TW202111174A - Modified cellulosic fibers - Google Patents

Abstract

The disclosure provides a fibrous material comprising a plurality of fibers, the fibers being natural or synthetic cellulosic fibers or natural or synthetic protein fibers, and wherein the fibers are treated with a cationic compound. The disclosure also provides a method for imparting improved compatibility with quaternary ammonium compounds to a fibrous material, including: providing a fibrous material comprising a plurality of fibers, the fibers being natural or synthetic cellulosic fibers or natural or synthetic protein fibers; optionally, pre-treating the fibrous material with a base; treating the fibrous material with at least one cationic compound to impart improved compatibility with quaternary ammonium compounds; and optionally, further treating the treated fibrous material with a polymer or resin.

Description

Modified cellulose fiber

The present invention is related to the treatment of cellulose fibers.

Cellulosic fibers derived from plants have been used for a long time to produce traditional woven and knitted fabrics, as well as non-woven fabrics. Generally speaking, there are three basic types of naturally occurring cellulose fibers: seed fibers (such as cotton and kapok), leaf fibers (such as abaca and sisal), and bast fibers (such as flax, hemp, jute, and kenaf). Seed fibers are widely known for their softness, combined with the length of cotton fibers, making them highly required for the manufacture of yarns and fabrics, especially for clothing. Bast and blade fibers are generally thicker and harder, and historically tend to be more used for ropes, netting, and matting.

Like animal hair and fibers, and chemical protein fibers such as silk, naturally occurring cellulose has been a fiber source used in textile processing for many centuries. Moreover, in the past centuries, the development of fabrics and fibers has been driven by the desire to modify these materials to provide new or enhanced properties, or to improve processing efficiency. Although there are many methods that rely on mechanical means to improve fiber processing, or farming to improve fiber properties, chemical methods are also used to improve fiber aesthetics (for example, by dyeing) and softness (for example, by washing or Impregnation to remove certain chemicals related to the surface of natural fibers).

There is still a need and scientific interest for fibers whose properties and economics exceed those that can be achieved by natural fibers. The invention of rayon (輧覦) in 1846 marked the beginning of the development of synthetic fibers. Using essence as a reminder of the invention, rayon (a regenerated cellulose) was developed as a more cost-effective alternative to silk fiber. In the 1900s, the development of synthetic fibers based on petrochemical products led to inventions that changed the industry, such as polyamide, polyester, polyaramide, and polyolefin fibers, which are some of the main examples. The list of synthetic fibers with specific polymer chemistry supports the expansion of fiber-like materials commonly used in the entire human industrial spectrum, and by this, fiber products that have been used for centuries, as well as in the 20th and 21st centuries The new products spawned by the technological needs of the century have also been accompanied by improvements.

Although the development of synthetic fibers and natural fibers provides a wide range of design options for products produced using these fibers, there is still a need and interest in modifying the surface of those fibers, which advantageously adjust the surface activity of those fibers, but There is no negative effect on the physical properties of the fiber. For example, cellulosic fibers are not compatible with quaternary ammonium compounds used to provide disinfection to products derived from those fibers. In addition, cellulosic fibers are particularly flammable, and certain surface treatments are known to increase the flame retardancy of these fibers. However, many long-standing fiber flame retardant treatment chemicals have negative environmental and health effects. Therefore, a chemical that is compatible with both fiber chemistry and user health has industrial value.

Therefore, there is still a need in the art to use chemical surface treatments to impart various performance characteristics to certain fibers without negatively affecting the physical or aesthetic properties of the treated fibers.

The idea of certain embodiments of the present invention is that a cationic compound solution can be used to treat natural or synthetic cellulose fibers, and products made from those fibers in certain parts (whether as a single fiber component or as a Blends with other synthetic or natural fibers), which change the surface activity of the treated cellulose fibers. Another concept of the present invention is that the treatment is resistant to rinsing with water and washing with detergent in certain embodiments.

Another idea of certain embodiments of the present invention is that such modified surface chemistry of the treated cellulose fiber can be embodied as the required functionality, for example, when the treated cation is, for example, alum or aluminum acetate, it is effective. The effect of an astringent; when in contact with the skin or wound, this effect provides certain beneficial functions, such as but not limited to helping blood clot by promoting vasoconstriction.

A further idea of certain embodiments of the present invention is that the cellulose fibers treated in this way improve the compatibility of those fibers with quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC). Untreated natural or synthetic cellulose fibers (including bast fibers) react badly with QAC and neutralize the disinfection effect of QAC. The treated fibers of certain embodiments of the present invention, and products made from those fibers, make the disinfection function of the QAC substantially unaffected, where this function can be used to wipe the product to disinfect the surface in contact with the product.

Bast fiber is a widely known cellulose fiber, and it is used in a variety of products. However, it has been found that crimping those fibers by mechanical or chemical means is not as good for those made from crimped bast fiber. The product has certain aesthetic and performance benefits. Therefore, an idea of certain embodiments of the present invention is that when bast fibers are used, those bast fibers have been treated to generate crimp before or after the cationic compound treatment. Such bast fibers include, but are not limited to: kenaf, nettle, Spanish gorse, bamboo, ramie, hemp, and flax. The means for generating curl can be chemical or mechanical.

Another idea of some embodiments of the present invention is that the bast fiber system has been processed so that the natural viscose (which binds individual fibers into bundles when recovered from plant sources) has been sufficiently removed, so Bast fibers are individualized as they are used in the non-woven fabric forming process to produce non-woven fabrics.

Another idea of certain embodiments of the present invention is that cationic compound treatment can be used to simultaneously modify the surface chemistry or surface behavior of natural or synthetic protein fibers, including, but not limited to: animal hair, fur or wool, silk ( Including silk produced by various insects or arachnids, such as spiders, and synthetic silk).

The products of some specific embodiments of the present invention may include, but are not limited to: loose forms of fibers, such as bales, bolls, balls, loops, mats, felting layers, and fiber nets, as well as those made by conventional means The single fiber, including woven, knitted, woven and non-woven. The term "nonwoven" is understood to cover various fabric forming technologies, including but not limited to wet-laid, air-laid, dry-laid and related bonding methods (including, but not limited to, heat bonding, chemical bonding, and adhesive bonding). Connect and combine). The present invention contemplates complex and complex product structures containing one or more components. In those complex and complex product structures, multiple components are extracted from more than one type of composition or structure listed in this article.

In certain embodiments, the present invention is related to the surface treatment of cellulose fibers using cationic compounds, which provide specific functionality to the fibers so treated. More specifically, the present invention relates to cellulose fibers treated with alum or aluminum acetate to provide astringent functions to the fibers and products containing those fibers, where this effect is useful in certain skin care and wound care products Place. Some other advantages are related to the treatment of cellulose fibers using cationic compound solutions, such as improved compatibility with quaternary ammonium compounds, and in certain embodiments, the fibers and products made from those fibers provide a disinfection function. , And may have some degree of flame retardancy. It has been found that protein fibers exhibit similar functions related to the surface treatment of the same type of cationic compound solution.

The present invention includes, but is not limited to, the following examples.

Embodiment 1: A fiber material comprising a plurality of fibers, the fiber is a natural or synthetic cellulose fiber, or a natural or synthetic protein fiber, and wherein the fiber uses one of a cationic compound and an alcohol Or multiple treatments.

Example 2, the fiber material of Example 1, wherein the treated fiber exhibits improved astringent properties, improved compatibility with quaternary ammonium compounds, and improved flame retardancy compared to the fiber before treatment. One or more of the properties.

Embodiment 3: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 2, wherein the cationic compound treatment provides dry addition of the cationic compound up to 20% of the fiber weight.

Embodiment 4: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the cationic compound is in the form of a solution, wherein, based on the total weight of the solution, the concentration of the cationic compound is at least 0.0001% by weight and Up to the saturation limit of the cationic compound, or up to 99.99% by weight.

Embodiment 5: The fiber material of any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the cationic compound is selected from the following: alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, and transition metal or post-transition metal salts, for example Aluminum, copper, zinc, manganese, and iron.

Embodiment 6: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the cationic compound is selected from the group consisting of sulfate, sulfite, acetate, carbonate, chloride, hydroxide, phosphate and nitric acid A type of salt in the group of salt.

Embodiment 7: The fiber material as in any one of Embodiments 1 to 6, wherein the cationic compound is an alkali metal salt, and when dissolved in water, it generates an alkaline solution, such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and acetic acid Sodium, or calcium carbonate.

Embodiment 8: The fiber material as in any one of Embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the cationic compound is an acid salt, and when dissolved in water, it generates an acid solution, such as aluminum chloride, aluminum acetate, aluminum sulfate , Potassium aluminum sulfate, or ammonium chloride.

Embodiment 9: The fiber material as in any one of Embodiments 1 to 8, wherein the cationic compound is a neutral salt, and when dissolved in water, it does not generate an alkaline solution or an acidic solution, such as chlorine Sodium.

Embodiment 10: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 9, wherein the cationic compound is a quaternary ammonium compound.

Embodiment 11 is the fiber material of any one of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein the quaternary ammonium compound has ^{a positively charged polyatomic ion with NR 4+} structure, wherein each R is independently selected from hydrogen, alkane Groups, and aryl groups, such as benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, methylbenzethonium chloride, cetyldimethylbenzyl chloride Ammonium (cetalkonium chloride), cetylpyridinium chloride (cetylpyridinium chloride), cetrimonium (cetrimonium), cetrimide bromide (cetrimide), dofanium chloride (dofanium chloride), tetraethyl Tetraethylammonium bromide, didecyldimethylammonium chloride, and domiphen bromide.

Embodiment 12: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 11, wherein the cationic compound is a surfactant.

Embodiment 13: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 12, wherein the surfactant has a cationic head group, such as a primary, secondary or tertiary amine.

Embodiment 14: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 13, wherein the cationic compound includes alum or aluminum acetate.

Embodiment 15: The fiber material as in any one of Embodiments 1 to 14, wherein the plurality of fibers are pre-treated with alcohols and then treated with cationic compounds.

Embodiment 16: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 15, wherein the alcohol is ethanol.

Embodiment 17: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 16, wherein the plurality of fibers are post-treated with a polymer or resin.

