JP2014080702A - Sheet-shaped product obtained by using carbon fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet-shaped product obtained by using a carbon fiber, in which defects (such as no foldability, low durability and no washability) of the conventional carbon fiber bedding are eliminated.SOLUTION: The sheet-shaped product includes an intermediate material 10 and a cover material 20 for covering the intermediate material. The intermediate material 10 is formed from a woven fabric, which is obtained by weaving a strand obtained by bundling monofilaments of the carbon surface-exposed carbon fiber and the edges (11, 12) of which are impregnated with an elastic resin. The elastic resin is preferably a silicone resin. The carbon fiber is preferably a pitch-based carbon fiber having 10-20 μm thickness.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet-like product using carbon fiber, and more particularly, to a consumer-use sheet-like product such as bedding that has a beneficial effect on maintaining / promoting health, sleeping well, and the like.

  Since carbon materials such as carbon fibers are excellent in biocompatibility, wear resistance, lubricity, etc., various artificial organs (eg, artificial blood vessels, artificial root materials, artificial joints, artificial bones, artificial tendons, artificial ligaments) Etc.) is being attempted. On the other hand, in recent years, it has been argued that carbon materials have been found to have an effect of promoting the growth of microorganisms, and that the biocompatibility of carbon materials seems to be unique compared to other materials. A research paper that introduces the influence of ultrasonic waves converted from heat and electromagnetic waves by carbon materials is one of the causes of such specific biocompatibility.

  For example, in Non-Patent Document 1, the effect of carbon on the agar solid medium is described in which Bacillus carboniphilus is planted in an agar solid medium containing nutrients and a component that inhibits growth (for example, KCl). The method of colony growth is being studied. According to this academic paper, “Carbon receives an intermittent wave of electromagnetic waves such as infrared rays and changes it into a physical signal that seems to be an ultrasonic wave” (from the end of page 213 to page 214). It has been demonstrated that ultrasonic waves emitted from carbon promote the growth of microorganisms. Further, Non-Patent Document 2 proposes a viewpoint of “biological specificity of carbon”, and water purification using carbon fiber is being studied as an application example thereof. More specifically, when carbon fiber is left on activated sludge and left to stand, a phenomenon that a large amount of sludge is fixed is observed, and if this phenomenon is used, it is said that effective water quality purification is also possible. .

  On the other hand, beddings using carbon-based materials such as carbon fiber and activated carbon as batting have been proposed. In such beddings, heat conduction effect, negative ion generation effect, far infrared effect, adsorption effect, etc. However, it is said that it brings about a user's sleep effect and health promotion effect alone or in combination. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a bedding (specific examples are a mattress and a mat) that can guide the user to deep sleep. The bedding (1) of Patent Document 1 includes a base material layer (2) made of cotton or a polyurethane molded body, a graphite layer (3) disposed on one entire surface of the base material layer, a base material layer, and a graphite layer. And a surface layer (4) made of a fabric covering the entirety of the graphite, and the graphite layer is made of a non-woven fabric formed using fibrous graphite. (See the summary of Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-48920 A

Carbon TANSO1998 No.184, pp. 213-218 “Carbon Biological Actions: From Carbon Waves to Cellular Acoustic Waves” Carbon TANSO2000 No.194 pp.276-287 “Development of carbon fiber to water environment improvement technology”

  The bedding of Patent Document 1 is epoch-making in that it induces deep sleep by the action of graphite fibers, but has some drawbacks in terms of actual handling. The first disadvantage is that it cannot be folded (or not allowed). This is an essential weakness caused by the fact that the graphite layer of Patent Document 1 is made of a non-woven fabric of graphite fiber. If you try to forcefully fold the graphite layer, the graphite layer in the bedding will collapse and fall apart. It will not be used as bedding. The second drawback is low durability (short service life). Specifically, when the bedding is continued to be used, the graphite layer in the bedding collapses and falls apart within a year. A third disadvantage is that washing is not possible (not allowed). In other words, if you want to wash once (for example, dry cleaning), the graphite layer in the bedding will be completely disassembled and will not be usable again. Despite the natural bedding that comes in contact with human skin, it is extremely unsanitary that washing is not allowed, which has been a fatal drawback for health-conscious consumer products.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to avoid the drawbacks of the conventional example (non-foldable, low-folding) without hindering the expression of various health benefits of carbon fiber. The purpose is to provide a “sheet-like product using carbon fiber” that eliminates the durability and impossibility of washing.

