kN/m (CD), 111.88 kN/m (MD); the 90/10 wt% PET/ PP nonwoven presents the lowest thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.0365 W/K‧m; nonwoven with three different ratios show the similar sound-absorbing curves, which all reaches the highest absorption coefficient of 0.76 at 4000 Hz.

Immobilization of Heparin on the Surface of Polypropylene Non-Woven Fabric for Improvement of the Hydrophilicity and Blood Compatibility

A polypropylene non-woven fabric (PPNWF) was exposed to oxygen plasma to produce peroxides on its surface. These peroxides were used to initiate graft polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) on the surface of PPNWF. Direct heparinization was accomplished via a reaction between heparin and PP-PAA (AA grafted PPNWF) which was activated by EDC (N-ethyl-N’-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl] carbodiimide). Indirect heparinized PPNWF was prepared by grafting poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) on a PP-PAA surface to form PP-PAA-PEO, followed by reaction with heparin which was activated by EDC before use. The surface modified PPNWFs were characterized by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR–FT-IR) spectroscopy, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and contact angle goniometry. It was found that hydrophilicity was greatly improved, as indicated by the decrease of the water contact angle from 142 to 33°. In vitro blood compatibility evaluation of modified PPNWFs, including hemolysis rate, platelet adhesion, plasma protein adsorption and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was investigated. The results suggested that both heparinized PPNWFs showed lower hemolysis rates and better platelet anti-adhesion than non-heparinized controls. Furthermore, PPNWF obtained via indirect immobilization of heparin showed better hydrophilicity and blood compatibility than direct heparinization of PPNWF.

A constitutive model for the in-plane mechanical behavior of nonwoven fabrics

A constitutive model is presented for the in-plane mechanical behavior of nonwoven fabrics. The model is developed within the context of the finite element method and provides the constitutive response for a mesodomain of the fabric corresponding to the area associated to a finite element. The model is built upon the ensemble of three blocks, namely fabric, fibers and damage. The continuum tensorial formulation of the fabric response rigorously takes into account the effect of fiber rotation for large strains and includes the nonlinear fiber behavior. In addition, the various damage mechanisms experimentally observed (bond and fiber fracture, interfiber friction and fiber pull-out) are included in a phenomenological way and the random nature of these materials is also taken into account by means of a Monte Carlo lottery to determine the damage thresholds. The model results are validated with recent experimental results on the tensile response of smooth and notched specimens of a polypropylene nonwoven fabric.

Bostrycin, a novel coupling agent for protein immobilization and prevention of biomaterial-centered infection produced by Nigrospora sp. No. 407

Bostrycin, a red antibacterial agent with tetrahydroanthraquinone structure, has been isolated from Nigrospora sp. No. 407. This study investigated the potential antibacterial and multifunctional properties of matrixes through immobilization of bostrycin on their surface for immobilization of protein and prevention of bacterial growth. Bostrycin was immobilized on nonwoven polypropylene (PP) fabric by a technique using glutaraldehyde and polyethyleneimine for the activation of the surface. Glucose oxidase immobilized on bostrycin-treated nonwoven PP fabric showed high activity. The immobilization process improved thermal stability of the enzymes. During repeated assay for 30 cycles, the enzyme activity dropped to only 70% of the initial activity. Both bostrycin-treated nonwoven PP fabric sample and subsequently immobilized glucose oxidase sample on the surface also still exhibited a bacteriostatic effect. This is the first study to show that bostrycin is a promising coupling agent for surface modification on matrix and its potential applications in protein immobilization and biomaterial-centered infection.

Selectivity of Acrylic Acid Radiation Grafted Non-Woven Polypropylene Sheets towards Some Heavy Metals Ions

Graft polymerization has been considered as a general method for the modification of the physical and chemical properties of polymeric materials and of particular interest for synthesis of the hydrophilic membrane. In this study, hydrophilic carboxylic acid groups were introduced by radiation-induced grafting of acrylic acid (AAc) onto non-woven polypropylene fabric (NWPP). Different irradiation doses and (AAc) monomer concentrations were used to optimize grafting yield. Characterization and properties of the prepared graft copolymer were studied by employing X-ray Dif-fraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM ), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The prepared grafted materials were used for removing some heavy metals ions. The results showed that the non-woven PP grafted with (AAc) has good affinity toward Cu, Ni and Co.

