JP2016030866A - Melt-blown nonwoven fabric - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a nonwoven fabric in which pore diameters are dense and uniform and which has a high specific surface area that a conventional nonwoven fabric has not had before by suppressing mutual fusion, entanglement and overlapping of fibers.SOLUTION: The nonwoven fabric is composed of fibers of thermoplastic resin and has a pore diameter distribution satisfying the following formula (1) and the following formula (2): Dmax/Dave<2.00 ... formula (1), Dmax/Dmin<3.50 ...formula (2) {In the formula, Dmax: maximum pore diameter (μm), Dave: average pore diameter (μm), Dmin: minimum pore diameter (μm)}. The laminate nonwoven fabric is obtained by laminating the nonwoven fabric and a spun-bonded nonwoven fabric. The filter, the separator and the hygienic material include the laminate nonwoven fabric.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

  The present invention relates to a meltblown nonwoven fabric made of ultrafine yarn. More specifically, the present invention relates to a melt blown nonwoven fabric that suppresses fusion and entanglement between yarns, has a very uniform hole diameter formed by fibers, and has high filter performance that has not been achieved in the past.

  The general melt blown method is a gap (hereinafter also referred to as an air gap) provided so as to sandwich a row of small holes when a thermoplastic resin having spinnability is melted and then extruded from a spinning nozzle. This is a method of directly obtaining a nonwoven fabric composed of ultrafine fibers by pulling and thinning a thermoplastic resin with a high-temperature and high-speed spinning gas ejected from the fiber and accumulating the fibers in a net. For example, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Vol. 48, No. 8, pp. 1342-1346 (1956) discloses a basic apparatus and method for the meltblown process. These method apparatuses have a very simple apparatus configuration, and can make ultrafine fibers easily and inexpensively.

As a characteristic of a general melt blown nonwoven fabric, since it is composed of ultrafine fibers having a fiber diameter of several μm, the pore diameter formed by the ultrafine fibers is dense, and the specific surface area is large compared to other nonwoven fabric manufacturing methods.
Melt blown nonwoven fabrics are widely used for various filter applications, separator applications, etc., taking advantage of the above characteristics. Moreover, it is utilized also for leakproof members, such as a disposable diaper which utilized the barrier property by the clearance gap between fibers narrowing.

  In the melt blown nonwoven fabric, in order to further improve the above-mentioned performance, the uniform pore diameter is required. By making the pore diameter uniform, the desired filter performance can be obtained even if the basis weight is lower than that of a normal melt blown nonwoven fabric, leading to compactness and cost reduction. In addition, since a small pore diameter can be obtained without pressing, the structure takes advantage of the bulkiness that is one of the features of the meltblown method, and the filter life when used in filter applications is extended. These effects lead to reductions in environmental impact, energy saving, weight reduction, compactness, etc., which have been demanded in recent years. Therefore, there is a high demand for performance improvement from various fields using meltblown nonwoven fabrics, and it contributes to the world. It can be a highly skilled technology.

As a general technique for making the pore diameter uniform in the melt blown method, it is known to make the fiber diameter extremely small or increase the basis weight. In order to make the fiber diameter extremely small, there are a method of reducing the discharge amount of single holes and a method of widening the interval between the nozzles.
For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a method for producing a melt-blown nonwoven fabric characterized in that the distance between the nozzles is 0.54 mm or more. A method of increasing the pitch is not preferable.
Patent Document 2 below discloses a method of using a spinning nozzle having a density of at least 100 nozzles per inch to reduce the single-hole discharge rate per minute to 0.01 g or less. From the viewpoint of reducing the discharge rate of single holes, it is not preferable.
In Patent Document 3 below, secondary vibrations having a temperature of 50 ° C. or higher are blown to the discharged thermoplastic resin under a melt blown die head to excite additional vibrations in the thermoplastic resin to make it uniform. Although a method is disclosed, it is not preferable in terms of manufacturing cost because new equipment is required and energy needs to be added.

The following Patent Document 4 discloses a method for providing a uniform nonwoven fabric sheet having a high porosity and a small pore diameter. In this document, however, a thermoplastic resin is molded into a nonwoven resin molded product by a melt blown method. The porosity is adjusted to 20 to 45% by press molding the nonwoven fabric-shaped resin molded product with a pressing means having elasticity with a Young's modulus of ²⁰ to 600 kg / cm ² at a temperature lower than the melting point of the thermoplastic resin. Since the hole diameter is made uniform, the filter life is remarkably shortened.

  The following Patent Document 5 discloses a method of providing a filtering material and a filtering method comprising an ultrafine fiber aggregate with high filtering accuracy, but compressing a nonwoven fabric obtained by a melt blown method with a hot press roller. Since the porosity of the fiber aggregate constituting the filter medium is adjusted to a range of 20 to 65%, the filter life is remarkably shortened.

  The following Patent Document 6 discloses a method for providing an excellent filter medium having high filtration accuracy of micron or submicron microparticles. However, since the porosity is 5 to 35%, the porosity is extremely low. It is clear that the filter life is significantly shortened. Further, there is a description that the maximum collection efficiency of an aqueous solution in which 0.025 g / L of particles obtained by mixing JIS11 seed particles and 0.6 μm monodispersed alumina particles in a mass ratio of 8 to 2 is dispersed is 84%. The filtration accuracy is not significantly improved.