The present invention for solving the above problems
A sheet-like product comprising an intermediate material and a cover material enclosing the intermediate material,
The intermediate material is composed of a woven fabric, and the woven fabric is woven from strands formed by bundling carbon fiber strands with exposed carbon surfaces, and the edge of the woven fabric is elastic. It is a sheet-like product characterized by being impregnated with resin having.

  Note that additional components (invention specific items) and preferred embodiments of the present invention will be individually described in the “Mode for Carrying Out the Invention” section below.

According to the present invention, the sheet has excellent practicality and versatility as a daily necessities without overcoming the drawbacks of the conventional example without inhibiting the expression of various health benefits of carbon fiber and other beneficial effects for humans. A product can be provided. More specifically,
(1) Since the carbon fiber strands whose carbon surface is exposed by not having a coating derived from a sizing agent or the like are used, the biocompatibility inherent to the carbon fiber, biospeciality, and heat Beneficial effects such as a function of converting electromagnetic waves into ultrasonic waves can be efficiently exhibited.
(2) By simply using a carbon fiber strand as in the prior art, short fibers are likely to be scattered by unraveling and breaking, and so-called “sagging” in which the inner material loses elasticity is likely to occur. Then, while adopting a woven fabric woven from strands of carbon fibers bundled, and generally impregnating the edge of the woven fabric where the ends of the carbon fibers are gathered with an elastic resin, By preventing the short fibers from scattering, the settling can be prevented or suppressed. Thereby, the durability as a household item can be improved and the lifetime can be prolonged. In addition, the situation which the short fiber of carbon fiber scatters out of the said sheet-like product, and pierces a human skin etc. can be prevented by providing the cover which encloses the inside material consisting of carbon fiber.
(3) The fact that a woven fabric is used as the inner material and that the resin applied to the edge of the woven fabric is an “elastic resin” means that the sheet-like product can be folded and not used. The convenience of storage and storage in the vehicle will be greatly improved.
(4) The sheet-like product of the present invention can be washed. It can withstand repeated use at least as many times as a general consumer normally does (for example, several times a year).

The schematic plan view which shows the process of impregnating elastic resin to the woven fabric of a carbon material. The schematic plan view of the woven fabric (medium material) which impregnated the elastic resin to the edge part. The disassembled perspective view of a sheet-like product. Schematic of the expanded cross section of a sheet-like product.

  The sheet-like product of the present invention includes an intermediate material and a cover material that encapsulates the intermediate material, and the intermediate material is composed of a woven fabric, and the woven fabric has an exposed carbon surface. It is woven from strands formed by bundling carbon fiber strands, and the edge of the woven fabric is impregnated with an elastic resin.

  The carbon fiber strands constituting the sheet-like product of the present invention are such that the carbon material itself is exposed on the surface and does not have a coating layer such as a sizing agent. This is because if the carbon fiber is covered with a coating layer such as a sizing agent, it is considered that the carbon fiber attenuates an ultrasonic wave (considered) generated by converting heat and electromagnetic wave energy.

  Moreover, the carbon fiber with the carbon material itself exposed on the surface has a high affinity for microorganisms, and it is assumed that the microorganisms are likely to grow. Therefore, in order to keep the carbon fiber sheet product clean, it is preferable that it can be appropriately washed for sterilization. In this regard, in the sheet-like product of the present invention, since the hydrophobic carbon fibers are exposed, the carbon fiber strands can be kept clean by solvent cleaning by dry cleaning using an organic solvent. By the way, organic solvent is used in dry cleaning, so it is considered to have a sterilizing action against microorganisms. Examples of the dry cleaning solvent include petroleum-based and chlorine-based solvents. Examples of the petroleum solvent include industrial gasoline, and examples of the chlorine solvent include tetrachloroethylene. In dry cleaning, there is a concern that the object to be cleaned is subjected to severe bending, friction, etc., and the carbon fibers are opened. However, in the present invention, the edge of the intermediate material is impregnated with an elastic resin. Therefore, there is almost no possibility of opening by dry cleaning.

  The features of the present invention can be summarized as follows.

(1) A carbon fiber having an exposed carbon surface is used.
By exposing the surface of the carbon fiber, heat and electromagnetic waves can be efficiently converted into ultrasonic waves. On the other hand, if carbon fibers are present as bare wires, fine carbon fibers are likely to be generated due to the breakage or opening of the carbon fibers, and cleaning is performed because of its high affinity for microorganisms and high microorganism growth effects. Although there is a drawback that it is necessary to be able to do so, measures are taken against this point.

