Toray Industries, Inc's (Tokyo, JP) nanoporous polymer fiber with unconnected pores for improved adsorptivity earned U.S. Patent 7,666,504. The fiber has such a multitude of fine pores that it exhibits dramatically increased liquid adsorptivity and/or gas adsorptivity. According to inventors Takashi Ochi, Akira Kishiro, Shuichi Nonaka, Takaaki Mihara and Norio Suzuki, “the fiber can be applied not only to the fiber industry but also to a variety of industries and is very revolutionary and useful.”
The porous fibers can be made into fibrous structures such as yarns, cut fibers, felts, packages or fibrous articles using the fibers. They can have a variety of functions using the nanoporous structure, are promising in various fields and are “very epoch making,” sat the inventors.
More specifically, the fibers easily take a variety of functional materials in the nanopores and are more easily processed to be functional as compared with conventional fibers.
The fibers can bear or support, for example, any of moisture absorbents, flame retardants, water repellents, humectants, cold insulators, heat insulators and lubricating agents in the form of, but not limited to, fine particles. In addition, agents for promoting health and beauty care, such as polyphenols, amino acids, proteins, capsaicin and vitamins, as well as agents for dermatosis such as dermatophytosis and medicaments such as disinfectants, anti-inflammatory agents and analgesics.
Further, polyamines, photocatalytic nanoparticles and other agents for adsorbing and/or decomposing harmful substances can be imparted to the fibers. If desired, hybrid materials can be arbitrarily obtained from them by allowing the fibers to adsorb or absorb organic or inorganic monomers capable of forming polymers and polymerizing the monomers.
The fibers can have selective adsorptivity and/or catalytic activity by activating the walls of the pores by chemical processing using their high specific surface areas.
More specifically, the fibers easily take a variety of functional materials in the nanopores and are more easily processed to be functional as compared with conventional fibers.
The fibers can bear or support, for example, any of moisture absorbents, flame retardants, water repellents, humectants, cold insulators, heat insulators and lubricating agents in the form of, but not limited to, fine particles. In addition, agents for promoting health and beauty care, such as polyphenols, amino acids, proteins, capsaicin and vitamins, as well as agents for dermatosis such as dermatophytosis and medicaments such as disinfectants, anti-inflammatory agents and analgesics.
Further, polyamines, photocatalytic nanoparticles and other agents for adsorbing and/or decomposing harmful substances can be imparted to the fibers. If desired, hybrid materials can be arbitrarily obtained from them by allowing the fibers to adsorb or absorb organic or inorganic monomers capable of forming polymers and polymerizing the monomers.
The fibers can have selective adsorptivity and/or catalytic activity by activating the walls of the pores by chemical processing using their high specific surface areas.
The fibers, with adjustable performance according to necessity, can yield comfortable products for use in clothing such as panty hose, tights, inner wears, shirts, blousons, trousers and coats and can also be used in clothing materials such as cups and pads; interior decoration such as curtains, carpets, mats and furniture; livingwares such as wiping cloths; industrial materials such as abrasive cloths; and vehicle interior decoration.
The fibers, if adsorbing any functional molecule or agent, can also be used as most advanced materials typically in the fields of environment, medical or information technology (IT), such as fibrous structures as health-cosmetic-related goods, base fabrics for medicaments and medical devices, as well as electrodes of fuel cells.
The fibers, if adsorbing any functional molecule or agent, can also be used as most advanced materials typically in the fields of environment, medical or information technology (IT), such as fibrous structures as health-cosmetic-related goods, base fabrics for medicaments and medical devices, as well as electrodes of fuel cells.
The polymer alloy fiber has an islands-in-sea structure and comprising a lower soluble polymer as a sea part, and a higher soluble polymer as islands parts, the islands constituting a lined structure, in which the area ratio of islands each having a diameter of 200 nm or more to the total islands is 3% or less.
The nanoporous fiber is substantially free from coarse pores and having homogeneously dispersed nanopores, unlike conventional porous fibers. The porous fiber has pores each with a diameter of 100 nm or less, in which the area ratio of pores each with a diameter of 200 nm or more to the total cross section of the fiber is 1.5% or less, and the fiber has a strength of 1.0 cN/dtex or more.
The porous fiber has a multitude of fine and even-sized nanopores and is substantially free from coarse pores that reflect visible radiation.
The term "nanopores" means fine pores each having a diameter of 100 nm or less.
The term "nanoporous fiber" refers to a fiber containing one or more pores having a diameter of 100 nm or less per square micrometer at cross section of a fiber perpendicular to the axial direction.
To achieve these properties satisfactorily, key factors are that the resulting fiber is substantially free from not-fine, i.e., coarse pores and the fiber contains a multitude of fine pores in even-sized and homogeneously distributed at cross section of a fiber.
The term "nanoporous fiber" refers to a fiber containing one or more pores having a diameter of 100 nm or less per square micrometer at cross section of a fiber perpendicular to the axial direction.
To achieve these properties satisfactorily, key factors are that the resulting fiber is substantially free from not-fine, i.e., coarse pores and the fiber contains a multitude of fine pores in even-sized and homogeneously distributed at cross section of a fiber.
FIG. 3 is a transmission electron micrograph showing an example of a cross section of a polymer alloy fiber
FIG. 8 is a transmission electron micrograph showing an example of a cross section of a nanoporous fiber.
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