ZnO와 TiO2함유 복합나노섬유의 제조와 유해물질분해 성능 평가

【This research investigates the application of ZnO (zinc oxide) nanoparticles and $TiO_2$ (titanium dioxide) nanoparticles to polypropylene nonwoven fabrics via an electrospinning technique for the development of textile materials that can decompose harmful gases. To fabricate uniform ZnO nanocomposite fibers, two types of ZnO nanoparticles were applied. Colloidal $TiO_2$ nanoparticles were chosen to fabricate $TiO_2$ nano- composite fibers. ZnO/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and $TiO_2$ /PVA nanocomposite fibers were electrospun under a variety of conditions that include various feed rates, electric voltages, and capillary diameters. The morphology of electrospun nanocomposite fibers was examined with a field-emission scanning electron micro- scope and a transmission electron microscope. Decomposition efficiency of gaseous materials (formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene, benzene, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide) by nanocomposite fiber webs with 3wt% nano-particles (ZnO or $TiO_2$ ) and 7 $g/m^2$ web area density was assessed. This study shows that ZnO nanoparticles in colloid were more suitable for fabricating nanocomposite fibers in which nanoparticles are evenly dispersed than in powder. A heat treatment was applied to water-soluble PVA nanofiber webs in order to stabilize the electrospun nanocomposite fibrous structure against dissolution in water. ZnO/PVA and $TiO_2$ /PVA nanofiber webs exhibited a range of degradation efficiency for different types of gases. For nitrogen dioxide, the degradation efficiency was 92.2% for ZnO nanocomposite fiber web and 87% for $TiO_2$ nanocomposite fiber web after 20 hours of UV light irradiation. The results indicate that ZnO/PVA and $TiO_2$ /PVA nano- composite fiber webs have possible uses in functional textiles that can decompose harmful gases.】

Thermal effect of polymer layers deposition on polypropylene nonwoven fabric

AbstractTo prepare various types of multilayers, polyelectrolytes poly(acrylic acid), poly(allylamine hydrochloride), and poly(dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate) were prepared and deposited onto polypropylene nonwoven fabrics produced in the melt‐blowing process. Each type of external layer deposited was dyed for identification. Utilizing the layer‐by‐layer method to deposit polyelectrolyte layers considerably strengthens the thermal resistance of the modified fabric (the difference in T50% is over 40°C). The effect is connected with the type and number of layers. Thermal effects were also observed in both dynamic and isothermal analyses under air atmosphere. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Effects of UV Exposure and Initiator Concentration on the Spatial Variation of Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) Grafts on Nonwoven Fabrics

This paper describes the spatial uniformity of grafted layers of poly(glycydyl methacrylate) on the fibers of polypropylene nonwoven fabrics, and how they depend on the UV pretreatment step, the ad...

Radiation-chemical synthesis of polypropylene fabrics with sulfonic acid functional groups

A sorption-active material carrying sulfonic acid groups was synthesized by the radiation-induced graft polymerization of styrene monomer onto the surface of non-woven polypropylene fabric, followed by sulfonation of the grafted polystyrene chains. The effect of the main experimental parameters (absorbed dose, monomer concentration, reaction time) on the styrene degree of grafting was investigated. The sulfonation process with 5% chlorosulfonic acid at room temperature was investigated in detail and the optimal sulfonation conditions for the samples with a medium degree of grafting (70–140%) were determined. Densities of 3.5–5 meq/g were obtained by applying those sorption-active PP fabrics with a sulfonic acid group.

Bactericidal activities of woven cotton and nonwoven polypropylene fabrics coated with hydroxyapatite-binding silver/titanium dioxide ceramic nanocomposite "Earth-plus"

BackgroundBacteria from the hospital environment, including linens and curtains, are often responsible for hospital-associated infections. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the bactericidal effects of fabrics coated with the hydroxyapatite-binding silver/titanium dioxide ceramic nanocomposite “Earth-plus”.MethodsBactericidal activities of woven and nonwoven fabrics coated with Earth-plus were investigated by the time-kill curve method using nine bacterial strains, including three Staphylococcus aureus, three Escherichia coli, and three Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains.ResultsThe numbers of viable S. aureus and E. coli cells on both fabrics coated with Earth-plus decreased to below 2 log10 colony-forming units/mL in six hours and reached the detection limit in 18 hours. Viable cell counts of P. aeruginosa on both fabrics coated with Earth-plus could not be detected after 3–6 hours. Viable cells on woven fabrics showed a more rapid decline than those on nonwoven fabrics. Bacterial cell counts of the nine strains on fabrics without Earth-plus failed to decrease even after 18 hours.ConclusionWoven cotton and nonwoven polypropylene fabrics were shown to have excellent antibacterial potential. The woven fabric was more bactericidal than the nonwoven fabric.