(2) The intermediate material is composed of a woven fabric woven from strands made of bundled carbon fibers.
There are various methods for constructing the intermediate material from carbon fibers. In the present invention, a woven fabric using strands in which carbon fibers are bundled is used. The advantage of using a woven fabric is that carbon fiber long fibers can be used and the ends of the carbon fibers are concentrated at the edges of the woven fabric. Since all the fibers can be arranged so as to be substantially orthogonal to the thickness direction of the sheet-like product, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the carbon fiber is greatly bent and bent with respect to the load from above the sheet-like product. That is, as a result of using the woven fabric, it is possible to reduce the amount of scattered fibers.

(3) The edge of the woven fabric is impregnated with “resin having elasticity”.
Even if the intermediate material is made up of a woven fabric made of woven strands of carbon fiber bundles, the edges of the woven fabric are gathered at the ends of the carbon fibers as described above, and are easy to break and break. It is a part. In the present invention, in order to prevent scattering of fibers generated from the edge of the woven fabric, the edge is impregnated with “resin having elasticity”. Since the resin having elasticity joins the ends of the fibers, it is difficult for the fibers to be broken and broken, and the scattering of the fibers can be prevented. The “resin” preferably has a predetermined elasticity. Resin with poor elasticity is easily broken when deformed or the like, and this crack causes a new end of carbon fiber and causes fiber scattering. In addition, if the degree of elasticity or hardness of the “resin” is represented by a numerical value, it is preferably in the range of A30 to A70 when the method A of JIS K6249 is followed. The hardness according to A method of JIS K6249 becomes softer as the numerical value is lower. If the hardness according to the A method of JIS K6249 is less than A30, the elasticity becomes low and the adhesive force increases and the displacement within the cover hardly occurs, but the solvent resistance at the time of cleaning decreases. When the hardness according to the A method of JIS K6249 exceeds A70, the viscosity decreases, and it becomes easy to shift in the cover, and it becomes difficult to fold. In addition, as a secondary effect of impregnating the edge of the woven fabric with “resin having elasticity”, the resin becomes a non-slip, and an appropriate frictional force is generated between the intermediate material and the cover material. can give. When the elasticity of the resin is low, the resin is easily deformed and the contact area with the cover material can be increased, so that a frictional force can be exerted. This moderate frictional force helps to prevent misalignment between the intermediate material and the cover material, and makes the sheet-like product comfortable to use.

(4) Provide a cover material for encapsulating the intermediate material.
In the present invention, it is possible to prevent scattering of short fibers of carbon fibers generated from the intermediate material to the outside of the sheet-like product by including the cover material that encloses the intermediate material. When carbon short fibers are scattered to the outside, the carbon fibers are thin and have a high elastic modulus, and thus pierce human skin and cause itching. The cover material is preferably organic fiber, organic film, or the like, but is not particularly limited. Examples of the organic fiber cover material include a woven fabric and a non-woven fabric, but a dense woven fabric using 0.01 to 1 denier fibers is preferable in order to prevent penetration of carbon fibers. Moreover, when using an organic film, the film which has a fine hole is preferable. Since a woven fabric using fibers of 0.01 denier or more can secure a thickness, it can have strength enough to withstand normal use. Since the woven fabric using fibers of 1 denier or less can reduce the opening between the fibers, breakage of broken fibers can be prevented. The denier is a unit representing the thickness of the yarn, and 1 denier is the mass of a 9000-meter yarn in grams. For example, the silk thread strand is 2 to 4 denier. .

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be further described.

  The “resin having elasticity” is preferably a silicone resin. Silicone resins are suitable because they have excellent resistance to petroleum solvents and chlorine solvents used in dry cleaning. Specific examples of the silicone resin include a silicone resin system, a modified silicone resin system, and an epoxy-modified silicone resin system. Among these, the modified silicone resin system having a siloxane bond is elastic and suitable because it has a well-balanced performance. It is preferable that the modified silicone resin is mainly composed of polypropylene oxide (modified silicone) having a methyldimethoxysilyl group at the terminal.

  The carbon fibers used in the present invention are preferably pitch-based carbon fibers. In the case of pitch-based carbon fibers, there is an advantage that carbon fibers having a thickness range described below can be obtained more easily than PAN-based or rayon-based carbon fibers.