Although these methods can produce a melt blown nonwoven fabric with a somewhat uniform fiber diameter distribution and a uniform pore diameter distribution, the generation of thick fibers that are more than twice the average fiber diameter due to fiber fusion that occurs during melt extrusion In the present situation, it is impossible to perform spinning while suppressing the generation of polymer spheres due to breakage of stretch or stretching.
In addition, since melt blown resin is randomly accumulated on a conveyor by a suction fan, the melt blown method cannot suppress entanglement or overlap between fibers when landing on the conveyor. A melt blown nonwoven fabric that has a uniform distribution, an extremely high specific surface area, and high performance is desired.

  In addition to the melt blown method, an electrospinning method can be cited as a method for obtaining ultrafine and uniform fibers.However, when it is industrialized in the future, the production scale is small, and there are many cases where it is produced batchwise. It has become. In order to increase the scale, it is necessary to inject the thermoplastic resin from a plurality of nozzles at the same time, but there are problems such as clogging of the nozzles and fusion of the thermoplastic resin when the nozzle interval is narrowed. Recently, a manufacturing method that does not use a nozzle has been developed. However, when considering environmental burdens, there still remains a problem of solvent-free. In general, it is said that the method of injecting a solution in which a thermoplastic resin is dissolved in a solvent is easier to form ultrafine fibers than the method of injecting a thermoplastic resin directly from a nozzle. When this method is industrialized, it is necessary to completely remove the solvent remaining in the fiber, which requires enormous costs. Furthermore, the sea-island composite spinning method can be cited as a method for obtaining ultrafine and uniform fibers, but because of the limited number of applicable thermoplastic resins and the use of solvents for the removal of the second component, the current ecological thinking is There is a problem that the load is high.

JP 2012-122157 A Special table 2009-534548 gazette JP 2006-83511 A International Publication No. 2005/098118 Pamphlet Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-313311 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-24230

  In view of the above problems of the prior art, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to suppress the fusion, entanglement and overlap of yarns, and to provide a non-woven fabric having a high specific surface area that has a dense and uniform pore diameter and is not present in the past. Is to provide.

As a result of intensive studies and experiments to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have found that ultrafine yarn obtained by pulling a thermoplastic resin having spinnability with a high-temperature and high-speed gas is not present on a conveyor. In the melt-blown nonwoven fabric manufacturing method, which is integrated into a non-woven fabric, the suction net speed on the integrated net is made uniform by densifying the integrated net on the conveyor, and local entanglement and overlap between fibers are suppressed. The present inventors have found that a nonwoven fabric having an unprecedented high filter performance with a remarkably dense and uniform pore diameter can be obtained, and the present invention has been completed based on such findings.
That is, the present invention is as follows.

[1] It is composed of fibers of thermoplastic resin, and the pore size distribution is represented by the following formulas (1) and (2):
Dmax / Dave <2.00. . . Formula (1)
Dmax / Dmin <3.50. . . Formula (2)
{In the formula, Dmax: maximum pore diameter (μm), Dave: average pore diameter (μm), Dmin: minimum pore diameter (μm). }
The nonwoven fabric characterized by satisfy | filling.

  [2] The nonwoven fabric according to [1], wherein an average fiber diameter of the fibers is 0.1 μm or more and 5.0 μm or less.

  [3] The nonwoven fabric according to [1] or [2], wherein the nonwoven fabric has a Dave (average pore diameter) of 5 μm or less.

  [4] The nonwoven fabric according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein Dmax (maximum pore diameter) of the nonwoven fabric is 10 μm or less.

  [5] The nonwoven fabric according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein Dmin (minimum pore diameter) of the nonwoven fabric is 3 μm or less.

  [6] The nonwoven fabric according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the nonwoven fabric has a porosity of 70 to 95%.

[7] The nonwoven fabric according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the formation index is 125 or less when the basis weight of the nonwoven fabric is 10 to 25 g / m ² .

[8] The nonwoven fabric according to any one of [1] to [7], wherein the polymer spheres observed on the surface of the nonwoven fabric are 0 to 30 pieces / mm ² .

  [9] A laminate in which the nonwoven fabric according to any one of [1] to [8] and a spunbonded nonwoven fabric are laminated.

  [10] A laminated nonwoven fabric having the nonwoven fabric according to any one of [1] to [8] between two spunbond nonwoven fabric layers.

  [11] A filter using the nonwoven fabric according to any one of [1] to [8] or the laminate according to [9] or [10].

  [12] A separator using the nonwoven fabric according to any one of [1] to [8] or the laminate according to [9] or [10].

  [13] A sanitary material using the nonwoven fabric according to any one of [1] to [8] or the laminate according to [9] or [10].

  The nonwoven fabric according to the present invention is a nonwoven fabric that can suppress fusion and entanglement between yarns, has a fine and uniform pore diameter constituted by ultrafine fibers, and has a high specific surface area that has not been conventionally available. In the melt blown nonwoven fabric spun under the conditions according to the present invention, the entanglement of the fused fiber and the fiber, which is a big problem in making the pore diameter dense and uniform, can be remarkably improved. In the nonwoven fabric according to the present invention, since the pore diameter formed by the continuous long fibers constituting the meltblown nonwoven fabric is dense and uniform, it is possible to obtain desired filter performance even if the basis weight is lower than that of a normal meltblown nonwoven fabric. , Leading to compact and low cost. In addition, since a small hole diameter can be obtained without pressing, the structure takes advantage of the bulkiness that is one of the features of the meltblown method, and the life when used for a filter is extended. Furthermore, the melt blown method does not require any solvent treatment that is required by many other finer techniques.