Highly effective antifouling performance of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone modified polypropylene non-woven fabric membranes by ATRP method

In this paper, a hydrophilic polymer, poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PNVP), was grafted on the surface of polypropylene non-woven fabric (PP-NWF) membrane via ozone surface activation and surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The grafting degree of PNVP on the membrane surface can be modulated in a wide range through the variation of grafting time. Chemical and morphological changes of the PNVP-modified membrane surface were characterized in detail by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The hydrophilicity of the membrane increased upon modification with the water contact angle decreasing from 113.0 ± 1.2° to 52.1 ± 3°. Permeation experiments of water and supernatant solution of active sludge were conducted to evaluate the antifouling property of the PNVP-modified membranes, which results indicated that the modified membranes had higher permeation fluxes with enhanced rejection rates, lower flux loss and better antifouling property than those of the original NWF membrane. Bacterial adhesion on the studied membrane surfaces was also investigated, which showed that bacteria were restrained from growing on PNVP-modified membranes, and adhesion of bacteria was reversible due to the enhanced hydrophilicity.

자외선 차단 소재 개발을 위한 전기방사 TiO2복합나노섬유의 제조 및 특성

This study investigates applying TiO2 (titanium dioxide) nanoparticles to polypropylene nonwoven fabrics via electrospinning for the development of UV-protective materials. To fabricate uniform nanocomposite fibers, three types of TiO2 nanoparticles were applied: powder, colloid, and TiO2, coated polymer pellets. TiO2/polyurethane (PU) and TiO2/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposite fibers were electrospun and the morphology was examined using a field-emission scanning electron microscope and a transmission electron microscope. Layered fabric systems with electrospun TiO2 nanocomposite fiber webs were developed at various concentrations of TiO2 in a range of the web area density. The effects of TiO2, concentration and web area density on UV-protective properties were examined. When TiO2 colloid was added into a PVA polymer solution, uniform nanocomposite fiber webs in which TiO2 particles were evenly dispersed were produced. Water-soluble PVA nanofiber webs were given a heat treatment to stabilize the electrospun PVA fibrous structure against dissolution in water. TiO2/PVA nanocomposite fiber webs with 2wt% TiO2, and 3.0g/m2 web area density exhibited an ultraviolet protection factor of greater than 50, indicating excellent UV protection.

Antibacterial and swelling properties of N‐isopropyl acrylamide grafted and collagen/chitosan‐immobilized polypropylene nonwoven fabrics

The different molar ratios of collagen/chitosan were used to be immobilized on polypropylene nonwoven fabrics grafted with N-isopropyl acrylamide (abbr. PP-g-NIPAAm-i-Col/Chi). For a controlled immobilizing time and NIPAAm concentration, the collagen/chitosan immobilized values and the antibacterial properties of PP-g-NIPAAm-i-Col/Chi increased with increasing amount of chitosan in the mixture of collagen/chitosan. The crosslinking reaction between the grafted polyNIPAAm and collagen/chitosan molecules was clearly confirmed by the examination of the spectra of the surface reflection infrared spectroscopy (IR). The values of water absorption and water diffusion coefficient of PP-g-NIPAAm-i-Col/Chi decreased with increase of the chitosan in the mixture of collagen/chitosan and the value of immobilized collagen/chitosan at the same pH value of buffering water. The PP-g-NIPAAm-i-Col/Chi have excellent water absorption, water permeability, and antibacterial properties and would be suitable for the healing of wounded skin area.

Preparation of chelating fabrics by radiation‐induced grafting of itaconic acid and acrylonitrile onto polypropylene nonwoven fabrics and subsequent amination of graft copolymer

AbstractA mixture of acrylonitrile (AN) and itaconic acid (IA) was cografted onto polypropylene (PP) nonwoven fabrics by preirradiation method. The effects of graft polymerization conditions such as temperature, reaction time, Mohr's salt concentration, solvent mixture ratio, and comonomer composition on the total grafting yield were investigated. The addition of AN as a comonomer increased the amount of IA that reacted with PP fabrics. An increase in the temperature from 40 to 60°C increased the grafting rate, but the final grafting yield decreased at high temperature. The addition of 0.01 wt % Mohr's salt to the reaction medium leaded to a sharp increase of grafting yield. The accelerative effect of solvent medium on the grating yield was higher in dimethylformamide (DMF) and methanol mixtures, when compared with DMF or methanol. Chelating fabrics was synthesized by subsequent amination of grafted fabric with ethylene diamine (EDA) and phenylhydrazine (PH). The conversion yield reached maximum value at about 90% for 80% PP‐g‐AN‐IA fabrics at 90°C. At same amination conditions, the conversion yield is higher when PP‐g‐AN‐IA fabrics react with EDA compared with PH. FT‐IR data indicate that amine groups were introduced onto PP‐g‐AN‐IA fabric through amide linkage between grafted AN or IA and EDA or PH. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011