  The thickness of the carbon fiber of the present invention is preferably in the range of 10 to 20 μm (micrometer). When the thickness of the carbon fiber is less than 10 μm, the carbon fiber easily penetrates the cover material and scatters to the outside, and inconveniences such as piercing the human skin easily occur. On the other hand, when the thickness of the carbon fiber exceeds 20 μm, the flexibility of the fiber is lost and the fiber is easily broken, which causes inconvenience. By suppressing the thickness of the carbon fiber to a maximum of 20 μm, on the contrary, it becomes difficult to bend even with respect to a bending load, and generation of fine short fibers can be suppressed. The carbon fiber is preferably heat-treated at a temperature of 1500 to 2600 ° C. Those heat-treated at a temperature of less than 1500 ° C. are considered to have a low ultrasonic wave generation function due to low graphitization properties. What was heat-processed at the temperature over 2600 degreeC becomes weak, and a short fiber is easy to generate | occur | produce and durability falls.

  Examples of a method for easily obtaining a woven fabric as an intermediate material in the present invention include a method for reworking a commercially available carbon fiber woven fabric. Specifically, as the first step (cleaning treatment step), a large amount of the sizing agent is obtained by washing a woven fabric (commercially available product) made of strands of carbon fibers bundled and coated with a sizing agent. Remove the part. The cleaning treatment is preferably ultrasonic cleaning. As a second step (additional processing step), the edge of the woven fabric after the cleaning treatment is impregnated with the resin having elasticity. Through the first and second steps, a carbon fiber woven fabric with the carbon surface exposed can be obtained.

  Although the use of the sheet-like product of the present invention is not particularly limited, for example, it can be suitably used as bedding. In the case of bedding, it takes a long time to come into contact with the human body, and it is possible to efficiently use the characteristics of organisms possessed by carbon fibers, such as biospecies and ultrasonic waves generated by carbon.

  Hereinafter, Example 1 in which the present invention is applied to “bedcloth” which is a kind of bedding and Comparative Example 1 as a comparison target will be described.

[Example 1]
A woven fabric as a “medium material” according to the present invention was prepared by subjecting a commercially available carbon fiber woven fabric treated at 2000 ° C. to washing and additional processing. Specifically, the following procedure was used.
First, Kureha Co., Ltd. carbon fiber cloth: B-300 (single fiber diameter 14.5 μm, plain weave type, thickness of about 1 mm, width W = 1100 mm × length of 30 meters roll winding specification) The unrolled carbon fiber cloth was rewound on a commercially available industrial net (trade name: Tricarnet, manufactured by Takiron Co., Ltd.). This is a preliminary measure for improving the cleaning efficiency. Then, the carbon fiber cloth wound around the industrial net was immersed in a detergent solution together with the net and subjected to ultrasonic cleaning. The detergent solution is obtained by dissolving 1 to 2% by weight of a household neutral detergent in warm water of about 40 ° C. The output condition of the ultrasonic transmitter used for ultrasonic cleaning is 200 V, 2.5 kHz. Under these conditions, ultrasonic cleaning was performed for about 2 hours to wash off the sizing agent coated on the fiber surface of the carbon fiber cloth. After completion of ultrasonic cleaning with the detergent solution, ultrasonic water washing was further performed in warm water without detergent for about 12 hours to completely wash away the remaining sizing agent and neutral detergent from the fiber surface. Thereafter, the carbon fiber cloth separated from the industrial net was naturally dried to obtain a carbon fiber cloth (one having carbon exposed on the fiber surface).

  Next, the carbon fiber cloth obtained by the washing treatment was subjected to additional processing for preventing fraying. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the carbon fiber cloth is developed in a plane, both edges 11 in the longitudinal direction of the cloth (upper edge 11A and lower edge 11B in FIG. 1), and the direction crossing the cloth. In other words, the modified silicone elastic adhesive (trade name: Diaecopita, hardness after curing, modified with respect to the region 12 extending in the direction of the width W (the region appears continuously every interval L = 750 mm). Was coated and impregnated with A41 (JIS K6249 method A). The adhesive application width M at both edges 11 in the cross longitudinal direction was about 10 mm, and the adhesive application width 2M at each portion 12 extending in the cross transverse direction (width direction) was about 20 mm. In addition, as a coating method at that time, a method is adopted in which an adhesive is applied to a predetermined part of the cloth with a heater-equipped gun, and the part immediately after the application is followed by a small iron to penetrate the adhesive into the cloth. did. Thereafter, a center line that bisects the application site 12 in the cross-cross direction with an application width of 2M was regarded as a cutting line, and the cloth was sequentially cut (cut) at intervals L (= 750 mm). Thus, a rectangular carbon fiber woven fabric 10 having a length: L = 750 mm, a width: W = 1100 mm, and a thickness of about 1 mm as shown in FIG. 2 was obtained. In the carbon fiber woven fabric 10 of FIG. 2, in the four edge portions 11 and 12 corresponding to the four sides, there is an impregnation region of the modified silicone elastic adhesive having a width M (= about 10 mm). In Example 1, the carbon fiber woven fabric 10 shown in FIG.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of cover members 20 are arranged on the upper and lower sides (front and back) of the middle member 10 of the carbon fiber woven fabric, and the upper and lower cover members 20 are sewn along the peripheral edge thereof, thereby covering the cover. A floor covering (see FIG. 4) in which the intermediate member 10 was encapsulated by the member 20 was completed.
In addition, the cover material 20 used here is Toyobo Co., Ltd. brand name: Alphain. Toyobo Alphain is a fabric product in which 0.3-denier polyester microfibers are woven at high density, and many are marketed as tick-proof high-density futon covers. In Example 1, this was adopted as the cover material 20 from the viewpoint that the “dustproofness based on the fineness of weaving density” of Toyobo Alphaine is effective in preventing the scattering of carbon fiber scraps.