Embodiment 18: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 17, wherein the polymer or resin is derived from petrochemicals or renewable sources, such as polyhydroxyalkanoate (for example, PHB), aliphatic Polyester (for example, polysuccinate succinate) and copolyester, aromatic polyester (for example, butylene adipate) and copolyester, polyester amide, polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, Poly-e-caprolactone, thermoplastic starch, modified starch, protein, and chitosan.

Embodiment 19: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 18, wherein the polymer or resin is dispersed in a liquid, such as water.

Embodiment 20: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 19, wherein the polymer or resin is thermoplastic or thermosetting.

Embodiment 21: The fibrous material as in any one of Embodiments 1 to 20, wherein the plural fibers are natural or synthetic cellulose fibers, which are selected from the group consisting of glue filament, acetate, rayon, tencel and A group of cotton.

Embodiment 22: The fibrous material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 21, wherein the plurality of fibers contains a mixture of two or more fiber types.

Embodiment 23: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1-22, wherein the fiber mixture is 5 to 100% by weight of the natural or synthetic cellulose fiber.

Embodiment 24: The fibrous material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 23, wherein the fiber mixture can contain up to 95% by weight of natural or synthetic fibers other than cellulose fibers

Embodiment 25: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 24, wherein the average length of the plurality of fibers is greater than about 1 mm.

Embodiment 26: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 25, wherein the plurality of fibers are mechanically or chemically treated to remove surface impurities before being treated with the cationic compound.

Embodiment 27: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 26, wherein the cationic compound includes alum.

Embodiment 28: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 27, wherein the alum is potassium aluminum sulfate.

Embodiment 29: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 1 to 28, wherein the fiber material is selected from a woven, knitted or non-woven fabric, or a composite of two or more of the fabrics.

Embodiment 30: The fibrous material as in any one of Embodiments 1 to 29, wherein the fibrous material has a loose fiber form selected from the group consisting of pads, felting batt, bales, loops, cotton bolls, balls, and bundles The group formed.

Embodiment 31: The fibrous material as in any one of Embodiments 1 to 30, wherein the fibrous material has the form of a composite containing two or more components, wherein each component has a plurality of fibers or a fabric form.

Embodiment 32: The fibrous material as in any one of Embodiments 1 to 31, wherein the fibrous material is selected from the group consisting of wipes or wipes, medical products, health and health care products, and wound care products.

Embodiment 33: The fibrous material according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 32, wherein the presence of the cationic compound is tolerable for rinsing the plurality of fibers with water and cleaning with detergent.

Embodiment 34: The fibrous material of any one of embodiments 1 to 33, wherein the natural or synthetic cellulose fiber includes at least about 5% by weight of bast fiber, wherein the bast fiber is Has been crimped chemically or mechanically.

Embodiment 35: The fiber material according to any one of the embodiments 1 to 34, wherein the fiber material is mixed with one or more natural or synthetic fibers, including, but not limited to: glue filament, acetate, Linnaeus, Tencel, cotton, flax, hemp, jute, ramie, bamboo, nettle, Spanish gorse, kenaf plants, and wherein the content of the bast fiber is at least 5% by weight.

Embodiment 36: The fiber material according to any one of the embodiments 1 to 35, wherein the fiber material is mixed with one or more natural or synthetic fibers other than cellulose, and the content of the bast fiber is At least 5% by weight.

Embodiment 37: The fiber material according to any one of embodiments 1 to 36, wherein the natural or synthetic protein fiber is selected from the group consisting of animal hair, wool, fur, and silk.

Embodiment 38: The fibrous material according to any one of embodiments 1 to 37, wherein the natural or synthetic cellulose fiber is lignocellulose, for example, the lignin concentration is about 0.001% to about 50% by weight % Fiber.

Embodiment 39: A method for providing a fibrous material with improved compatibility with a quaternary ammonium compound, comprising: providing a fibrous material including a plurality of fibers, the fibers being natural or synthetic cellulose fibers, or natural Or synthetic protein fibers; the fiber material is treated with one or more of a cationic compound and an alcohol to provide improved compatibility with quaternary ammonium compounds; optionally, further with a polymer or resin Process the processed fiber material.

Embodiment 40: The method of embodiment 39, wherein the treatment step provides a dry addition amount of cationic compound up to 20% of the fiber weight.

Embodiment 41: The method of any one of Embodiments 39 to 40, wherein the cationic compound has a solution form, wherein the concentration of the cationic compound is at least 0.0001% by weight, and reaches the saturation limit of the cationic compound.

Embodiment 42: The method as in any one of Embodiments 39 to 41, wherein the cationic compound is an alkali metal salt, and when dissolved in water, it generates an alkaline solution, such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium acetate, Or calcium carbonate.

Embodiment 43: The method of any one of Embodiments 39 to 42, wherein, before or during the treatment step, the pH value of the alkaline solution is adjusted to be between about 7 and about 12.

Embodiment 44: The method as in any one of Embodiments 39 to 43, wherein the cationic compound is an acidic salt, and when dissolved in water, an acidic solution is formed, such as aluminum chloride, aluminum sulfate, aluminum potassium sulfate , Or ammonium chloride.

Embodiment 45: The method of any one of Embodiments 39 to 44, wherein, before or during the treatment step, the pH value of the acidic solution is adjusted to be between 4 and about 7.

Embodiment 46: The method of any one of Embodiments 39 to 45, wherein the cationic compound is a neutral salt, and when dissolved in water, it does not generate an alkaline solution or an acidic solution, such as chlorine Sodium.

Embodiment 47: The method of any one of Embodiments 39 to 46, wherein, before or during the treatment step, the pH value of the solution is adjusted to be between about 5 and about 9.

Embodiment 48: The method according to any one of Embodiments 39 to 47, wherein the treatment step (b) includes: first treating the fiber material with an alcohol, and then treating the material with a cationic compound.

Embodiment 49: The method of any one of Embodiments 39 to 48, wherein the cationic compound is selected from cationic surfactants, quaternary ammonium compounds, alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, and aluminum, copper, The group consisting of salts of zinc, manganese and iron.

Embodiment 50: A fibrous material comprising a plurality of fibers, the fibers are natural or synthetic cellulose fibers, or natural or synthetic protein fibers, and wherein the fibers are treated with at least one cationic compound.

Embodiment 51: The fiber material of embodiment 50, wherein the cationic compound is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, transition metal or post-transition metal salts, and ionic liquids.

Embodiment 52: The fiber material of any one of embodiments 50 to 51, wherein the cationic compound is a salt of aluminum, copper, zinc, manganese, or iron.

Embodiment 53: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 50 to 52, wherein the cationic compound is selected from the group consisting of sulfate, sulfite, acetate, carbonate, chloride, hydroxide, phosphate, and nitric acid A type of salt in the group of salt.

Embodiment 54: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 50 to 53, wherein the cationic compound is an aluminum salt.

Embodiment 55: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 50 to 54, wherein the aluminum salt is selected from the group consisting of aluminum chloride, aluminum sulfate, aluminum potassium sulfate, and aluminum acetate.

Embodiment 56: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 50 to 55, wherein the cationic compound is an ionic liquid containing a cation, and the cation is selected from the group consisting of imidazole ion, ammonium ion, pyrrolidine ion, pyridine ion and A group of phosphonium ions.

Embodiment 57: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 50 to 56, wherein the cationic compound includes polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride.

Embodiment 58: The fiber material of any one of embodiments 50 to 57, wherein the cationic compound is a polymer (including oligomers and copolymers), which includes one or more quaternary ammonium groups.

Embodiment 59: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 50 to 58, wherein the polymer is a dicyandiamide, formaldehyde, or ammonium chloride polymer.

Embodiment 60: The fiber material of any one of Embodiments 50 to 59, wherein the dry addition amount of the cationic compound is about 20% of the dry fiber weight.

Embodiment 61: The fiber material of any one of embodiments 50 to 60, wherein the dry addition amount of the cationic compound is about 10% by weight of the dry fiber (for example, up to about 5%, or up to about 2.5% , Or up to about 1.0%, or up to about 0.5%).

Embodiment 62: The fiber material of any one of the embodiments 50 to 61, wherein the fiber material is substantially (or completely) free of carboxymethyl cellulose.

Embodiment 63: The fiber material of any one of embodiments 50 to 62, wherein the fiber material is further processed with one or more of alcohols, alkalis, quaternary ammonium compounds, and polymers or resins.

Embodiment 64: The fiber material of any one of the embodiments 50 to 63, wherein the fiber material is further processed with one or more of a quaternary ammonium compound and a carbonate or bicarbonate alkali.

Embodiment 65: The fibrous material of any one of Embodiments 50 to 64, wherein the fibrous material has improved compatibility with the quaternary ammonium compound compared to the same fibrous material not treated with the cationic compound.

Embodiment 66: The fibrous material of any one of embodiments 50 to 65, wherein the fibrous material is characterized in that the fibrous material is immersed in a benzalkonium chloride solution with a concentration of 1000 ppm for 5 minutes at room temperature Later, more than 40% (or 50%, or 60%, or 70%, or 80%, or 90%) of the quaternary ammonium compound remains in the benzalkonium chloride solution, which is based on the benzalkonium chloride Determined by the UV spectrum of the solution.

Embodiment 67: The fiber material of any one of embodiments 50 to 66, wherein the plurality of fibers include selected from the group consisting of glue filament, acetate, rayon, tencel, cotton, bast fiber, and mixtures thereof Group of natural or synthetic cellulose fibers.

Embodiment 68: The fibrous material of any one of embodiments 50 to 67, wherein the fibrous material includes bast fibers in an amount of at least 5% by weight based on the total dry weight of the fibrous material (for example, at least About 10%, or 20%, or 30%, or 40%, or 50%, or 60%, or 70%, or 80%, or 90%).

Embodiment 69: The fiber material according to any one of embodiments 50 to 68, wherein the bast fiber is selected from the group consisting of kenaf, nettle, Spanish gorse, jute, bamboo, ramie, hemp, flax, And its mixtures.

Embodiment 70: The fiber material according to any one of the embodiments 50 to 69, wherein the fiber material is selected from woven, knitted or non-woven fabrics, or a composite of two or more of the fabrics.