It is a whole process figure of a melt blown method. It is detail drawing of the spin head in a melt blown method.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
The molten resin discharged from the nozzle is refined by being pulled by the spinning gas or gravity, and the finely threaded yarn is collected on the collector net by a suction fan provided in the collector to form a nonwoven fabric. At this time, by using a dense net with the collector net or shortening the distance from the nozzle to the collector net, the entanglement and overlap of the yarns can be remarkably suppressed. Meltblown nonwoven fabric is obtained.

The nonwoven fabric which concerns on this embodiment is comprised from the fiber of a thermoplastic resin, and pore size distribution is following formula (1) and following formula (2):
Dmax / Dave <2.00. . . Formula (1)
Dmax / Dmin <3.50. . . Formula (2)
{In the formula, Dmax: maximum pore diameter (μm), Dave: average pore diameter (μm), Dmin: minimum pore diameter (μm). }
It is characterized by satisfying.
The pore diameter is Dmax / Dave <2.00, preferably Dmax / Dave <1.75, and more preferably Dmax / Dave <1.50. Here, Dmax / Dave = 1 is a pore size distribution in an ideal state where the pore sizes formed by the fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric are theoretically the same. In addition, when Dmax / Dave ≧ 2.00, the pore size distribution is extremely non-uniform and is not suitable for various filters and separators. Further, Dmax / Dmin <3.50, Dmax / Dmin <3.25 is preferable, and Dmax / Dmin <3.00 is more preferable. Here, Dmax / Dmin = 1 is the pore size distribution in an ideal state where the pore sizes formed by the fibers constituting the nonwoven fabric are theoretically the same. In addition, when Dmax / Dmin ≧ 3.50, the pore size distribution is extremely non-uniform and is not suitable for various filters and separators.

In the nonwoven fabric which concerns on this embodiment, it is preferable that an average fiber diameter is 0.1 micrometer or more and 5.0 micrometers or less. The average fiber diameter is more preferably from 0.1 μm to 2.0 μm, still more preferably from 0.1 μm to 1.0 μm. Further, considering the high performance and compactness (thinness) of various filter applications in recent years, the upper limit of the average fiber diameter is preferably 0.8 μm or less, and 0.5 μm or less, which gives the characteristic advantages of nanofibers. More preferred is 0.3 μm or less. When the fiber is thinned to 0.3 μm or less, the following new physical properties that cannot be obtained with conventional fibers appear.
(1) The resistance of air becomes very small.
The air and liquid flow gets slower as it gets closer to the object, which becomes the air resistance of the filter. However, the phenomenon of “slip flow effect” occurs in the nano-sized material, and the flow velocity hardly slows down. For this reason, making a filter with nanofibers has the advantage that the air is smooth even if a fine filter is made.
(2) The specific surface area increases.
Since nanofibers have a very large specific surface area and can adsorb many foreign substances on the fiber surface, the performance of the purification device can be improved. In addition, the efficiency of chemical reactions and electrical reactions occurring on the fiber surface is increased, leading to increased efficiency of fuel cells and the like.

  In the nonwoven fabric according to this embodiment, the average pore diameter (Dave) is preferably 5 μm or less, Dave is more preferably 4 μm or less, and Dave is further preferably 3 μm or less. The smaller Dave is, the better it can be used as a filter because it can prevent the trapped substance from passing through.

  In the nonwoven fabric according to the present embodiment, the maximum pore diameter (Dmax) is preferably 10 μm or less, Dmax is more preferably 8 μm or less, and Dmax is further preferably 6 μm or less. A smaller Dmax is preferable for use as a filter because it can prevent the trapped substance from passing through.

  In the nonwoven fabric according to the present embodiment, the minimum pore diameter (Dmin) is preferably 3 μm or less, Dmin is more preferably 2 μm or less, and Dmin is further preferably 1 μm or less. The smaller the Dmin, the more fine and uniform the pore diameter, so it is preferable for use as a filter.

  The nonwoven fabric according to the present embodiment preferably has a porosity of 70 to 95%, more preferably 80 to 90%. The larger the porosity is, the more preferable it is for the filter application because the deposition filtration utilizing the three-dimensional structure which is the characteristic of the nonwoven fabric becomes possible and the filter life is remarkably extended.

The nonwoven fabric according to this embodiment preferably has a formation index ≦ 125 or less, more preferably a formation index ≦ 110, and further preferably a formation index ≦ 95 when the basis weight is 10 to 25 g / m ² . The smaller the formation index, the more uniform the nonwoven fabric surface, which leads to uniform pore size distribution, which is preferable for filter applications.

The nonwoven fabric according to the present embodiment, polymer spheres observed in the nonwoven surface is preferably 0-30 pieces / mm ^2.

The shear rate X (s ⁻¹ ) of the thermoplastic resin during stretching by the melt blown method varies depending on the spinning conditions, but X (s ⁻¹ ) is the academic journal AIChE Journal Vol. 36 (1990) No. 2 175-186. It can be estimated from the spinning conditions (nozzle diameter, single hole discharge rate, spinning gas temperature, spinning gas pressure, polymer properties) by the calculation method described on the page. As a result of studying using this calculation method, the present inventors have performed spinning under the condition that the shear rate X (s ⁻¹ ) of the thermoplastic resin during stretching is 10 ^8.2 <X <10 ^10. It has been found that a melt blown nonwoven fabric in which the fusion between yarns and the generation of polymer spheres can be suppressed and the fibers are extremely fine and uniform can be obtained. When spinning is performed under the condition of X ≦ 10 ^8.2 , the yarn diameter unevenness increases in the yarn length direction, and the ultrafine yarn that is a feature of the melt blown nonwoven fabric of this embodiment cannot be obtained. In addition, when spinning is performed under the condition of X ≧ 10 ¹⁰ , the shear stress acting on the thermoplastic resin being stretched is too strong, causing stretching breakage, and polymer spheres are frequently generated. Be in the range of ^{10 8.2} <X <10 10, yarn length direction of the thread径斑is significantly improved, the fibers are ultrafine reduction and homogenization. In addition, it is possible to obtain an ideal ultrafine yarn with very little generation of polymer spheres due to drawing breakage.