[Comparative Example 1]
Comparative Example 1 is an example in which a carbon fiber nonwoven fabric is used as the intermediate material (10). Specifically, a commercially available carbon fiber non-woven fabric (trade name: Donacarbo LFK205, manufactured by Osaka Gas Chemical Co., Ltd., single fiber diameter: 13 μm, product treated at 2000 ° C.) is cut into a rectangle of 750 mm long × 1100 mm wide × about 5 mm thick. A carbon fiber nonwoven fabric was obtained. In Comparative Example 1, the nonwoven fabric was not subjected to the ultrasonic cleaning treatment and the anti-glare additional processing as in Example 1.
Then, using the same rectangular carbon fiber nonwoven fabric as the intermediate material (10), the same cover material 20 as in Example 1 was used, and in the same manner as in Example 1, a covering cloth in which the intermediate material was encapsulated was completed.

[Cleaning durability test]
As a cleaning durability test, the commonly used dry cleaning was performed on each of the mats of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1. The dry cleaning conditions are as follows: Solvent used: Chlorine (tetrachloroethylene), cleaning temperature: 55 ° C., cleaning time: stirring cleaning 4 minutes.

  As a result of observing the properties of the bedcloth dried (solvent removed) after the dry cleaning, in the case of the cloth of Comparative Example 1, the inner material which was a single nonwoven fabric was torn apart in the cover material and re-used as the bedcloth. It has become unusable. In contrast, the mat of Example 1 maintained the same properties as before cleaning and was reusable. Moreover, the carbon fiber nonwoven fabric inside was damaged in the flooring of Comparative Example 1 in actual use for one year, and many cracks and lumps occurred. The flooring of Example 1 was not damaged or damped even after 1 year of use.

[Confirmation test of health condition maintenance improvement effect]
With the cooperation of a plurality of subjects, an experiment was conducted in which the bedcloth of Example 1 or Comparative Example 1 was used for daily sleep. Specifically, seven subjects each continued to use the flooring of each example for a predetermined period, and blood tests were performed for each subject immediately before the start of use and after a predetermined period of use, and changes in the test items were observed. It was measured and evaluated.
Table 1 shows the test results of the subject group using the flooring of Example 1.
Table 2 shows the test results of the subject group using the flooring of Comparative Example 1.

  When the test results of Table 1 and Table 2 were compared, the health condition maintenance / improvement effect was observed in both subject groups. That is, the bed of Example 1 was able to achieve the same health maintenance / improvement effect as the bed of Comparative Example 1.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Carbon fiber woven fabric 11 (11A, 11B) as an inside material ... Edge 12 of an inside material ... Edge 20 of an inside material ... Cover material

Claims (6)

A sheet-like product comprising an intermediate material and a cover material enclosing the intermediate material,
The intermediate material is composed of a woven fabric,
The woven fabric is woven from strands formed by bundling carbon fibers with exposed carbon surfaces, and an edge of the woven fabric is impregnated with an elastic resin. Sheet-like product to be used.   The sheet-like product according to claim 1, wherein the resin having elasticity is a silicone-based resin.   The sheet-like product according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the carbon fibers are pitch-based carbon fibers.   The sheet-like product according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the carbon fiber is a carbon fiber having a thickness in a range of 10 to 20 µm. The woven fabric is
A woven fabric woven from strands made of bundled carbon fibers and coated with a sizing agent is washed to remove most of the sizing agent, and the elasticity is applied to the edge of the woven fabric after the washing treatment. It is obtained through the procedure of impregnating the resin with
The sheet-like product according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the product is a sheet product.   The bedding comprised using the sheet-like product as described in any one of Claims 1-5.

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