Embodiment 71: The fibrous material according to any one of embodiments 50 to 70, wherein the fibrous material has a loose fiber form selected from the group consisting of: mat, felting layer, bale, wool Rings, cotton bolls, balls, and bundles, or have a product form selected from the group consisting of wipes or wipes, medical products, health and health care products, and wound care products.

Embodiment 72: A method for providing a fibrous material with improved compatibility with a quaternary ammonium compound, comprising: providing a fibrous material including a plurality of fibers, the fibers being natural or synthetic cellulose fibers, or Natural or synthetic protein fibers; optionally, pre-treat the fibrous material with alkali; treat the fibrous material with at least one cationic compound to provide improved compatibility with quaternary ammonium compounds; and optionally, with polymers or The resin further processes the treated fibrous material.

Embodiment 73: The method of embodiment 72, wherein the treatment system with a cationic compound includes treating the fiber material with a treatment liquid containing the cationic compound, and the concentration of the treatment liquid of the cationic compound ranges from 0.1% to about 40% wof (for example, about 5% to about 30%, or about 10% to 25%).

Embodiment 74: The method according to any one of Embodiments 72 to 73, comprising containing the cationic compound at a concentration of at least 20% wof (or at least 25%, or at least 30%, or at least 35%, or at least 40%). %) of the treatment liquid to treat the fibrous material.

Embodiment 75: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 74, wherein treating the fiber material with at least one cationic compound includes treating with an aqueous solution, slurry, solid, or ionic liquid containing the at least one cationic compound The fiber material.

Embodiment 76: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 75, wherein the cationic compound is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, and transition metal or post-transition metal salts.

Embodiment 77: The method of any one of embodiments 72 to 76, wherein the cationic compound is a salt of aluminum, copper, zinc, manganese, or iron.

Embodiment 78: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 77, wherein the cationic compound is selected from the group consisting of sulfate, sulfite, acetate, carbonate, chloride, hydroxide, phosphate, and nitrate A kind of salt that forms a group.

Embodiment 79: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 78, wherein the cationic compound is an aluminum salt.

Embodiment 80: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 79, wherein the aluminum salt is selected from the group consisting of aluminum chloride, aluminum sulfate, potassium aluminum sulfate, and aluminum acetate.

Embodiment 81: The method as in any one of Embodiments 72 to 80, wherein the cationic compound is an ionic liquid, which contains selected from the group consisting of imidazole ion, ammonium ion, pyrrolidin ion, pyridinium ion and phosphonium ion The cation of the group.

Embodiment 82: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 81, wherein the cationic compound includes polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride.

Embodiment 83: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 82, wherein the cationic compound is a polymer (including oligomers and copolymers) including one or more quaternary ammonium groups.

Embodiment 84: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 83, wherein the polymer is dicyandiamine, formaldehyde, or ammonium chloride polymer.

Embodiment 85: The method of any one of embodiments 72 to 84, wherein the fiber material is substantially free (or completely free) of carboxymethyl cellulose.

Embodiment 86: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 85, wherein the pretreatment (b) includes treating the fiber material with carbonate or bicarbonate alkali.

Embodiment 87: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 86, wherein, before the treatment with the cationic compound, the fiber material is further treated with an alcohol.

Embodiment 88: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 87, wherein the alcohol is ethanol or isopropanol.

Embodiment 89: The method of any one of embodiments 72 to 88, wherein the fiber material is further treated with at least one quaternary ammonium compound.

Embodiment 90: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 89, wherein the fiber material is treated with the at least one cationic compound and the at least one quaternary ammonium compound at the same time.

Embodiment 91: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 90, further comprising: mechanically or chemically treating the fibrous material to remove surface impurities before being treated with the cationic compound.

Embodiment 92: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 91, wherein the polymer or resin is dispersed in a liquid.

Embodiment 93: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 92, wherein the polymer or resin is polyhydroxyalkanoate, aliphatic polyester or copolyester, aromatic polyester or copolyester, Polyesteramide, polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, poly-e-caprolactone, thermoplastic starch, modified starch, protein or chitosan.

Embodiment 94: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 93, wherein the fiber material is a non-woven material.

Embodiment 95: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 94, comprising: providing the nonwoven material in a roll; feeding the nonwoven material from the roll through a coating pan, the coating pan containing A liquid of the cationic compound, allowing the cationic compound to contact the non-woven material; calendering the non-woven material to remove excess liquid; drying the non-woven material to reduce liquid retention in the non-woven material to form a treated non-woven material Material; and optionally, the treated nonwoven material is wound back into a roll form.

Embodiment 96: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 95, wherein the cationic compound is polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride or dicyandiamine, formaldehyde, or ammonium chloride polymer.

Embodiment 97: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 96, wherein the concentration of the cationic compound in the liquid is between about 0.5% and about 10% by weight (based on the total weight of the liquid) (For example, about 0.5% to about 5%, or about 1% to about 4%, or less than about 5%, or less than about 4%).

Embodiment 98: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 97, wherein the dry addition amount of the cationic compound in the treated nonwoven material is up to about 20% of the dry fiber weight (for example, up to about 15%) , Or up to about 10%, or up to about 5%).

Embodiment 99: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 98, wherein the nonwoven material and the treated nonwoven material are substantially free (or completely free) of carboxymethyl cellulose.

Embodiment 100: The method of any one of Embodiments 72 to 99, wherein the nonwoven material comprises at least about 5% by weight of the bast fiber (for example, at least about 10%, or 20%, or 30%, or 40%, or 50%, or 60%, or 70%, or 80%, or 90%).

These and other features, concepts and advantages of the present invention can be clearly understood from the following detailed description. The present invention includes any combination of two, three, four, or more of the above-mentioned embodiments, as well as any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements proposed in this document, whether in this document Are these features or elements explicitly combined in the description of specific embodiments? The content disclosed herein is intended to be understood as a whole, so that any separable features or elements of the disclosed invention should be regarded as combinable in any of its various ideas and embodiments (unless the context clearly indicates otherwise) . Other concepts and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

definition

The following definitions are used to interpret the claims and description of the patent application scope of the present invention. For example, terms such as "comprising (comprising, comprises)", "including", "including but not limited to", "contains, containing" and other terms are not intended to be considered as restrictive or exclusive in relation to the claimed invention . "One (a, an)" when preceding a component or assembly is not meant to be considered to indicate an enumeration. The terms "invention", "present invention" or "current invention" are not restrictive terms, and are used to convey or incorporate all the ideas described and discussed in the claims and the specification. When the term "about" is used as a modifier of quantity, it refers to the changes that can be learned and understood in the measurement and processing procedures, which is known by those who are familiar with the art in the field of textile science and engineering. Additional definitions of technical terms and references are presented below.

Cellulose and cellulosic fibers refer to natural fibers or synthetic fibers that are chemically esters or esters of cellulose. Such natural fibers are obtained from the bark, wood, leaves, stems or seeds of plants. Synthetic cellulosic fibers are made from digested wood pulp and may include substituted side groups on the cellulose molecules, which provide specific properties to those fibers.

Bast fiber is obtained from the phloem or from the phloem of certain plant stems, including, but not limited to: jute, kenaf, flax, hemp, and ramie. The bast fibers are initially recovered in the form of bundles of individual fibers, which are bound by viscose and must be removed to a certain extent in the subsequent so that the bast fibers can be further processed.

Crimping is a naturally occurring wavy twisting of fibers, or the same properties caused by chemical or mechanical methods (such as crimping of synthetic fibers). Crimping is applied at a specific frequency, which is defined by the number of crimps per unit fiber length.

Natural fibers are those fibers that are directly derived from plants, animals, or minerals. Note that these fibers require specific pretreatment to enable them to be used for textile manufacturing purposes. Synthetic fibers refer to those fibers that are produced through polymerization treatment using naturally occurring and continuously derived raw materials or raw materials derived from petrochemicals.

Short fibers are fibers with individual lengths, and may be natural or synthetic fibers. Continuous fibers have lengths that cannot be determined or measured, such as silk or fibers obtained from certain synthetic fiber spinning processes. Any length of fiber can be cut into individual lengths, and the products cut in that way are called short fibers.

Airlaid (airlaid) is sometimes called air laid, which is a process that uses short or long short fibers, or their mixtures, to produce fiber mats or felting layers. In this process, air is used to transfer fibers from the fiber openings and alignment sections of the process, and those fibers are transported to a forming surface, where the fiber mat or felting layer is collected, and then bonded or consolidated The further steps are to produce an airlaid nonwoven fabric.

Drylaid (drylaid) is a process that uses mechanical fiber openings and alignment (such as carding) to produce a fiber mat or felting layer. The fiber mat or felting layer is made by mechanical methods (instead of Air flow) is transferred to the surface of a conveyor belt, where the fiber mat or felting layer is then subjected to a further step of bonding or consolidation to produce a dry-laid non-woven fabric.

Wet-laid (wetlaid) is sometimes called wet-laid (wet laid), is a process similar to papermaking to produce fiber sheets, in which the fibers are suspended in an aqueous medium, and due to the conveyor belt or The suspension is filtered in the perforated drum to form a net. Depending on the end-use application and the fibers used to produce the fabric, some bonding or consolidation method may be required to obtain the final properties in the fabric.

The bonding or consolidation of the fiber mat or felting layer is a common processing step in the production technology of various non-woven fabrics. Bonding or consolidation methods are often considered mechanical, heating, or adhesive, and there are several different methods under these headings. Generally speaking, mechanical methods rely on the creation of entanglements between fibers to produce the desired physical properties, of which needle punching and hydroentanglement are non-exclusive examples of these methods. Thermal bonding uses the thermoplasticity of at least some of the fibers contained in the fabric, so that part of the fibers soften and deform each other when heat is applied under pressure or without pressure, and/or melt and when the thermoplastic material has cooled and solidified A solid attachment between the fibers is formed at the intersection. Adhesive methods use some forms of adhesive application to produce physical bonds between fibers at the intersections. This method non-exclusively includes: liquid adhesives, dry adhesives, and hot melt adhesives. These adhesives can be sprayed or foamed, or applied to the mat or felting layer by methods known in the field, including but not limited to dip-and-squeeze or gravure coating. roll).

The weight percentage relative to the fiber or fabric (for example, the percentage of the weight of the fiber, expressed as "%wof") refers to the weight of a given solid component divided by the total weight of the fiber or fabric, which is calculated by the total dry fiber or It is expressed as a percentage of the weight of the fabric.

