JPH09132871A - Water and moisture absorbing textile fabric - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a textile fabric, having water and moisture absorption performances comparable to those of natural fibers, excellent in water absorbing rate and useful as a material for clothes by forming a layer consisting essentially of chitosan on the surfaces of conjugated fibers comprising a water- insoluble modified polyethylene oxide. SOLUTION: This water and moisture absorbing textile fabric consists essentially of conjugated fibers comprising (A) a water-insoluble modified polyethylene oxide prepared by carrying out the cross-linking treatment of a water-soluble polyethylene oxide with a cross-linking agent (including a mixture thereof with a thermoplastic resin good in fiber-forming properties) and (B) a thermoplastic resin component good in the fiber-forming properties. A coating film is formed on the surfaces of the conjugated fibers by fixing a compound consisting essentially of chitosan thereto.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fiber cloth excellent in water absorption and hygroscopicity.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Synthetic fibers are superior to natural fibers such as cotton, hemp, wool, and silk in strength, abrasion resistance, dimensional stability, wash-and-wear property, quick-drying property, and the like. Widely used as a material. However, synthetic fibers generally do not have the excellent water-absorbing and moisture-absorbing properties that natural fibers have, and sweating when worn causes stuffiness, stickiness, etc., and is inferior in terms of comfort to natural fibers.

Conventionally, various attempts have been made to impart water absorbency and hygroscopicity to synthetic fibers. For example, hydrophilic polyester fibers blended with polyalkylene glycol (Japanese Patent Publication No. 39-5214), hollow fibers having grooves penetrating from the fiber surface to the hollow portion (Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-37203), compounds having metal sulfonate groups and poly Microporous fibers obtained by subjecting a polyester fiber containing a condensate of oxyalkylene glycol to an alkali treatment (JP-A-60-167969).
No.) has been proposed. However, these fibers
In all cases, the level of moisture absorption performance was low, and the moisture absorption performance was not at a sufficient level.

As a method of imparting water absorbency or hygroscopicity to synthetic fibers by post-processing, there is known a method of graft-polymerizing vinyl carboxylic acid using a radical initiator, an electron beam or the like. However, this method has various problems such as reduction in strength of fibers, hardening of texture, lack of durability of effect, and also has a fatal defect that dyeing fastness is deteriorated. Almost no examples have been commercialized as fibers for use.

The inventors of the present invention have also proposed a fiber excellent in water absorption and hygroscopicity by incorporating a water-absorbing and hygroscopic compound such as a water-insoluble polyethylene oxide modified product into the fiber. However, this fiber contains a water-absorbing and hygroscopic compound inside the fiber, and water and water vapor do not come into direct contact with the water-absorbing and hygroscopic compound. However, it takes a relatively long time to exhibit the water absorption and moisture absorption performances required for practical use, and it cannot be said that it is superior to natural fiber in terms of comfort when sweating. .

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and has an excellent moisture absorption rate,
The purpose of the present invention is to obtain a water-absorbing / hygroscopic fiber cloth having a water-absorbing property and a moisture-absorbing property similar to those of natural fibers.

[0007]

The present invention solves such a problem and has the following structure. That is, the present invention comprises a component A composed of a water-insoluble polyethylene oxide modified product or a mixture of the modified product and a thermoplastic resin having a good fiber-forming property, and a component B composed of a thermoplastic resin having a good fiber-forming property. Of a water-absorbing and water-absorbing fiber cloth having an excellent moisture absorption rate, characterized in that a compound containing chitosan as a main component is adhered to the surface of constituent fibers It is what

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. In the fabric of the present invention, as the fiber, a component A composed of a non-water-soluble polyethylene oxide modified product or a mixture of the modified product and a thermoplastic resin having a good fiber-forming property, and a component composed of a thermoplastic resin having a good fiber-forming property. The composite fiber composed of B is mainly used. The term "water-insoluble polyethylene oxide-modified product" as used herein refers to suitable cross-linking of water-soluble polyethylene oxide (including those containing a copolymerization component such as propylene oxide and butylene oxide within the range where the characteristics are not significantly impaired). A product that has been crosslinked with a chemical agent, has water absorption and hygroscopicity, and is melt-processable at a temperature of 300 ° C or lower.