The method of measuring polymer spheres is to take 10 formed fibers randomly with SEM, and the number of polymer spheres observed on the surface of the nonwoven fabric is 30 / mm ² or less, preferably 10 / mm ² or less. More preferably, ² pieces / mm ² or less. When there are few polymer spheres, a melt-blown nonwoven fabric having a more uniform and high specific surface area can be obtained.

  The thermoplastic resin constituting the fiber can be a polyolefin resin, a polyester resin, or a polyamide resin. Specifically, ethylene, propylene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, 4-methyl-1-pentene. , High-pressure method low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), high density polyethylene, polypropylene (propylene homopolymer), polypropylene random copolymer, which is a homopolymer or copolymer of α-olefin such as 1-octene, Polyolefins such as poly 1-butene, poly 4-methyl-1-pentene, ethylene / propylene random copolymer, ethylene-1-butene random copolymer, propylene-1-butene random copolymer, polyester (polyethylene terephthalate, Polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene Naphthalate, etc.), polyamide (nylon-6, nylon-66, polymetaxylene adipamide, etc.), polyvinyl chloride, polyimide, ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer, polyacrylonitrile, polycarbonate, polystyrene, ionomer, or a mixture thereof Can be illustrated.

The melt flow rate of the thermoplastic resin constituting the fiber is 100 to 2500 g / 10 minutes, preferably 1000 to 2000 g / 10 minutes, and more preferably 1300 to 1800 g / 10 minutes.
In the present invention, the melt flow rate was measured in accordance with ASTM D1238 using a melt indexer manufactured by Nippon Dynisco Corporation.

FIG. 1 is an overall process diagram of the melt blown method, and FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a spin head.
The molten thermoplastic resin is fed into the melt blown nozzle, discharged from a nozzle nozzle (see reference numeral 12 in FIG. 2) in which a large number of small holes are arranged in a row, and air provided so as to sandwich the row of small holes The fiber is thinned by being pulled by high-temperature and high-speed spinning gas ejected from the gap. Furthermore, an extremely fine and uniform melt-blown nonwoven fabric can be produced by accumulating fibers on a collector net having a suction fan (see reference numeral 4 in FIG. 1).

  The polymer melting temperature in the extruder is in the range of 10 ° C. to 60 ° C. or higher, preferably 20 ° C. to 50 ° C. or higher, more preferably 30 ° C. to 40 ° C. or higher than the melting point of each thermoplastic tree. If the polymer melting temperature in the extruder (see reference numeral 2 in FIG. 1) is too low, the fluidity of the molten resin discharged from the nozzle will be insufficient, and the fibers will not be sufficiently fined in the spinning process, resulting in a melt blown nonwoven fabric with a hard texture End up. Conversely, when the polymer melting temperature in the extruder is too high, decomposition of the molten resin proceeds and it becomes difficult to perform stable spinning, which is not preferable.

  The hole of the nozzle (see reference numeral 12 in FIG. 2) preferably has a diameter of 0.05 mm to 0.50 mm, more preferably 0.08 mm to 0.40 mm, and still more preferably 0.10 mm to 0.30 mm. If the nozzle hole is too small, the pressure generated by the molten resin is applied to the nozzle hole, so that the nozzle hole may break. On the other hand, if the nozzle hole is too large, it is difficult to apply pressure from the molten resin to the nozzle hole, and a phenomenon called surging occurs in which the molten resin cannot be stably discharged.

  The L / D of the nozzle hole is preferably in the range of 5-30, more preferably 7-25, and still more preferably 10-20. If L / D is too small, it is difficult for pressure to be applied to the nozzle hole by the molten resin, and a phenomenon called surging occurs in which the molten resin cannot be stably discharged. On the other hand, if L / D is too large, the pressure applied by the molten resin to the nozzle holes increases, and the nozzle holes may break.

  The air gap (see reference numeral 11 in FIG. 2) is preferably in the range of 0.10 mm to 3.00 mm, more preferably 0.15 mm to 2.00 mm, and still more preferably 0.25 mm to 1.00 mm. If the air gap is too narrow, it is difficult for the spinning gas to pass through and the spinning gas pressure rises, so that the desired spinning gas flow rate cannot be obtained. On the other hand, if the air gap is too wide, a speed difference occurs in the spinning gas flow velocity, so that the melt blown nonwoven fabric has a nonuniform fiber diameter distribution.

  The spinning gas temperature is preferably 50 ° C to 300 ° C higher than the melting point of each thermoplastic resin, more preferably 100 ° C to 250 ° C higher, and even more preferably 150 ° C to 200 ° C higher. If the spinning gas temperature is too low, the melted resin cannot be made fine, and a meltblown nonwoven fabric in which thick yarns are mixed is obtained. On the other hand, if the spinning gas temperature is too high, the die temperature rises due to heat transfer from the spinning gas, so that the molten resin is decomposed and does not become yarn.