The strength-to-weight ratio is an expression of the normalized tensile strength value of a fabric, where the tensile strength of a fabric can thus be regarded as relative to a similar fabric that is not affected by the difference in the basic weight of the sample or fabric grade between the sample fabrics. . Because the basic weight alone affects the tensile strength of a given fabric, the strength-to-weight ratio can be used to evaluate the impact of specific fibers or process parameter changes (as a non-exclusive example of the usefulness of this indicator) on the strength of the fabric.

The loft depends on the bulkiness and resilience properties of the fabric. In terms of technical terms, bulkiness is the reciprocal of density, and in general use, bulkiness is equal to the thickness of a simple fabric. Resilience refers to the ability of a fabric to resist permanent compression with volume loss after an area load is applied.

The antibacterial effect is to consider the product's ability to reduce bacterial, viral or fungal contamination, whether it is the biological burden of the product itself, or the product is used to clean or disinfect secondary or tertiary materials or products. The use of a variety of chemical or biochemical materials can be used to impart antibacterial properties to textile fabrics in a variety of ways.

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) are the most widely used antibacterial treatments, which have good stability and surface activity, low odor and reactivity with other cleaning agents, and good toxicological results. QAC is active against most bacteria, as well as certain forms of viruses and certain fungi. In addition, QAC is applied directly to surfaces, including fiber surfaces in fabric structures, where it can be retained by those surfaces and can be transferred from fibers to other surfaces for cleaning or disinfection purposes. Although it is known that the surface of synthetic fibers basically does not react with QAC, some cellulosic fibers (including bast fibers) will still react with QAC, thereby reducing QAC when those fibers are used as wipe materials in fabrics. As a disinfectant and cleaning agent. Generally speaking, QAC has _{a positively charged polyatomic ion with the structure NR 4} ⁺ , where each R is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl and aryl, such as benzalkonium chloride, chloride Benxonine, methyl benzothiophene chloride, ethanesulfonyl chloride, cetylpyridinium chloride, cetrimonium, cetrimethonium, dovanine chloride, tetraethylammonium bromide, didecyl dichloride Methyl ammonium chloride and domiphene bromide.

For the purpose of the present invention, a cationic compound is any chemical substance and polymer (including oligomers and copolymers) characterized by one or more cationic groups and at least one positively charged group in its chemical structure. ). Such compounds can be provided in various forms, including in the form of an aqueous solution or slurry, solid, or ionic liquid. Examples of solutions containing cationic compounds include, but are not limited to: alum solution, aluminum acetate solution (such as aluminum acetate, aluminum triacetate, aluminum diacetate, aluminum monoacetate), and polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride ( Usually called "PDDA" and/or "PolyDADMAC" and/or "Polyquaternium-6"). Generally speaking, as long as at least one cationic compound is present, the cationic treatment material as a whole can be characterized as cationic or neutral. Alum is an example of a cationic compound, where alum is a hydrated bissulfate salt of aluminum and potassium. However, despite the presence of cationic aluminum ions (Al ³⁺ ), the alum solution is usually neutral. The aluminum acetate solution can sometimes be formed from a commercially available powder mixture of aluminum sulfate tetrahydrate and calcium acetate monohydrate. Some cationic compounds (such as aluminum acetate) have limited solubility in water, so specific water solubility grades are not required to implement the present invention. In certain embodiments, the cationic compound is characterized by the presence of one or more quaternary ammonium groups, including any of the QACs proposed herein as disinfectants.

Generally speaking, the types of cationic compounds and the solutions containing those cationic compounds can be varied. For example, the solution may contain selected from alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, sulfates, sulfites, acetates, carbonates, chlorides, hydroxides, phosphates and nitrates, as well as aluminum, copper, Cationic compounds of the group consisting of salts of zinc, manganese and iron. In some embodiments, the solution may contain a cationic compound that is an alkali metal salt and generates an alkaline solution when dissolved in water, such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium acetate, or calcium carbonate. In some embodiments, the solution may contain a cationic compound that is an acid salt and generates an acid solution when dissolved in water, such as aluminum chloride, aluminum sulfate, aluminum potassium sulfate, or ammonium chloride. In some embodiments, the solution may contain a cationic compound that is a neutral salt and does not generate an alkaline or acidic solution when dissolved in water, such as sodium chloride. In some embodiments, the solution may contain cationic surfactants, such as surfactants with cationic head groups, such as primary, secondary, and/or tertiary amines. In some embodiments, the cationic compound may include, for example, ionic liquids, which are generally ionic and liquid at room temperature (also known as liquid electrolytes, ionic melts, ionic fluids, or liquid salts). Exemplary cations include imidazole ion, ammonium ion, pyrrolidine ion, pyridinium ion, and phosphonium ion. Ionic liquids may include polymeric ionic liquids, also known as polyionic liquids, polyquaternary ammonium salts, cationic polymers, or cationic polyelectrolytes.

In certain embodiments, the cationic compound has the form of a positively charged polymer (including oligomers or copolymers). For example, such cationic compounds may include one or more quaternary ammonium groups, or one or more other cations (such as imidazolium, pyrrolidin, pyridinium, or phosphonium ions). In one embodiment, the cationic polymer is a cationic starch, such as starch modified with quaternary ammonium groups. In some embodiments, the number average molecular weight of the cationic polymer may be between about 100 Da to about 500,000 Da. In certain embodiments, in order to improve the dispersion of the polymer throughout the fiber material, it is advantageous to use a lower polymer molecular weight. Exemplary ranges of molecular weight may include less than about 100,000 Da, or less than about 75,000 Da, or less than about 50,000 Da, or less than about 10,000 Da, or less than about 5,000 Da (e.g., about 100 Da to about 100,000 Da, or about 100 Da to About 50,000 Da, or about 100 Da to about 25,000 Da).

In some special embodiments, the cationic compound may include any chemical substance containing or derived from an amine (for example, containing or derived from the NR ₃ structure, where each R group is hydrogen, alkyl, or aryl in any combination) , Polymers, copolymers, amine derivatives, amine groups, guanidine, guanidine derivatives, cyanoguanidine, cyanoguanidine derivatives, guanidine cyano-polymer and derivative (guanidine cyano-polymer and derivative), with chlorinated Guanidine cyano-polymer of ammonium, guanidino-polymer with ammonium chloride and formaldehyde. In some embodiments, the polymer may be characterized by polyamines, copolymers of polyamines, cationic polyamines, polyamides, copolymers of polyamines, or cationic polyamines. In certain embodiments, the polymer is dimethylamine-epichlorohydrin copolymer or polyhexanide (also known as polyhexamethylene biguanide or PHMB). Exemplary cationic compounds are available from Kemira Oyj, Helsinki, Finland, under trade names such as LEVOGEN and SUPERFLOC.

In a specific entity, it has CAS No. 55295-98-2 and is a positively charged copolymer containing dicyandiamide (ie, cyanoguanidine) residues, formaldehyde residues, and ammonium chloride residues. Other names include dicyandiamine, formaldehyde, ammonium chloride polymer and guanidine, cyano-, polymer with ammonium chloride and formaldehyde.

The flame retardancy of fiber-based products refers to those that have been treated with chemicals or oils to make them resistant to combustion when impacted by a flame source.

Astringents occur when in contact and cause skin cells or other body tissues (such as facial pores and blood vessels) to shrink. Generally speaking, fibers or fabrics with astringent properties can provide certain preferred functions when in contact with skin or wounds, such as, but not limited to, assisting blood clotting by promoting vasoconstriction.

The dry addition amount is a term describing the residual amount of the treatment chemicals remaining on the treated material after the moisture is removed and the treated product is in a dry state. As an example, it can be expressed as grams of chemical treatment/grams of untreated material, or as grams of weight gain after treatment, or as a percentage of weight gain based on untreated weight.

Durability or durability is related to the modification of the properties of fibers or products, which will not be exhausted to the extent of non-function or loss of activity after a single use of the fiber material or fiber-based product. Approach

One aspect disclosed herein relates to the surface modification of vitamin or protein fibers (and products formed from those fibers such as fabrics) treated with cationic compounds such as, but not limited to, alum, aluminum acetate, and PDDA. As mentioned above, untreated natural or synthetic cellulose or protein fibers (including bast fibers) will negatively react with QAC and neutralize at least part of the QAC disinfection effect. However, such treatment (for example, with a solution containing a cationic compound) changes the surface activity or reactivity of the treated fiber. The inventors have understood certain advantageous features and performance functionality associated with this treatment, including improved compatibility with other treatments, such as the ability to successfully perform secondary treatments of cellulose or protein fibers with QAC. For example, in certain embodiments, the treated fibers and products produced from those fibers allow the disinfection functionality of the QAC to be substantially unaffected, or even improved.

Some embodiments of the present invention particularly relate to methods for imparting improved compatibility with quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) to fibrous materials. For example, such methods may include providing fibrous materials including a plurality of fibers as described herein (e.g., such as natural or synthetic cellulose fibers, natural or synthetic protein fibers, bast fibers, and the like), And the fibrous material is treated with a solution containing cationic compounds (such as alum, aluminum acetate and/or PDDA). Methods of processing fibers or fiber-containing products may include those methods known in the art, such as, for example, using a kiss roll or a gravure roll (for example, in the form of a coating), a soaking tank, or a spray To apply a cationic compound-containing solution, it can be followed by a pressure roller or vacuum step to remove excess water. It is also possible to apply water rinsing before or after the initial press roll or vacuum box, where the water application step is followed by an additional moisture removal step. This treatment may include multiple rinsing and moisture removal steps before the drying step, which removes the moisture to the extent that the fiber or product is ready for further processing or packaging for use. In some embodiments, when the cationic compounds are in wet form, they can also be applied to the fibers or fiber-based products of the present invention in solid form.

Cationic compounds can be applied to fibers or fiber-based products in various amounts. For example, the concentration of cationic compounds in a treatment liquid (such as a solution or slurry) can be varied. For example, based on the total weight of the solution, the concentration of the solution containing the cationic compound may be at least about 0.0001% by weight of the cationic compound, and up to about 99.99% by weight of the cationic compound. In some embodiments, the concentration of the solution containing the cationic compound may be at least about 1% by weight, at least about 10% by weight, at least about 25% by weight, at least about 50% by weight, At least about 75%, or at least about 90% by weight of the cationic compound.