Aldehydes, dialdehydes, diamines, diisocyanates, bisepoxy compounds, etc. are used as the cross-linking agent to be used in combination.
Polyethylene oxide that does not significantly reduce the water absorption and moisture absorption performance may be selected and used. Such a water-insoluble polyethylene oxide modified product is commercially available, for example, from Sumitomo Seika Chemical Co., Ltd. under the trade name of “Aqua Coke”.

Examples of the thermoplastic resin having good fiber-forming property include polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyamides such as nylon 6, nylon 66, nylon 11 and nylon 12, polyethylene terephthalate,
Examples thereof include polyesters such as polypropylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, and copolymers or mixtures mainly containing them.

As the component A constituting the fiber used in the present invention, the above-mentioned water-insoluble polyethylene oxide modified product can be used alone, or the modified product and the thermoplastic resin can be mixed and used. Good. When used as a mixture, they may be melt-mixed in advance to form a master chip, or may be dry-blended and then subjected to composite spinning.

Regarding the content rate when the water-insoluble polyethylene oxide-modified product is contained in the fiber used in the present invention, the type of the thermoplastic resin used and the hygroscopicity of the fiber obtained by combining the component A and the component B are Since it is different, the present invention is not particularly limited, but is generally 0.5 with respect to the fiber weight.
It is preferably in the range of -60% by weight. When the content of the non-water-soluble polyethylene oxide modified product is less than 0.5% by weight, satisfactory water absorption and hygroscopicity may not be obtained, and when the content exceeds 60% by weight, a problem may occur in spinnability. Is not preferable.

The fiber of the present invention is a composite fiber composed of the above components A and B and can be produced by a conventional method. The composite ratio varies depending on the polymer used and the degree of required performance, but the weight ratio is 15: 85-8
A range of 5:15 is preferred. If the proportion of component A is smaller than this, water absorption and hygroscopicity are inferior.

The composite form is not particularly limited, and may be a core-sheath type, a sea-island type, a multi-layer type, a side-by-side type or the like. Further, the cross-sectional shape of the fiber is not particularly limited, and may be a modified cross-section such as an elliptical cross-section, a triangular cross-section, a star-shaped cross-section, etc. in addition to the circular cross-section.

A specific example of the cross-sectional shape of the conjugate fiber of the present invention is shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, A indicates a component A and B indicates a component B. Among these, the fibers in which the component A is surrounded by the component B as in (1), (2) and (7), when the component sweats when worn, even if the component A swells due to water absorption or moisture absorption, Since it does not come into direct contact with the skin, it does not feel sticky and can maintain comfort.

Further, the fiber in which the entire component A is exposed on the surface of the fiber as in (3) has an advantage that the water absorption rate is high. However, when this is used for the entire fabric, it absorbs water and absorbs moisture. There is a problem that a sticky feeling occurs. However,
This problem can be solved by using this fiber by covering it with a normal fiber, using it as a knitting yarn, or the like so that the fiber is not exposed on the surface of the fabric.

Further, as in the case of (4), (5) and (6), the fibers in which a part of the component A is exposed on the fiber surface have a low degree of exposure of the component A to the fiber surface. The sticky feeling due to the component A is less than that of the fiber, and it can be used alone or in combination with other ordinary fibers. Such fibers used in the present invention may be crimped or may contain additives such as a colorant, a flame retardant, an antioxidant and the like, if necessary.