  The distance from the spinning nozzle to the collection support (hereinafter also referred to as distance) is preferably in the range of 50 mm to 700 mm, more preferably 80 mm to 500 mm, and still more preferably 100 mm to 300 mm. If the distance is too small, the spinning nozzle is cooled by the suction portion located at the lower part of the collection support, and the molten resin viscosity becomes high. Moreover, since the temperature drop of the injection gas is insufficient because the high-temperature gas is injected, the melt-blown is caused by re-melting the pulverized fibers on the collection support and causing self-adhesion or large shrinkage. The texture of the nonwoven fabric becomes extremely hard. On the other hand, if the distance is too large, not only the spinning gas jetted by the suction fan but also the surrounding air is sucked as an accompanying flow, and the molten resin discharged from the nozzle cannot be completely sucked, and the fibers are Is not entangled on the collection support, and a phenomenon of fly in which the fibers scatter occurs.

  The ventilation resistance of the collection support is preferably 0.035 kPa · s / m or less. When the airflow resistance is 0.035 kPa · s / m or more, the suction wind speed with respect to the fibers by the suction portion located at the lower part of the collection support is weakened, and the fly is generated without collecting extremely fine fibers or high weight fibers. . The fibers constituting the collection support are preferably 700 μm or less and 300 μm or more. When the fiber diameter is 700 μm or more, the suction air speed on the collection support varies, and the dispersibility of the meltblown nonwoven fabric is significantly deteriorated. On the other hand, if the fiber diameter is 300 μm or less, the strength on the collection support becomes weak, and the collection support may be broken during spinning for a long time. Furthermore, the aperture of the collection support is preferably 500 μm or less. If the mesh opening is 500 μm or more, the suction air speed on the collection support varies, and the trace of the mesh opening is transferred to the nonwoven fabric, so that the dispersibility of the meltblown nonwoven fabric is significantly deteriorated.

  The single-hole discharge amount of the molten resin is preferably 0.01 g / min to 0.50 g / min, more preferably 0.05 g / min to 0.30 g / min, and 0.10 g / min to 0.20 g / min. Further preferred. If the single-hole discharge amount is too small, the productivity of the meltblown nonwoven fabric is deteriorated. Furthermore, since no pressure is applied to the nozzle tip, the molten resin cannot be discharged stably. On the other hand, if the single-hole discharge amount is too large, the molten resin is discharged with a high viscosity. In addition, since the pulling force per unit weight of the molten resin by the spinning gas becomes small, it is difficult to make it thin.

  In the nonwoven fabric according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the constituted fiber is a continuous long fiber. In order to confirm that the fibers constituting the non-woven fabric according to the present invention are continuous long fibers, a single-hole spinning nozzle having only one hole for the nozzle is manufactured, and the single-hole spinning nozzle is used in the region of the present invention. I photographed the behavior of the yarn during spinning with a high-speed camera. In the melt blown method, until now it was unclear whether the finening phenomenon was due to splitting or due to stretching. became. Although it is very difficult to control the fiber diameter and the fiber diameter distribution by the fiber separation method, since the yarn is fined with one yarn within the scope of the present invention, it has high uniformity and a desired average fiber diameter. It becomes possible to obtain the nonwoven fabric comprised from a fiber.

  The nonwoven fabric which concerns on this embodiment can be used as a part of various structures according to the use. Examples thereof include a laminate having the formed meltblown nonwoven fabric between two spunbond nonwoven fabric layers and a laminate having the formed meltblown nonwoven fabric laminated on the spunbond nonwoven fabric.

  The nonwoven fabric which concerns on this embodiment may laminate | stack another layer according to various uses. Specifically, a knitted fabric, a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric, a film, etc. can be mentioned, for example. When laminating the nonwoven fabric according to the present invention and other layers, thermal embossing, thermal fusion methods such as ultrasonic fusion, mechanical entanglement methods such as needle punch and water jet, hot melt adhesive, urethane adhesive Various known methods such as a method using an adhesive such as an agent, extrusion lamination, and the like can be employed.

As a nonwoven fabric laminated | stacked with the nonwoven fabric which concerns on this embodiment, a spun bond nonwoven fabric, a wet nonwoven fabric, a dry nonwoven fabric, a dry pulp nonwoven fabric, a flash spinning nonwoven fabric, an opened nonwoven fabric, etc. are mentioned.
The nonwoven fabric obtained by the method of the present embodiment can be a laminate in which a spunbond nonwoven fabric is laminated on at least one side, preferably on both sides.
Since the nonwoven fabric according to the present embodiment is excellent in the uniformity of the hole diameter, it can be preferably used as a filter or a separator material. Moreover, it is not limited as a form which can be used for a filter material, A pleat shape and a depth shape may be sufficient.