The concentration of the cationic compound in the treatment liquid can also be expressed as a% wof. For example, the fiber or fiber-based product can be treated with a cationic compound at a concentration from about 0.1% up to about 10% wof, up to about 20% wof, up to about 30% wof, or up to about 40% wof. In some embodiments, for example, a cationic compound having a concentration of about 1% to about 50% wof, about 10% to about 40% wof, or about 20% to about 30% wof can be used to treat the fiber or fiber-based product. In certain embodiments, the concentration of the cationic compound is at least about 1% wof, at least about 5% wof, at least about 10% wof, at least about 15% wof, or at least about 20% wof. Note that the reference to the cationic compound in the treatment liquid does not imply that the cationic compound will only exist in the form of a compound. The cationic compound can be completely or partially free in the treatment liquid (for example, an aqueous solution).

The amount of the cationic compound in the fiber structure after processing and drying is sometimes referred to as a dry additive, and may vary significantly based on the type and structure of the fiber material, and the type and structure of the cationic compound. In certain embodiments, the dry additive is up to about 20% by dry weight of the fibrous material, such as about 0.1 to about 15% by dry weight of the fibrous material. In certain embodiments, the dry additives are less than about 15% by dry weight of the fibrous material, such as less than about 10%, or less than about 5%, or less than about 2.5%, or less than about 1.0%, or less than about 0.5 %.

In some embodiments, the same equipment used to clean the fibers, such as a processing kier (for example, a large tank containing fibers, yarns, etc.), is used to treat the fibers with cationic compounds. In these embodiments, the solution containing the cationic compound can be applied as a coating to be applied to the fibers during batch processing, such as an additional stage added at the end of the cleaning cycle. In these embodiments, the cleaned fibers can be directly coated in the processing refining tank after the fiber cleaning stage.

In some embodiments, the fibers may be treated in an atomization or spray channel, for example, so that when the fibers are on a moving conveyor belt, a solution containing a cationic compound is applied to the fibers. For example, a solution containing a cationic compound can be sprayed or atomized in a pneumatic and/or conveying channel (for example, the vapor containing the coating solution can be present in an at least partially closed channel) onto the fiber.

In some embodiments, the fibers are processed in a hydroentangling water system during the formation of the nonwoven material. Generally speaking, the so-called hydro-entangled non-woven forming platform relies on high-pressure water jets to entangle the fibers. In some embodiments, a solution containing a cationic compound is added to the circulating water in the hydroentanglement system, and is directly applied to the fibers when they are hydroentangled.

In some embodiments, the fibers may be processed in the oiling chamber, such as those commonly used in the spinning industry. For example, oil is usually applied to the fibers in an oiling chamber to lubricate those fibers before forming a nonwoven fabric from the fibers. Generally speaking, it should be noted that the treatment of the fibers in the oiling chamber can advantageously enable the cationic compound to be automatically and continuously distributed on the treated fibers. For example, the coating solution can be evenly distributed on the fibers through the nozzle. In some embodiments, the amount of the cationic compound solution can be adjusted according to, for example, different fiber mixture compositions.

As explained above, wet-laid (wetlaid) technology can be used to form fibers into fabrics. In these embodiments, the solution containing the cationic compound may be applied to the fibers in the mixing tank of the wet-laid forming system. Generally speaking, wet-laid forming uses chopped fibers dispersed in water (for example, in a mixing tank), which then flow through a porous screen to form a non-woven substrate. Therefore, the solution containing the cationic compound can be added to the mixing tank before forming the nonwoven substrate from the fibers.

In some embodiments, the fibers can be processed in a calender or dip tray. In such embodiments, after the formation of the fabric or nonwoven material containing those fibers, the fibers may be treated with a solution containing a cationic compound. For example, in some embodiments, the fabric may travel through a calender for compression, where the liquid coating is directly applied to one or both surfaces of the nonwoven fabric. In some embodiments, the nonwoven fabric may be passed through an immersion tray containing the coating solution, for example, so that the coating is directly applied to one or both surfaces of the nonwoven fabric. In either embodiment, conventional techniques known in the art can then be used to dry and wind the coated fabric.

Generally speaking, the mentioned treatment methods can be applied directly to the fibers, or they can also be applied to already formed fiber-based products containing multiple fibers within them (for example, such as woven or non-woven fabrics, wipes or Cloth, medical products, wound care products, liners and the like). For example, in a particular embodiment, the formed fabric roll is treated with a solution containing a cationic compound to improve its compatibility with QAC. First, conventional methods can be used to unwind the fabric roll and undergo a coating procedure. For example, the untreated fabric is run through a coating pan containing a cationic compound-containing solution with a dwell time of, for example, between about 0.5 and 5 seconds. Any solution containing a cationic compound as described above is suitable for use as a coating solution. For example, the cationic coating solution may include alum, aluminum acetate, LEVOGEN, SUPERLOC, and/or PDDA. In some embodiments, the solution concentration of the cationic compound (for example, a cationic polymer, such as PDDA) may be between about 0.05 wt% to about 10 wt%, depending on the properties of the fabric after calendering and the liquid retention of the fabric. set.

In some embodiments, the coated fabric may be further subjected to a calendering step, for example, in which excess coating solution is removed by the application of pressure and/or mechanical force. Typically, the amount of fabric liquid retention after calendering can range from about 50% to about 400% based on the weight of the fiber, depending on the concentration of the coating solution and the properties of the fabric.

In some embodiments, the coated and calendered fabric may optionally be subjected to a drying step, for example, to reduce liquid hold-up therein. Any type of drying mechanism typically used in the art may be suitable for drying the coated fabric. In some embodiments, the liquid hold-up amount of the fabric after drying may range from about 1% to about 15% of the fiber weight, depending on the nature of the fabric and the particular type of drying unit used. In some embodiments, the coated, calendered, and dried fabric can be re-rolled.

In some embodiments, the fiber or fiber-based product may be pre-treated with alcohol before treatment with a solution containing a cationic compound. In general, the type of alcohol used in this pretreatment can vary. In some embodiments, alcohol pretreatment may include treating fibers or fiber-based products with, for example, ethanol or isopropanol. It should be noted that pre-treatment with alcohols can provide enhanced disinfection efficacy and/or can increase the astringency of fibers or fiber-based products. The concentration of alcohols in the treatment solution is typically at least about 70% by weight (based on the total weight of the treatment solution).

In some embodiments, the fiber or fiber-based product is pre-treated with alkali. In general, the type of base used in this type of pretreatment can vary. In some embodiments, an alkali selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium carbonate (Na ₂ CO ₃ ) and the like may be used to pre-treat the fiber or fiber-based product. In certain embodiments, the base is selected from carbonates (eg, alkali metal carbonates, such as potassium carbonate or sodium carbonate) or bicarbonates, which include alkali metal bicarbonates, such as sodium bicarbonate. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the pretreatment with alkali can improve the coating effect of the cationic compound solution (for example, the adhesion of the coating to the fiber) and provide the cleaning/washing effect on the fiber. In addition, it should be noted that in certain embodiments, in particular, pre-treatment with alkali (such as sodium carbonate) can improve the QAC compatibility of fibers or fiber-based products. An exemplary concentration of alkali in the treatment solution is about 1% to about 50% by weight (based on the total weight of the treatment solution).

In some embodiments, the fibers or fiber-based products may be post-processed with polymers or resins as appropriate. In some embodiments, the polymer or resin is derived from petroleum or renewable resources, such as polyhydroxy alkanoate (for example, PHB), aliphatic polyester (for example, polysuccinate succinate) (Poybutylene succidate)) and copolyesters, aromatic polyesters (for example, polybutylene adipate terephthalate) and copolyesters, polyester amides, polyamines and Polyamine copolymers, polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, poly-e-caprolactone, thermoplastic starch, modified starch (including cationic starch), protein and chitosan. In some embodiments, the polymer or resin may be dispersed in a liquid (such as water) before post-treatment. In some embodiments, the polymer or resin is thermoplastic or thermoset. In certain embodiments, such fiber post-treatment can improve the durability of cationic compound treatment, for example, by improving the durability of the cationic compound treatment for fiber or fabric cleaning. Note that certain polymer examples in the classes described herein can be positively charged and therefore can also be treated as cationic compounds. An exemplary concentration of the polymer or resin in the treatment solution is about 1% to about 50% by weight (based on the total weight of the treatment solution).

After the fiber and/or fiber-based product is treated with a cationic compound, the QAC solution can be applied to the treated fiber or fiber-based product to provide a disinfection function. The QAC treatment of fibers or fiber-based products (eg, fabrics) can also be performed simultaneously with the cationic compound treatment, for example, by combining the QAC solution with the cationic compound-containing solution before the fiber/fabric treatment. The treatment of fibers (or products made therefrom) with QAC solutions can be carried out in the same process stages described above for the treatment of cationic compounds.

Generally speaking, in order to increase the disinfection function, the QAC solution can be applied to the treated fibers in various amounts and/or concentrations. For example, the QAC solution may include about 500 ppm to about 3000 ppm (eg, about 1000 ppm to about 2600 ppm) of a quaternary ammonium compound, such as any of the quaternary ammonium compounds described above.

Fibrous materials treated with cationic compounds as described herein are characterized by improved QAC compatibility, which is measured as described in Example 1, and is generally described in the document "dsorption of alkyl" by Slopek et al. -dimethyl-benzyl-ammonium chloride on differently pretreated non-woven cotton substrates, Textile Research Journal 81 (15) 1617-1624 (2011)", which is incorporated herein by reference. This QAC compatibility laboratory test involves comparing the UV spectrum of the fibrous material immersed in the benzalkonium chloride solution, and comparing this UV spectrum with the UV spectrum of the standard solution. Using this comparison, the change of the QAC concentration in the solution after immersing the fiber material can be determined, and it indicates that the residual amount of the quaternary ammonium compound in the solution is a%. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the treated fiber material is characterized in that the fiber material is immersed in a benzalkonium chloride solution with a concentration of 1000 ppm at room temperature for 5 minutes, and then in the benzalkonium chloride solution Provides a residual amount of at least about 40% of the quaternary ammonium compound, which is determined by the UV spectrum of the benzalkonium chloride solution. In certain embodiments, the residual amount of QAC after the above test is at least about 50%, or at least about 60%, or at least about 70%, or at least about 80%, or at least about 90%.