In the present invention, the fiber cloth is formed mainly of the above-mentioned composite fiber, but the form of the fiber cloth here is not particularly limited, and may be any of woven fabric, knitted fabric, non-woven fabric and the like. It is often determined by the individual application. In the water-absorbent and hygroscopic fiber cloth of the present invention, a compound containing chitosan as a main component is fixed on the surface of the fibers constituting the above-mentioned fiber cloth. Chitosan as used herein has a free amino group obtained by deacetylating chitin obtained from crustaceans and mushrooms of invertebrates with a high-concentration alkali. The degree of deacetylation of chitosan is 30 to 100%, preferably 50% or more.

In the present invention, the above-mentioned chitosan is dissolved in an organic acid such as formic acid, acetic acid, citric acid or the like or an inorganic acid such as hydrochloric acid and reacted with the amino group of chitosan to obtain the fourth chitosan.
Used as a primary ammonium salt in a water-soluble form. The concentration of chitosan when the chitosan is dissolved in the above-mentioned aqueous solution of organic acid or inorganic acid is preferably 20% or less in consideration of the solubility of chitosan. Further, the amount of the organic acid or the inorganic acid used is preferably at least the amount required to neutralize the free amino groups of chitosan.

In the present invention, other than water absorption, other than chitosan,
You may use together a hygroscopic substance. Examples of the water-absorbing and hygroscopic substance here include sericin and collagen. Sericin is a protein that exists around silk fibroin so as to surround fibroin and has serine and aspartic acid as main amino acids. When the silk raw silk is scoured, sericin dissolved in an alkaline aqueous solution is purified, extracted, and dried in powder form. Such sericin powder is commercially available, for example, from Seiren Co., Ltd. under the trade name of “protein powder”.

Collagen is a protein whose main amino acids are glycine and proline, which have a triple helix structure in which three polypeptide chains each having a molecular weight of about 100,000 are assembled. The combination ratio in the case of using chitosan in combination with other water-absorbing or hygroscopic substance in the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately determined in consideration of use and performance. In addition, a composite material in which chitosan and collagen are bound (for example, commercially available from Shin Nippon Bussan Co., Ltd. under the trade name of "chito kora α") may be used.

In the present invention, the above-mentioned chitosan and water-absorbing / hygroscopic substance are mixed with a resin liquid having a film-forming ability and fixed on the fiber surface of the fiber cloth. The resin capable of forming a film as used herein means a water-soluble or emulsion-type resin that is heat-treated to form a film and becomes water-insoluble. For example, polyurethane resin, polyacrylic acid resin, polymethacrylic acid resin, etc. can be mentioned. Further, a resin having a functional group such as an isocyanate group may be used together in order to strengthen the bond between the chitin or the water-absorbing or hygroscopic substance and the fiber structure and improve the durability such as washing.

In particular, when the sericin powder is fixed to the fiber surface, the water insolubilization treatment of sericin is performed after the fiber is fixed. The water insolubilization treatment of sericin includes cross-linking treatment and the like. The cross-linking treatment uses a polyfunctional cross-linking agent such as aldehydes such as formalin and glutaraldehyde, and various epoxy compounds to cross-link and insolubilize sericin. When using sericin together with chitosan, the above polyfunctional crosslinking agent must be added to the above chitosan mixture.

Further, a general fiber processing agent such as a softening agent or an antistatic agent may be used in combination with the above chitosan mixed solution. However, water-repellent and oil-repellent finishing agents that reduce the water absorption performance of the fiber structure should not be used together. As a method for attaching the above-mentioned compound mainly containing chitosan to the fiber cloth, any conventionally known method may be used, and examples thereof include a padding method, a spray method and a coating method. The present invention has the above configuration.