｛式中、Xi＝繊維径Di の存在比率＝Ni/ΣNiである。｝、

｛式中、Wi＝繊維径Di の重量分率＝Ni・Di/ΣNi・Diである。｝
で計算した。 The present invention will be specifically described by the following examples and comparative examples. In Examples and the like, the following measuring methods and apparatuses were used.
<Average fiber diameter>
Device model: JSM-6510 manufactured by JEOL Ltd. was used.
The obtained nonwoven fabric was cut into 10 cm × 10 cm, pressed on an iron plate at 60 ° C. above and below for 90 seconds at a pressure of 0.30 MPa, and then the nonwoven fabric was vapor-deposited with platinum. And it image | photographed on the conditions of acceleration voltage 15kV and working distance 21mm using said SEM. The photographing magnification was 10,000 times for yarns having an average fiber diameter of less than 0.5 μm, 6000 times for yarns having an average fiber diameter of 0.5 μm or more and less than 1.5 μm, and 4000 times for yarns having an average fiber diameter of 1.5 μm or more. The field of view at each magnification was 12.7 μm × 9.3 μm at 10000 ×, 21.1 μm × 15.9 μm at 6000 ×, and 31.7 μm × 23.9 μm at 4000 ×. 100 or more fibers were randomly photographed, and the average fiber diameter was determined by measuring all fiber diameters. At this time, fibers fused in the yarn length direction were omitted from the measurement. Here, how to obtain Dn: number average fiber diameter and Dw: weight average fiber diameter is described.
When Ni fibers with a fiber diameter Di exist, Dn and Dw are respectively expressed by the following equations (3) and (4):

{Wherein, Xi = abundance ratio of fiber diameter Di = Ni / ΣNi. },

{In the formula, Wi = weight fraction of fiber diameter Di = Ni · Di / ΣNi · Di. }
Calculated with

｛式中、P₀：飽和蒸気圧 (Pa)、V_m：単分子層吸着量 (mg/g)、C：吸着熱等に関するパラメータ(−)＞0、であり、本関係式は特にＰ／Ｐ_０＝０．０５〜０．３５の範囲でよく成り立つ。｝を適用し、比表面積値を求めた。ＢＥＴ式とは、一定温度で吸着平衡状態である時、吸着平衡圧Ｐと、その圧力での吸着量Ｖの関係を表した式である。 <Specific surface area>
Apparatus type: Gemini 2360 Shimadzu Corporation make was used.
The nonwoven fabric was rolled into a cylindrical shape and packed in a cell for measuring the specific surface area. In this case, the sample weight is preferably about 0.20 to 0.60 g. The cell containing the sample was dried at 60 ° C. for 30 minutes, and then cooled for 10 minutes. Thereafter, a cell is set in the above specific surface area measuring apparatus, and nitrogen gas adsorption on the sample surface results in the following BET equation (5):

{In the formula, P ₀ : saturated vapor pressure (Pa), V _m : monolayer adsorption amount (mg / g), C: parameter (−)> 0 regarding adsorption heat, etc. It is well established in the range of / P ₀ = 0.05 to 0.35. } Was applied to determine the specific surface area value. The BET formula is a formula that represents the relationship between the adsorption equilibrium pressure P and the adsorption amount V at that pressure when the adsorption equilibrium state is maintained at a constant temperature.

<Aperture diameter>
Apparatus type: Automated Perm Porometer (Porous material automatic pore size distribution measuring system) Porous Materials, Inc. The product made by company was used.
A nonwoven fabric sample is cut into a diameter of 25 mm with a punching blade, immersed in a GALWICK reagent, and deaerated for 1 hour. Then set the sample and apply air pressure. Since the GALWICK reagent overcomes the liquid surface tension in the capillary tube and is pushed out, the pore diameter was determined by the Washburn equation derived from the capillary equation by measuring the pressure at that time.

<Region index>
Apparatus type: FMT-MIII Nomura Corporation make.
With the sample not set, the amount of transmitted light when the light source was turned on / off was measured with a CCD camera. Subsequently, the amount of transmitted light was measured in the same manner with the nonwoven fabric cut to A4 size set, and the average transmittance, average absorbance, and standard deviation (absorbance variation) were determined. The formation index can be obtained by standard deviation ÷ average absorbance × 10. The formation index has a very high correlation with visual observation, and most directly represents the formation of the nonwoven fabric. The formation index is smaller as the formation is better, and is larger as the formation is worse.

<Polymer sphere>
The produced nonwoven fabric was photographed with SEM. The field of view at each SEM imaging magnification was 12.7 μm × 9.3 μm at 10,000 ×, 21.1 μm × 15.9 μm at 6000 ×, and 31.7 μm × 23.9 μm at 4000 ×. Ten SEM images are randomly taken under the above conditions, and polymer spheres observed on the surface of the nonwoven fabric are measured per 1 mm ² . When there are few polymer spheres, a melt-blown nonwoven fabric having a more uniform and high specific surface area can be obtained.

[Example 1]
As a result of using a melt indexer manufactured by Nippon Dyneco Co., Ltd. and measuring in accordance with ASTM D1238, a polypropylene resin having a melt flow rate of 1700 g / 10 min was used. This resin was melted with an extruder and extruded from a nozzle having a nozzle diameter of 0.20 m at a single hole discharge rate of 0.03 g / min. When extruding the above thermoplastic resin, the spinning gas is set to the conditions of a spinning gas temperature of 370 ° C. and a spinning gas pressure of 0.075 MPa, and a melt blown fiber composed of continuous long fibers is produced by pulling the thermoplastic resin. did. The produced meltblown fibers were collected by a collection support having a fiber diameter of 390 μm, an opening of 400 μm, and a ventilation resistance of 0.032 kPa · s / m, and a meltblown nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 20 g / m ² was produced.
The resulting melt blown nonwoven fabric has a fiber diameter: 0.52 μm, Dmax: 5.18 μm, Dave: 3.30 μm, Dmin: 1.52 μm, porosity: 86.9%, polymer sphere: 2 pieces / mm ² The pore diameter is extremely small and uniform, which is constituted by formed fibers that cannot be obtained by the conventional meltblown method.