It should be noted that any of the processing methods discussed herein can be used independently of each other or in any combination thereof. For example, a single treatment method described herein can be used, or multiple treatment methods can also be used in combination (for example, before contacting each other, both the fiber or fiber-based product and the QAC solution can be pretreated with a solution containing a cationic compound. deal with). In some embodiments, one or more additional pretreatments as described above may be combined independently or in one or more combinations. Generally speaking, any treatment or pretreatment method can be applied to the fibers before forming the fabric from the fibers, during the forming of the fabric and/or after the forming of the fabric.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the various processing steps described herein can be carried out at atmospheric pressure or at high pressures up to about 3 bar. In addition, the various treatment steps described herein are generally performed at a temperature between about room temperature (for example, 25°C) and about 130°C.

As explained above, the various treatment methods provided herein (for example, treating the fiber/fiber-based product before applying the QAC solution or treating the QAC solution before applying the QAC solution to the fiber/fiber-based product) and combinations thereof , Will enable the cellulose fiber to be substantially compatible with QAC processing in certain embodiments. For example, this QAC treatment provides a disinfection function for the treated fibers and products, and can provide enhanced utility when the product is a wipe or a wiping cloth. Such products can be used to clean or disinfect any surface touched by such wipes. This is also a non-limiting example of the use and utility of fibers and fiber-based products treated in accordance with the present invention.

In certain embodiments, after the treatment, the properties and functionality imparted to the fibers and fiber-based products treated in accordance with the present invention are resistant to rinsing with water and cleaning with detergents. In addition, in certain embodiments, fibers and/or fiber-based products treated using any of the methods described herein are characterized in that they are reusable and/or retain various functionalities after rinsing (e.g., such as QAC residue and/or disinfection function).

The present invention anticipates that, in certain embodiments, the cellulose or protein fibers treated in this way can exhibit astringent properties when used as personal cleansing wipes (for example, for the face) or used in medical products. The purpose of helping to stop blood flow from the wound, such as dressings, sponges, wipes or wound coverings. These are only examples, and it should not be considered that the utility of the present invention is relatively limited by this functionality.

In certain embodiments, fibers and/or fiber-based products treated with certain cationic compounds (such as alum, aluminum acetate, and/or PDDA) can obtain a certain degree of flame retardancy from such treatments. In this mode, the processed product, or the product made from the processed fiber, can exhibit enhanced flame resistance when impacted by a flame source. Fiber material

The types of fibers suitable for any of the treatments and/or methods described herein can be natural or synthetic cellulose fibers, or natural or synthetic protein fibers, or combinations thereof. Examples of suitable natural or synthetic cellulose fibers include, but are not limited to: rayon, acetate, rayon, tencel, cotton, and bast fibers (such as hemp, flax, ramie, jute, bamboo, nettle, foreign Hemp and Spanish gorse). In some embodiments, the natural or synthetic cellulosic fibers may be lignocellulosic fibers, for example, such as fibers having a lignin concentration of about 0.0001% to about 50% by weight. Examples of suitable natural or synthetic protein fibers include, but are not limited to: animal hair, wool, fur, silk, and the like.

In some embodiments, the fibers may be in the form of plural fibers. In some embodiments, the plurality of fibers may be a mixture including two or more fiber types. For example, in some embodiments, the fiber mixture may include from about 5% to about 100% by weight of natural or synthetic cellulose fibers. In some embodiments, the fiber mixture may include at least about 10%, at least about 20%, at least about 30%, at least about 40%, at least about 50%, at least about 60%, at least about 70%, at least about 80%, or at least about 90%, natural or synthetic cellulose fibers. In some embodiments, the fiber blend may include up to about 95% by weight of non-cellulose natural or synthetic fibers. For example, in some embodiments, the fiber mixture may include up to 10%, up to 20%, up to 30%, up to 40%, up to 50%, up to 60%, up to 70% by weight. %, up to 80%, or up to 90% of non-cellulose natural or synthetic fibers.

In some embodiments, natural or synthetic cellulosic fibers may include at least about 5% bast fibers by weight. In some embodiments, natural or synthetic cellulose fibers may include at least about 10%, at least about 20%, at least about 30%, at least about 40%, at least about 50%, at least about 60%, at least about 70%, at least about 80%, or at least about 90% bast fibers.

In some embodiments, the bast fibers used in the present disclosure can be individualized through mechanical or chemical cleaning, for example, to remove surface impurities. In some embodiments, the mechanically or chemically cleaned fiber may have a short fiber length of about 1 mm to about 100 mm. Mechanical cleaning of bast fibers occurs in a process called skutching or peeling. In this process, the plant stems are broken and combed to remove non-fibrous components (such as hemicellulose), pectin, lignin, and general residues. For example, bales or bast fibers can be unrolled into the machine, and then the crusher rollers can split the stems and expose the bundles. In addition, a rotating comb can be used to clean all trash and non-fibrous materials in the fibers, thereby draining the fibers to a separate collection area. Peeling is a similar process, which uses a pinned cylinder instead of a rotating comb. Compared with chemical cleaning, mechanical cleaning can individualize bast fibers and remove less pectin. Chemical cleaning can be carried out, for example, in a keir.

The mechanically cleaned fibers have removed part of the pectin from the fibers, and this case is regarded as reduced pectin. The level of pectin/contaminant residues varies with geographic area and growing season, and depends on the natural retting of the fiber and the number of rotating combs/fixed rolls that the fiber is subjected to. Mechanical cleaning of bast fibers is trivial, and the grades of pectin-reduced fibers are known to those skilled in the art.

The chemical cleaning of bast fibers occurs in several ways: water immersion, chemical cleaning, or enzymatic cleaning. In some embodiments, the process of chemically cleaning bast fibers may be referred to as chemical degumming to remove pectin, lignin, and other non-cellulosic materials. Natural chemical cleaning (called water immersion) is performed in a pool or stream, and the bast fiber stalk is placed in water for a few days to a week or more. Natural microorganisms remove pectin from the fiber and release hemicellulose from the fiber, resulting in a clean, personalized bast fiber with reduced pectin. Chemical cleaning is a relatively fast process. It is used on mechanically cleaned bast fibers and in industrial facilities with equipment capable of operating at a temperature range of 80°C to over 130°C above atmospheric pressure. carried out. Bast fibers are subjected to heat, pressure, and caustic soda or other cleaning agents to quickly remove pectin and lignin. Enzymatic cleaning is very similar to chemical cleaning, in which a part of caustic soda and other chemical reagents are replaced by enzymes such as peptase or protease. Once cleaned, the bast fiber may be dehydrated to a predetermined moisture content by centrifugation and/or air dryer as appropriate, for example, about 2% to about 20% by weight. In the embodiment where the cleaned bast fibers are not dehydrated, they can be provided in the form of a saturated solution, and may be dried to the desired moisture content before the optional fiber crimping.

The chemically cleaned bast fiber is considered by the industry to be substantially free of pectin. Baer et al. US2014/0066872 (which is incorporated herein by reference) describes fibers with substantially reduced pectin, which have naturally occurring fibers with a pectin content of less than 10%-20% by weight, thereby It is possible to obtain fibers substantially free of pectin.

When the cellulosic fiber or cellulose fiber-based product of the present invention contains bast fiber, or is bast fiber-based, the inventors have determined that, in certain embodiments, applying crimp on those natural straight fibers is not The aesthetic and performance characteristics required in the products made from those fibers may be important. Therefore, the bast fiber of the present invention advantageously has a crimp application level of at least about 1 crimp per centimeter. In some embodiments, the crimped bast fiber may include about 1 to about 10 crimps per centimeter. Various devices for applying crimp therein are suitable. For example, the device used to apply the crimp can be mechanical or chemical in nature. For example, the crimping method may include contacting a fiber mat of bast fibers with a pair of heated crimping rollers to provide crimped bast fibers having a degree of crimp of, for example, about 1 to about 10 crimps per centimeter. The crimping roller includes a first crimping roller and a second crimping roller. The first crimping roller is positioned adjacent to the top side of the fiber mat and opposite to the second crimping roller positioned adjacent to the bottom side of the fiber mat.

In certain embodiments, the fibrous material utilized in the present disclosure that is substantially free of anionic surface treatment (such as by carboxymethylation or treatment with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)) is advantageous. For example, certain embodiments of the fiber material of the present disclosure are characterized in that they have an anionic moiety of less than 0.20 mol/kg of dry fiber (for example, less than 0.15 mol/kg of dry fiber, or less than 0.10 mol/kg of dry fiber). kg of dry fiber). Certain embodiments of the present disclosure are characterized in that they are substantially free of CMC, such as less than about 0.5% CMC by dry weight, or less than about 0.1% CMC by dry weight, or about 0.0 by dry weight. % CMC. In some embodiments, the fiber material used in the present disclosure is also characterized in that it is substantially free (see, for example, the above level) or completely free of exogenous CMC (indicating that CMC is deliberately added to the fiber material). In certain embodiments, these restrictions on the content or presence of CMC can be applied to both the fibrous material as the starting material and the processed fibrous material after any of the treatments described herein. The determination of the anion fraction and CMC concentration is described in, for example, Kuehn et al., US2019/0257029, which is incorporated herein by reference.

In some embodiments, as explained above, the fibers of the present invention may be processed in fiber form, or as fibers incorporated into fiber-based products. In some embodiments, such fibers can be used as treated fibers in loose form, such as bales, bundles, mats, felting batt, webs, bolls, balls, or loops. Exemplary fiber-based products may include fabrics, composites of fabrics, loose fiber components, or other composites with loose fiber components. Examples of the latter may be swabs or hemostatic pens. In some embodiments, fiber-based products may include woven fabrics, knitted or non-woven fabrics, or composites of two or more of such fabrics. In some embodiments, the fiber-based product may be, for example, in the form of a composite of two or more components, where each component may be in the form of a plurality of fibers or fabrics, or a combination thereof.

Among the types of useful products, the desired performance characteristics linked to cationic compound solution treatment are, but not limited to: wipes, wipes, clothing, clothing components, textile-based household products, linens, bandages, wounds Nursing and surgical sponges, wipes and wound closure products.