[0025]

When a compound mainly composed of chitosan is adhered to the surface of the constituent fibers as in the fiber cloth of the present invention, the surface becomes hydrophilic and water molecules in the air are easily adsorbed,
The water molecules adsorbed on the fiber surface are absorbed by the compound mainly composed of chitosan in the initial stage of adsorption, but when the adsorption progresses to a supersaturated state, the diffusion amount of water molecules inside the fiber increases and It is absorbed by the water-insoluble polyethylene oxide modified product contained inside. Thus, the interaction between the hygroscopic performance of the chitosan-based compound present on the fiber surface and the hygroscopic performance of the water-insoluble polyethylene oxide modified product present inside the fiber synergistically exerts functionality and It is possible to obtain a fiber cloth having a high moisture absorption performance with an unprecedented moisture absorption rate.

[0026]

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Examples. The characteristic values and performances in Examples were measured by the following methods. (1) Relative Viscosity of Nylon 6 (N6) Sulfuric acid (concentration 96%) was used as a solvent, and the concentration was measured at a concentration of 1 g / deciliter and a temperature of 25 ° C. (2) Relative viscosity of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) It was measured at a concentration of 0.5 g / deciliter and a temperature of 20 ° C. using an equal weight mixture of phenol and tetrachloroethane as a solvent.

(3) Water Absorption The dyed knitted fabric was conditioned under the conditions of temperature 25 ° C. and relative humidity 60% for 2 hours, and after weighing the weight W of the sample before water absorption, it was specified in JIS L 1907 5.3. Weight of water-absorbing sample after 180 seconds W ₁₈₀
Is measured and the water absorption rate R is calculated by the following formula. R (%) = [(W ₁₈₀ −W) / W] × 100

(4) Moisture Absorption Rate, Moisture Absorption Performance The sample to be measured is dried at a temperature of 105 ° C. for 2 hours to measure the weight W ₀ , and then the humidity is controlled for 2 hours at a temperature of 25 ° C. and a relative humidity of 60%. Then, the weight W ₁ is measured, and the initial moisture content M ₁ is calculated by the following formula. Then, the sample is placed at a temperature of 34
After absorbing moisture for 10 minutes and 24 hours at 90 ° C and 90% relative humidity, the weights W ₁₀ and W ₂₄ were measured respectively, and the moisture absorption rate (moisture absorption rate after 10 minutes) V and the moisture absorption performance M (after 24 hours) were measured. Moisture absorption rate of each) was calculated by the following equations. M ₁ (%) = [(W ₁ −W ₀ ) / W ₀ ] × 100 V (%) = [(W ₁₀ −W ₁ ) / W ₁ ] × 100 M (%) = [(W ₂₄ −W ₁ ) / W ₁ ] × 100

Example 1 Nylon 6 having a relative viscosity of 2.6 and Aqua Coke (manufactured by Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Co., Ltd., a non-water-soluble polyethylene oxide modified product) were dry-blended at a weight ratio of 90:10, and used as a core. A concentric core-sheath type conjugate fiber having a core-sheath weight ratio of 30:70, in which nylon 6 having a relative viscosity of 2.6 was used for the sheath, was spun.
At this time, the spinning temperature was 250 ° C., a spinneret with 24 holes was used, and the melt-spun yarn was blown with air at 15 ° C. to cool it, and after applying an oil agent, it was taken off at a speed of 800 m / min. It was 3.0 between the take-up roller and the unheated stretching roller
It was drawn twice to obtain a yarn having a fineness of 70d / 24f.

Using this core-sheath type composite fiber for both warp and weft, a plain fabric having a warp density of 120 / inch and a weft density of 90 / inch is woven and scoured by a conventional method using a greige machine. After setting, Suminol Fast Yellow 2GP by normal method
(Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., acid dye) Dyeing with 2% owf, followed by padding (50% squeezing ratio) with the solution shown in the following formulation 1, followed by heat treatment at 170 ° C. for 1 minute, The processed cloth of the present invention was obtained. Prescription 1 Chitosan 5 parts (Deacetylation degree 70%, Shin Nippon Chemical Co., Ltd.) Acetic acid 3 parts Elastron MF-9 30 parts (Water-soluble polyurethane resin, Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd.) Water 962 parts