[Example 2]
A polyethylene terephthalate resin having a melt flow rate of 1500 g / 10 min was melted with an extruder and extruded from a nozzle having a nozzle diameter of 0.25 mm at a single hole discharge rate of 0.06 g / min. When extruding the above thermoplastic resin, the spinning gas is set at a spinning gas temperature of 350 ° C. and a spinning gas pressure of 0.15 MPa, and a melt blown fiber made of continuous long fibers is produced by pulling the thermoplastic resin. did. The produced meltblown fiber was collected by a collection support having a fiber diameter of 480 μm, an opening of 440 μm, and a ventilation resistance of 0.033 kPa · s / m, and a meltblown nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 20 g / m ² was produced.
The obtained melt blown nonwoven fabric has a fiber diameter: 0.97 μm, Dmax: 8.42 μm, Dave: 4.48 μm, Dmin: 2.63 μm, porosity: 90.7%, polymer spheres: 3 / mm ² The pore diameter is extremely small and uniform, which is constituted by formed fibers that cannot be obtained by the conventional meltblown method.

[Example 3]
A polypropylene resin having a melt flow rate of 1800 g / 10 min was melted by an extruder and extruded from a nozzle having a nozzle diameter of 0.25 mm at a single hole discharge rate of 0.03 g / min. When extruding the above thermoplastic resin, the spinning gas is set to the conditions of a spinning gas temperature of 380 ° C. and a spinning gas pressure of 0.20 MPa, and a melt blown fiber composed of continuous long fibers is produced by pulling the thermoplastic resin. did. The produced meltblown fibers were collected by a collection support having a fiber diameter of 310 μm, a mesh opening of 250 μm, and a ventilation resistance of 0.033 kPa · s / m to prepare a meltblown nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 25 g / m ² .
The resulting melt blown nonwoven fabric has a fiber diameter: 0.43 μm, Dmax: 3.37 μm, Dave: 1.94 μm, Dmin: 0.99 μm, porosity: 80.2%, polymer spheres: 3 / mm ² The pore diameter is extremely small and uniform, which is constituted by formed fibers that cannot be obtained by the conventional meltblown method.

[Example 4]
Nylon 6 resin having a melt flow rate of 1500 g / 10 min was melted by an extruder and extruded from a spinning nozzle having a nozzle diameter of 0.25 mm at a single hole discharge rate of 0.06 g / min. When extruding the above thermoplastic resin, the spinning gas is set to the conditions of a spinning gas temperature of 350 ° C. and a spinning gas pressure of 0.125 MPa, and a melt blown fiber made of continuous long fibers is produced by pulling the thermoplastic resin. did. The produced meltblown fibers were collected by a collection support having a fiber diameter of 310 μm, a mesh opening of 250 μm, and a ventilation resistance of 0.033 kPa · s / m to prepare a meltblown nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 20 g / m ² .
The produced melt blown nonwoven fabric has a fiber diameter: 1.25 μm, Dmax: 9.52 μm, Dave: 4.87 μm, Dmin: 2.96 μm, porosity: 87.5%, polymer sphere: 0 pieces / mm ² Thus, a melt blown nonwoven fabric, which is a feature of the present invention, has a pore diameter constituted by formed fibers, which cannot be obtained by a conventional melt blown method, and is uniform.

[Example 5]
A polypropylene resin having a melt flow rate of 1800 g / 10 min was melted by an extruder and extruded from a spinning nozzle having a nozzle diameter of 0.25 mm at a single hole discharge rate of 0.06 g / min. When extruding the above thermoplastic resin, the spinning gas is set to a spinning gas temperature of 420 ° C. and a spinning gas pressure of 0.25 MPa, and the melt blown fiber made of continuous long fibers is produced by pulling the thermoplastic resin. did. The produced meltblown fibers were collected by a collection support having a fiber diameter of 310 μm, a mesh opening of 250 μm, and a ventilation resistance of 0.033 kPa · s / m to produce a meltblown nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 15 g / m ² .
The resulting melt blown nonwoven fabric has a fiber diameter: 0.29 μm, BDmax: 2.61 μm, Dave: 1.83 μm, Dmin: 1.13 μm, porosity: 87.2%, polymer sphere: 5 pieces / mm ² The pore diameter is extremely small and uniform, which is constituted by formed fibers that cannot be obtained by the conventional meltblown method.

[Comparative Example 1]
A polyethylene terephthalate resin having a melt flow rate of 1500 g / 10 min was melted by an extruder and extruded from a spinning nozzle having a nozzle diameter of 0.30 m at a single hole discharge rate of 0.06 g / min. When extruding the above thermoplastic resin, the spinning gas is set at a spinning gas temperature of 350 ° C. and a spinning gas pressure of 0.15 MPa, and a melt blown fiber made of continuous long fibers is produced by pulling the thermoplastic resin. did. The produced meltblown fibers were collected by a collection support having a fiber diameter of 800 μm, an aperture of 680 μm, and a ventilation resistance of 0.036 kPa · s / m, and a meltblown nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 15 g / m ² was produced.
The obtained melt blown nonwoven fabric had a fiber diameter: 1.23 μm, Dmax: 11.21 μm, Dave: 5.48 μm, Dmin: 3.13 μm, a porosity of 91.5%, and polymer spheres: 0 pieces / mm ² . .