The foregoing is considered to provide an example of the principles of the present invention. The scope of modification that can be made to the present invention is not limited to the scope imposed by the prior art, and is as described in the claims for the scope of the patent application herein. experiment

In general, the following examples illustrate the testing of various cellulosic fibers (such as hemp and flax fibers) that have been treated using the various treatments and/or methods described herein. The terms "QAC" and "Quat" mentioned in the examples and in the diagrams are interchangeable, and generally refer to the quaternary ammonium compounds used in the examples. Example 1

Tests are performed to determine the amount of QAC residues in treated and untreated fibers (flax and hemp). First, pre-treat flax and hemp fibers with sodium carbonate, using a 5% wof sodium carbonate solution, at 90°C for 1 hour. This pretreatment was applied to all test fibers. Then, some pre-treated fiber samples were treated with aluminum acetate, using a 20% wof aluminum acetate solution at 50°C for 1 hour. Then remove the excess solution, and rinse the fibers under cold tap water for 1 minute. The fiber is then dried. A 1 gram fiber sample of both treated and untreated flax and hemp fibers was immersed in 10 ml of 2600 ppm QAC solution (benzalkonium chloride), and placed in the QAC solution in a sealed vial. After two weeks, the fiber sample was removed from the QAC solution.

Use an ultraviolet-visible light (UV-vis) spectrophotometer to determine the QAC concentration in the main solution by comparing the ultraviolet light (UV) spectrum of the solution at the end of each round of the experiment with the standard solution, as described by Slopek et al. General description (Adsorption of alkyl-dimethyl-benzyl-ammonium chloride on differently pretreated non-woven cotton substrates, Textile Research Journal 81 (15) 1617-1624 (2011)). This test was performed using a Cary 50 UV-Vis spectrophotometer available from Varian Inc., USA. A standard QAC solution was established and used to develop a calibration curve that correlated the QAC concentration with the absorbance at 263 nm. Then, the absorbance at 263 nm of each experimental sample solution after fiber treatment was compared with the calibration curve to obtain the QAC concentration. Manually squeeze each fiber sample soaked in QAC to remove the entrained QAC solution as required to ensure that at least 5 ml of the QAC solution test sample. All tests are performed at room temperature (25°C).

式（1） 其中％E為QAC的消耗百分比，A₀ 是在初始時（在纖維浸沒之前）的QAC溶液的吸收值，而A_t 是在纖維浸沒以後的QAC溶液的吸收值。100減去％E可得出溶液中殘留的QAC百分比，期於本文中稱為「殘留Quat」。The percentage of QAC consumed from the host solution and absorbed on the test fiber can be calculated by the following formula (1):

Formula (1) wherein% E consumption as a percentage of QAC, A ₀ is the initial absorbance QAC solution (before the fiber immersion), and A _t is the absorbance after the fiber is immersed in a solution of QAC. 100 minus %E can give the percentage of QAC remaining in the solution, which is referred to as "residual Quat" in this article.

Figure 1 shows the residual QAC percentages of treated hemp/linen fiber and untreated hemp/linen fiber, and compare them with the commercially available CHICOPEE single-use towel made of synthetic fiber (SUDS ^TM brand single-use towel) )Compare. As shown in Figure 1, compared to the commercially available products, the percentage of residual QAC is higher than both the treated hemp and the treated flax fiber samples. This means that compared with untreated fibers, fiber treatment with cationic compounds greatly improves QAC compatibility, and compared with commercially available products that can be used with QAC compounds, the QAC compatibility provided by cationic compound treatment The standard is also satisfactory. Although not limited by any theory of operation, it is believed that cellulosic fibers (such as bast fibers) lack compatibility with QAC compounds, because the surface of such fibers is of a negatively charged nature, and such fibers will attract and bind a large amount of QAC compound. When such fibrous materials treated with QAC compounds are used for, for example, surface wiping, this combination reduces the effectiveness of QAC as a disinfectant. Therefore, in this test, the low level of residual Quat indicates that there is a large amount of QAC compound binding in the fiber material, and therefore the compatibility with the disinfection function of the QAC compound is not good. Example 2

Tests were performed to determine the effect of the pretreatment of hemp and flax fibers with sodium carbonate before the aluminum acetate treatment. Before the treatment with aluminum acetate, the fiber (flax and hemp) is pre-treated with sodium carbonate (soda ash). The pretreatment is to use a 5% wof sodium carbonate solution at 90°C for 1 hour. Remove the excess solution and wash the fibers under cold tap water for 10 minutes. The treatment of the aluminum acetate solution was completed in the same procedure as the one proposed in Example 1. Following the same procedure as described in Example 1, a QAC concentration of 1000 ppm and a contact time of 5 minutes were used to study the compatibility of QAC.

Figure 2 shows the residual QAC of untreated fibers (without any kind of pretreatment before QAC contact), fibers treated with aluminum acetate but not pretreated with sodium carbonate, and fibers treated with aluminum acetate after pretreatment with sodium carbonate percentage. As shown in Figure 2, after pre-treatment with sodium carbonate, the percentage of residual QAC is higher, indicating that pre-treatment with sodium carbonate can improve QAC compatibility. Example 3

Tests were performed to analyze the influence of QAC concentration on the QAC residues of untreated fibers, treated fibers, and commercially available synthetic fibers. The flax fiber was processed by the same procedure as described in Example 1. Following the same procedure as described in Example 1, different QAC concentrations of 500 ppm, 1000 ppm, and 2600 ppm and a contact time of 5 minutes were used to study QAC compatibility.

Figure 3 shows the percentage of residual QAC for each initial QAC concentration level of treated and untreated fibers, and compares them with the commercially available CHICOPEE single-use dispensing system towel (SUDS ^TM brand single-use) made of synthetic fiber Quat Use towels) to compare. As shown in Figure 3, compared with untreated fibers and commercially available synthetic fibers, the treated fibers showed increased QAC residues in the solution at all QAC concentration levels. Example 4

Tests were performed to determine the amount of QAC remaining in the treated flax fibers after different QAC contact periods (compared to commercially available synthetic fibers). The flax fiber was processed by the same procedure as described in Example 1. Following the same procedure as described in Example 1, the QAC compatibility was studied with a QAC concentration of 1000 ppm and a solution residence time of 1, 5, 10, 30, 60, 120, and 180 minutes.

Figure 4 shows the percentage of residual QAC as a function of time for the treated fibers and compares them with Quat's commercially available CHICOPEE single-use dispersing system towels (SUDS ^TM brand single-use towels) made of synthetic fibers. As shown in Figure 4, compared to commercially available synthetic fibers, the treated fibers showed an increased amount of QAC residue in the solution during each contact time. Example 5

Tests were performed to determine the effect of aluminum acetate concentration on QAC residues in flax fibers treated with it. The flax fibers were treated with aluminum acetate solutions of different concentrations (1, 5, 10, 20, and 40% wof) in the same procedure as described in Example 1. Following the same procedure as described in Example 1, QAC compatibility was studied with a QAC concentration of 1000 ppm and a contact time of 5 minutes.

Figure 5 shows the residual QAC percentage of fibers treated with changing the concentration of aluminum acetate solution. As shown in Figure 5, the amount of QAC remaining in the solution of the treated fiber generally increases with the increase of the aluminum acetate concentration, and it is obviously flattened from the concentration of about 20% wof. Example 6

Tests are performed to determine the effectiveness of different QAC solutions on treated and untreated fibers. Following the same procedure as described in Example 1, flax fibers were treated with a 5% wof aluminum acetate solution. To study the QAC compatibility of both untreated and treated flax fibers in three different QAC solutions: pure 1000 ppm QAC solution (benzalkonium chloride), 3% PDDA by weight in 1000 ppm QAC solution , And 2% by weight of potassium aluminum sulfate in 1000 ppm QAC solution (weight percentage based on the total weight of the solution). Using the same procedure as in Example 1, a contact time of 5 minutes was used to study QAC compatibility.

Figure 6 shows the residual QAC percentages of treated and untreated flax fibers, where the QAC solution is not pretreated with cationic compounds (Quat only), where the QAC solution is pretreated with 3% PDDA, and where 2% aluminum potassium sulfate is used for the pretreatment. QAC solution pretreatment. As shown in Fig. 6, the pretreatment of QAC solution with potassium aluminum sulfate or PDDA increased the residual amount of QAC in the QAC solution after immersion of flax fibers, which further increased when the fibers were also treated with aluminum acetate. This means that mixing the cationic compound into the QAC solution can increase the QAC compatibility of the treated fiber. Example 7

Tests are performed to determine the effectiveness of different treatments on flax fibers. Using the same procedure as described in Example 1, aluminum sulfate, potassium aluminum sulfate, aluminum acetate, and PDDA were used to treat flax fibers. The same procedure as described in Example 1 was used to study QAC compatibility with a QAC concentration of 1000 ppm and a contact time of 5 minutes.

Figure 7 shows the percentage of residual QAC when treated with different fibers and compares them with the commercially available CHICOPEE single-use dispersing system towel (SUDS ^TM brand single-use towel) made of synthetic fibers. As shown in Figure 7, for all four treatments studied, the amount of QAC residues in the solution increased, especially the QAC residues of the fibers treated with aluminum acetate and PDDA were comparable to those of commercially available synthetic fibers. Example 8

Tests were performed to determine the effectiveness of different treatments on fabrics made of ^{85% flax and 15% TENCEL™ Tencel fiber.} Using the same procedure as described in Example 1, using a solution concentration of 3 wt%, the fabric was treated with PDDA and the LEVOGEN cationic polymer obtained from Kemira Oyj. The treatment was completed at 25°C for 1 hour. The same procedure as described in Example 1 was used to study QAC compatibility with a QAC concentration of 400 ppm and a contact time of 5 minutes. After the fiber was immersed, a Quat test strip (Hydrion QT-10) obtained from Micro Essential Laboratory Inc. was used to measure the QAC concentration in each test solution.