For comparison with the present invention, a work cloth for comparison (Comparative Example 1) was obtained in the same manner as in this Example except that the padding of the treatment liquid shown in Formulation 1 was omitted in this Example. . For comparison with the present invention, the core-sheath type composite fiber in this example is replaced by a normal nylon 6 fiber 7
A comparative work cloth (Comparative Example 2) was obtained in the same manner as in this example except that 0d / 24f was used for the warp and the weft. Further, for comparison with the present invention, nylon 6 fiber 70d / 24 was used instead of the core-sheath type composite fiber in this example.
Comparative Example 3 was obtained by weaving using f and dyeing the raw fabric in the same manner as in the conventional method.

The performances of the invention and comparative work cloths obtained as described above were measured, and the results are summarized in Table 1.
It was shown to.

[0033]

[Table 1]

As is clear from Table 1, the processed cloth of the present invention has excellent water absorption performance, moisture absorption speed and moisture absorption performance.

Example 2 Polyethylene terephthalate having a relative viscosity of 1.38 was used for the core, and polyethylene terephthalate having a relative viscosity of 1.38 and Aquacork (manufactured by Sumitomo Seika Chemical Co., Ltd., a water-insoluble polyethylene oxide modified product) were used in a weight ratio. Using dry-blended 90:10 as the sheath component, the core-sheath ratio is 50:50.
After core-sheath type composite fiber is melt-spun, drawn, and then 50d / 2
4f core-sheath type composite fiber yarn was obtained.

Using this fiber yarn for warp and weft, a knitted tricot half having 52 courses / inch and 40 wales / inch is knitted, scoured and pre-set by a conventional method using its raw machine, It was dyed with Kayalon Polyester Blue 2R-SL (manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd., disperse dye) 2% owf.

Next, a chitosan-collagen solution having the following formulation 2 was padded (pickup rate: 60%) to 170
It was dried and set at 1 ° C. for 1 minute to obtain a processed cloth of the present invention. Prescription 2 Chito-Kola α 20 parts (chitosan, collagen derivative, manufactured by Shin Nippon Bussan Co., Ltd.) Water 80 parts

For comparison with the present invention, a work cloth for comparison (Comparative Example 4) was obtained in the same manner as in this Example except that the padding of the treatment liquid shown in Formulation 2 was omitted in this Example. . For comparison with the present invention, the same method as in this example was used except that the normal polyester fiber 50d / 24f was used for the warp and the weft in place of the core-sheath type composite fiber in this example. Processed cloth (Comparative example 5)
I got Further, for comparison with the present invention, in the present example, polyester fiber 50d / 2 was used instead of the core-sheath type composite fiber.
Knitting tricot halves using 4f for warp and weft,
Using the greige, it was dyed in the same manner as in the conventional method to obtain Comparative Example 6.

The performances of the invention and comparative work cloths obtained as described above were measured, and the results are shown in Table 2 together.
It was shown to.

[0040]

[Table 2]

As is clear from Table 2, the processed knitted fabric of the present invention has excellent water absorption performance, moisture absorption speed and moisture absorption performance.

[0042]

Industrial Applicability The fiber cloth of the present invention has excellent water absorption performance and moisture absorption performance, and particularly has an excellent moisture absorption rate for quickly eliminating stuffiness and stickiness during sweating which are uncomfortable for humans. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The fiber cloth of the present invention can be widely used for sports clothing accompanied by a large amount of sweat, men's clothing and women's clothing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 (1) to (7) are cross-sectional views each showing an example of a conjugate fiber used in the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: Component A B: Component B

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A component A composed of a water-insoluble polyethylene oxide modified product or a mixture of the modified product and a thermoplastic resin having a good fiber-forming property, and a component B composed of a thermoplastic resin having a good fiber-forming property. A water absorbent hygroscopic fiber cloth having an excellent moisture absorption rate, characterized in that a compound having chitosan as a main component is adhered to the surfaces of the constituent fibers.