[Comparative Example 2]
A polypropylene resin having a melt flow rate of 1800 g / 10 min was melted by an extruder and extruded from a spinning nozzle having a nozzle diameter of 0.25 mm at a single hole discharge rate of 0.06 g / min. When extruding the above thermoplastic resin, the spinning gas is set to the conditions of a spinning gas temperature of 400 ° C. and a spinning gas pressure of 0.20 MPa, and melt blown fiber made of continuous long fibers is produced by pulling the thermoplastic resin. did. The produced meltblown fibers were collected by a collection support having a fiber diameter of 510 μm, an aperture of 1010 μm, and a ventilation resistance of 0.017 kPa · s / m, and a meltblown nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 15 g / m ² was produced.
The resulting meltblown nonwoven fabric had a fiber diameter: 0.73 μm, Dmax: 10.32 μm, Dave: 4.87 μm, Dmin: 2.84 μm, porosity: 87.2%, polymer sphere: 1 piece / mm ² It was.

[Comparative Example 3]
A polypropylene resin having a melt flow rate of 1500 g / 10 min was melted with an extruder and extruded from a nozzle having a nozzle diameter of 0.30 m at a single hole discharge rate of 0.09 g / min. When extruding the thermoplastic resin, the spinning gas is set to a spinning gas temperature of 360 ° C. and a spinning gas pressure of 0.15 MPa, and a melt blown fiber composed of continuous long fibers is produced by pulling the thermoplastic resin. did. The produced meltblown fibers were collected by a collection support having a fiber diameter of 30 μm, an opening of 20 μm, and an airflow resistance of 0.156 kPa · s / m, and a meltblown nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 10 g / m ² was produced.
The resulting melt blown nonwoven fabric has a fiber diameter: 1.55 μm, Dmax: 18.24 μm, Dave: 8.83 μm, Dmin: 5.17 μm, porosity: 90.5%, polymer spheres: 4 / mm ² The meltblown nonwoven fabric does not have the characteristics of the present invention.

  From the results of Examples 1 to 5 in Table 1, since the melt blown nonwoven fabric of the present invention has an extremely uniform pore size distribution, it can be seen that it is an ideal melt blown nonwoven fabric for use as a filter.

  From the results of Comparative Examples 1 to 3 in Table 1, the melt blown nonwoven fabric that does not fall under the present invention has a non-uniform pore size distribution and a large number of entanglements and overlaps between fibers. It can be seen that this is a melt blown nonwoven fabric that is large and traps the substance and is not ideal for filter applications.

  The melt blown nonwoven fabric of the present invention can remarkably improve the entanglement and overlap of fibers, which is a big problem in making the pore diameter constituted by ultrafine fibers small and uniform. By making the hole diameter composed of the fiber diameters of the continuous long fibers that make up the meltblown nonwoven fabric uniform, it is possible to obtain the desired filter performance even when the basis weight is lower than that of a normal meltblown nonwoven fabric. Leads to In addition, since a small hole diameter can be obtained without pressing, the structure takes advantage of the bulkiness that is one of the features of the meltblown method, and the life when used for a filter is extended. In addition, utilizing the above characteristics, it is possible to apply to separator use, coating film support use, sanitary material use, light diffusion / reflection sheet, and the like. Furthermore, the melt blown method does not require any solvent treatment that is required by many other finer techniques. Since these lead to reduction of environmental load, energy saving, weight reduction, and compactness that have been demanded in recent years, the present invention can be a highly contributing technology.

1 Hopper 2 Extruder 3 Spin Head 4 Suction Fan 5 Press Machine 6 Winding Machine 7 Gear Pump 8 Distribution Pack 9 Spinning Gas 10 Lip 11 Air Gap 12 Spinning Nozzle

Claims (13)

It is comprised from the fiber of a thermoplastic resin, and pore diameter distribution is following formula (1) and following formula (2):
Dmax / Dave <2.00. . . Formula (1)
Dmax / Dmin <3.50. . . Formula (2)
{In the formula, Dmax: maximum pore diameter (μm), Dave: average pore diameter (μm), Dmin: minimum pore diameter (μm). }
The nonwoven fabric characterized by satisfy | filling.   The nonwoven fabric of Claim 1 whose average fiber diameter of the said fiber is 0.1 micrometer or more and 5.0 micrometers or less.   The nonwoven fabric of Claim 1 or 2 whose Dave (average pore diameter) of the said nonwoven fabric is 5 micrometers or less.   The nonwoven fabric of any one of Claims 1-3 whose Dmax (maximum hole diameter) of the said nonwoven fabric is 10 micrometers or less.   The nonwoven fabric of any one of Claims 1-4 whose Dmin (minimum pore diameter) of the said nonwoven fabric is 3 micrometers or less.   The nonwoven fabric of any one of Claims 1-5 whose porosity of the said nonwoven fabric is 70 to 95%. Wherein when basis weight of the nonwoven fabric is 10 to 25 g / ^{m 2,} the formation index is 125 or less, the nonwoven fabric according to any one of claims 1-6. Polymer spheres observed in the surface of the nonwoven fabric, 0-30 pieces / mm is ^2, nonwoven fabric according to any one of claims 1-7.   The laminated body which laminated | stacked the nonwoven fabric of any one of Claims 1-8, and the spun bond nonwoven fabric.   The laminated body which has the nonwoven fabric of any one of Claims 1-8 between two spun bond nonwoven fabric layers.   The filter using the nonwoven fabric of any one of Claims 1-8, or the laminated body of Claim 9 or 10.   The separator using the nonwoven fabric of any one of Claims 1-8, or the laminated body of Claim 9 or 10.   A sanitary material using the nonwoven fabric according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or the laminate according to claim 9 or 10.

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