Figure 8 shows the percentage of residual QAC when treated with different fibers and compares them with the commercially available CHICOPEE single-use dispersing system towel (SUDS ^TM brand single-use towel) made of synthetic fibers. As shown in Figure 8, for the two treatments studied, the amount of QAC residue in the solution increased, especially the QAC residue of the fiber treated with LEVOGEN was better than that of the commercially available synthetic fiber. Example 9

Tests are performed to determine the effectiveness of different treatments on cotton fabrics. Using the same procedure as described in Example 1, using a solution concentration of 3% by weight, the fabric was treated with PDDA and the LEVOGEN cationic polymer obtained from Kemira Oyj. The treatment was completed at 25°C for 1 hour. The same procedure as described in Example 1 was used to study QAC compatibility with a QAC concentration of 400 ppm and a contact time of 5 minutes. After the fiber was immersed, a Quat test strip (Hydrion QT-10) obtained from Micro Essential Laboratory Inc. was used to measure the QAC concentration in each test solution.

Figure 9 shows the percentage of residual QAC when treated with different fibers and compares them with the commercially available CHICOPEE single-use dispersing system towel (SUDS ^TM brand single-use towel) made of synthetic fibers. As shown in Figure 9, for the two treatments studied, the amount of QAC residue in the solution increased, especially the QAC residue of the fiber treated with LEVOGEN was better than that of the commercially available synthetic fiber. Example 10

Tests are performed to determine the effectiveness of different treatments on flax and hemp fiber samples. Using the same procedure as described in Example 1, using a solution concentration of 3% by weight, flax and hemp were treated with the LEVOGEN cationic polymer obtained from Kemira Oyj. The treatment was completed at 25°C for 1 hour. The same procedure as described in Example 1 was used to study QAC compatibility with a QAC concentration of 400 ppm and a contact time of 5 minutes. After the fiber was immersed, a Quat test strip (Hydrion QT-10) obtained from Micro Essential Laboratory Inc. was used to measure the QAC concentration in each test solution.

Figure 10 shows the percentage of residual QAC treated with different fibers and compares them with the commercially available CHICOPEE single-use dispersing system towel (SUDS ^TM brand single-use towel) made of synthetic fibers. As shown in Figure 10, the amount of QAC residue in the solution increases with the treatment studied, especially the QAC residue of the fiber treated with LEVOGEN is better than that of the commercially available synthetic fiber.

no.

Refer to the accompanying drawings for an understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. The drawings are for illustration only, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. The disclosures described in this article are only examples, and are not limited by the drawings. Figure 1 is a graph illustrating the remaining QAC percentages of various fibers tested in Example 1. Figure 2 is a graph illustrating the remaining QAC percentages of various fibers tested in Example 2. Figure 3 is a graph illustrating the remaining QAC percentages of various fibers tested in Example 3. Figure 4 is a graph illustrating the remaining QAC percentages of various fibers tested in Example 4. Figure 5 is a graph illustrating the remaining QAC percentages of various fibers tested in Example 5. Figure 6 is a graph illustrating the remaining QAC percentages of various fibers tested in Example 6. Figure 7 is a graph illustrating the remaining QAC percentages of various fibers tested in Example 7. Figure 8 is a graph illustrating the remaining QAC percentages of various fibers tested in Example 8. Figure 9 is a graph illustrating the remaining QAC percentages of various fibers tested in Example 9. Figure 10 is a graph illustrating the remaining QAC percentages of various fibers tested in Example 10.

Claims (51)

A fibrous material comprising a plurality of fibers, the fibers are natural or synthetic cellulose fibers, or natural or synthetic protein fibers, and wherein the fibers are treated with at least one cationic compound. The fiber material according to claim 1, wherein the cationic compound is selected from the following list: alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, transition or post-transition metal salts, and ionic liquids. The fiber material according to claim 1, wherein the cationic compound is a salt of aluminum, copper, zinc, manganese or iron. The fiber material according to any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the cationic compound is selected from the group consisting of sulfate, sulfite, acetate, carbonate, chloride, hydroxide, phosphate and nitrate A salt that forms a group. The fiber material according to any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the cationic compound is an aluminum salt. The fiber material according to claim 5, wherein the aluminum salt is selected from the group consisting of aluminum chloride, aluminum sulfate, aluminum potassium sulfate, and aluminum acetate. The fiber material according to claim 1, wherein the cationic compound is an ionic liquid including a cation, and the cation is selected from the group consisting of imidazole ion, ammonium ion, pyrrolidine ion, pyridinium ion and phosphonium ion. The fiber material according to claim 7, wherein the cationic compound includes polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride. The fiber material according to claim 1, wherein the cationic compound is a polymer comprising one or more quaternary ammonium groups. The fibrous material according to claim 9, wherein the polymer is dicyandiamine, formaldehyde, or ammonium chloride polymer. The fiber material according to any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the dry addition amount of the cationic compound is at most about 20% of the dry fiber weight. The fiber material according to claim 11, wherein the dry addition amount of the cationic compound is at most about 10% of the dry fiber weight. The fibrous material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fibrous material is substantially free of carboxymethyl cellulose. The fibrous material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fibrous material is further treated with one or more of an alcohol, an alkali, a quaternary ammonium compound, and a polymer or resin. The fiber material of claim 14, wherein the fiber material is further treated with one or more of a quaternary ammonium compound and a carbonate or bicarbonate base. The fibrous material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fibrous material has improved compatibility with the quaternary ammonium compound when compared with the same fibrous material not treated with a cationic compound. The fibrous material according to claim 16, wherein the fibrous material is characterized in that after immersing the fibrous material in a benzalkonium chloride solution with a concentration of 1000 ppm at room temperature for 5 minutes, the benzalkonium monochloride The residual amount of the quaternary ammonium compound in the solution greater than 40% is determined by the ultraviolet spectrum of the benzalkonium chloride solution. The fibrous material according to any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the plural fibers include those selected from the group consisting of glue filament, acetate, rayon, tencel, cotton, bast fiber, and mixtures thereof Natural or synthetic cellulose fibers. The fibrous material of claim 18, wherein the fibrous material includes bast fibers in an amount of at least about 5% by weight. The fibrous material according to claim 19, wherein the bast fiber is selected from the group consisting of kenaf, nettle, Spanish gorse, jute, bamboo, ramie, hemp, flax and mixtures thereof. The fibrous material according to any one of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the fibrous material is selected from a woven, knitted or non-woven fabric, or a composite of two or more of the fabrics. The fibrous material according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fibrous material has a loose fiber form selected from the group consisting of: a mat, felting layer, bale, loop, Cotton bolls, balls, and bundles; or have a product form selected from the group consisting of: a wipe or wiping cloth, a medical product, a health and health care product, and a wound care product. A method for providing a fibrous material with improved compatibility with quaternary ammonium compounds includes: (a) Provide a fibrous material including multiple fibers, which are natural or synthetic cellulose fibers, or natural or synthetic protein fibers; (b) As appropriate, pre-treat the fibrous material with an alkali; (c) Treat the fiber material with at least one cationic compound to provide improved compatibility with quaternary ammonium compounds; and (d) As appropriate, further process the processed fiber material with a polymer or resin. The method of claim 23, wherein the treatment (c) comprises: treating the fibrous material with a treatment liquid including a concentration of the cationic compound of 0.1% to up to about 40% wof. The method of claim 24, wherein the treatment (c) comprises: treating the fibrous material with a treatment liquid including the cationic compound at a concentration of at least 20% wof. The method according to claim 23, wherein treating the fiber material with at least one cationic compound comprises: treating the fiber material with an aqueous solution, a slurry, a solid or an ionic liquid containing the at least one cationic compound. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the cationic compound is selected from the following list: alkali metal salts, alkaline earth metal salts, transition or post-transition metal salts. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the cationic compound is a salt of aluminum, copper, zinc, manganese, or iron. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the cationic compound is selected from the group consisting of sulfate, sulfite, acetate, carbonate, chloride, hydroxide, phosphate, and nitrate. A salt that forms a group. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the cationic compound is an aluminum salt. The method according to claim 30, wherein the aluminum salt is selected from the group consisting of aluminum chloride, aluminum sulfate, aluminum potassium sulfate, and aluminum acetate. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the cationic compound is an ionic liquid including a cation, and the cation is selected from the group consisting of imidazole ion, ammonium ion, pyrrolidine ion, pyridinium ion and phosphonium ion Formed into a group. The method of claim 32, wherein the cationic compound comprises polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the cationic compound is a polymer comprising one or more quaternary ammonium groups. The method according to claim 34, wherein the polymer is a dicyandiamine, formaldehyde, or ammonium chloride polymer. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the fiber material is substantially free of carboxymethyl cellulose. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the pretreatment (b) comprises treating the fiber material with a carbonate or bicarbonate alkali. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the fiber material is further treated with an alcohol before being treated with the cationic compound. The method according to claim 38, wherein the alcohol is ethanol or isopropanol. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the fiber material is further treated with at least one quaternary ammonium compound. The method according to claim 40, wherein the fiber material is treated with the at least one cationic compound and the at least one quaternary ammonium compound at the same time. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 26, further comprising mechanically or chemically treating the fibrous material to remove surface impurities before being treated with the cationic compound. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the polymer or resin is dispersed in a liquid. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the polymer or resin is polyhydroxyalkanoate, aliphatic polyester or copolyester, aromatic polyester or copolyester, poly Esteramide, polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, poly-e-caprolactone, thermoplastic starch, modified starch, protein or chitosan. The method according to any one of claim 23 to claim 26, wherein the fiber material is a non-woven material. The method described in claim 45 includes: (a) Provide the nonwoven material in a roll; (b) feeding the non-woven material from the roll through a coating pan, the coating pan containing a liquid including the cationic compound, so that the cationic compound contacts the non-woven material; (c) Calendering the non-woven material to remove excess liquid; (d) drying the non-woven material to reduce the amount of liquid retained in the non-woven material to form a treated non-woven material; and (e) As appropriate, wind the treated nonwoven material back into a roll form. The method according to claim 46, wherein the cationic compound is polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride or dicyandiamine, formaldehyde, or ammonium chloride polymer. The method of claim 46, wherein the concentration of the cationic compound in the liquid is between about 0.5% and about 10% by weight based on the total weight of the liquid. The method of claim 46, wherein the dry addition amount of the cationic compound in the treated nonwoven material is at most about 20% of the dry fiber weight. The method according to claim 46, wherein the non-woven material and the treated non-woven material are substantially free of carboxymethyl cellulose. The method of claim 46, wherein the nonwoven material comprises at least about 5% by weight of bast fibers.

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