Journal of Fiber Bioengineering & Informatics 4:4 (2011) 403411

http://www.jfbi.org | doi:10.3993/jfbi12201110

Hydrophilic Properties of PP/CHA Nonwoven Fabrics

Lingling Fan, Deshan Cheng, Xiangyu Jin
Engineering Research Center of Technical Textiles, Ministry of Education Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China

Abstract This paper presents the preparation of PP/CHA melt-blown nonwoven fabric and the studies on its hydrophilic property. The property of polymer materials was investigated at the rst place by dierential thermal analysis (DSC) and rheology analysis. SEM was used to study the web structure aected by the hot air temperature. Wide-angle X-ray Diraction (WAXD) was used to study the degree of crystallization of PP/CHA melt-blown nonwovens produced at dierent hot air temperatures. The hydrophilic property of PP/CHA melt-blown nonwoven fabrics was studied by testing the static water contact angle, the liquid wicking rate and the multiple liquid strikethrough time. The static contact angle test proves that hydrophilic properties were obtained by means of using the Commercial Hydrophilic Additive (CHA), while the addition of the Traditional Hydrophilic Additive (THA) did not. The liquid wicking rate test shows that PP/CHA nonwoven fabric has the highest liquid wicking rate due to its hydrophilic groups transferred to the surface and forming a hydrophilic lm. The multiple liquid strikethrough time indicates that the nonwoven fabric treated by THA loses its wettability after 3 insults, while nonwovens containing 5.5% CHA remained hydrophilic even after 12 insults. It can be concluded that PP/CHA melt-blown nonwoven fabrics have durable hydrophilic property. Keywords : PP/CHA Melt-blown Nonwoven; Preparation; Additive; Hydrophilicity; Static Contact Angle

Introduction

Nonwovens have become one of the fast growing industries in the textile world. Nonwoven fabrics are processed by web forming and web consolidation, which are dierent from the processes of conventional textile fabrics. Melt-blown nonwovens possess a 3-dimentional network structure fabricated by ultrane bers, which gives them small pore size, high porosity, good ltration and absorption properties [1]. With nonwoven products moving into more technical end-uses, Polypropylene (PP) bres have grown to be one of the dominant materials in the nonwovens industry. It is estimated that over 90% of all Melt-blown (MB) nonwovens are made from Polypropylene (PP), because of its low

Corresponding author. Email address: jinxy@dhu.edu.cn (Xiangyu Jin).

19408676 / Copyright 2011 Binary Information Press & Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Society December 2011

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cost, ease of processing, favorable chemical and physical properties, such as lack of heat shrinkage, impact strength, tensile strength, and its ability to be drawn into very ne bers [2]. However, PP is a typical hydrophobic polymer, so its melt-blown nonwovens have poor hydrophilicity, which limits their use in some areas. To improve wettability and increase the surface energy of PP nonwoven fabrics, many techniques have been studied to introduce polar groups to the surface and enrich surface functionality. Chemical treatments have been used to create hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups on PP nonwoven fabrics [3-7]. Surface coatings with a solution containing hydrophilic substances have also been used to improve the hydrophilic properties [8, 9]. Besides these modication techniques, the use of migratory additives, i.e., materials added to the melt that exhibit controlled migration to the surface of the PP nonwoven fabrics, have been recognized as low cost materials and reliable method to generate desirable surface properties without altering the bulk properties [10]. Migratory additives have been of great interest for several reasons. They are ecient, as only a small quantity of additive is needed to signicantly change the polymer surface property [11]. Furthermore, compared with other techniques such as plasma treatment [12-14], surface grafting [15-18], and solution coating [8, 9], migratory additives do not require post processing and solvent handling. Many nonionic surfactants have been used as migratory additives to render PP nonwovens surface hydrophilic. Examples include lauric acid diethanol amide [11], and polyethylene glycol (PEG) lauryl ether [19]. An ionic surfactant, sodium alkenesulfonate with 15 carbons, was used to hydrophilize PP fabric as well [20]. Although a lot of surfactants are reported to be able to change the surface properties of PP lms, there has been a little work reported to systematically study the eects of hydrophilic additives on the surface hydrophilicity of PP melt-blown nonwoven fabrics. In this article, we investigate the properties of PP melt-blown nonwoven fabrics modied by blending with a Novel Hydrophilic Additive (CHA) in dierent melt-blown process conditions.

2
2.1

Experiments
Materials

Polypropylene was obtained from Shanghai Expert Company as the base polymer for this study. The Novel Hydrophilic Additive (CHA) was a pre blended mixture of 40% PP and 60% active ingredients, which structure as CH3 CH2 (CH2 CH2 )a CH2 CH2 (OCH2 CH2 )b OH, in which a=9-25 and b=1-10. A Traditional Hydrophilic Additive (THA), which probably contains a substance structured as HO (CH2 CH2 O)n H.

2.2
2.2.1

Polymer Characterization
Thermal Analysis

Thermal analysis was carried out using the Dierential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC). Polymer materials were heated from room temperature to 200 at a heating rate of 10 /min in the N2

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atmosphere, held at that temperature for 10 mins to ensure complete melting of all the crystals, and then cooled to room temperature at the rate of 65 /min. 2.2.2 Rheological Property

The rheological behavior of polymer materials was performed by an ARES-RFS rheometer. The samples were cylinders of 8 mm in diameter and 2mm thick and were placed on the rheometer plates. The measurements were done at 180 - 220 . The rheometer was interfaced with a computer so that the viscosity and stress signals could be directly recorded and analyzed.

2.3

Preparation of Melt-blown Nonwoven Fabrics

The experiments were carried out using the melt-blowing nonwoven equipment at Donghua University. PP was extruded through the extruder with CHA and THA respectively. The concentration of CHA and THA in the melt-blown nonwoven fabrics was formulated at from 2.5wt% to 6.5wt%. The dual-slot-die parameters were as follows: slot width=0.2 mm, die length=200 mm, head extended width=0.5 mm, and the spinneret diameter=0.18 mm. The polymer throughput was 0.28g/hole/min, the die temperature was 240 , hot air temperature was 275 -295 , the hot air pressure was 0.10 Mpa - 0.40 Mpa, and the Die-to-collector Distance (DCD) was 8 cm-14 cm.

2.4
2.4.1

Nonwoven Fabric Characterization

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Analysis

The morphologies of PP/CHA melt-blown nonwoven fabrics produced in dierent hot air temperature were examined using a JSM-5600 scanning electron microscopy. The specimens were coated with gold using a sputter coater and their morphology was observed under the SEM at an acceleration voltage of 10 kV. 2.4.2 Wide-angle x-ray Diraction

Wide-angle x-ray diraction (WAXD) of the nonwoven samples was carried out using a D/max2550 PC X-ray diractometer in continuous scan mode to evaluate the degree of crystallization. Equatorial scans were obtained from 2=2 to 30 in steps of 0.02 and a dwell time of 0.12 s, whilst operating at 40 kV and 200 mA. 2.4.3 2.4.3.1 Hydrophilic Properties Analysis Static Water Contact Angle

The static contact angle of the original and the modied nonwovens were measured to quantify the change in hydrophilicity, using a contact angle goniometer (OCA15EC, dataphysics, Germany). A Sessile Drop method, which was preferred for explanate surfaces, was chosen. An ultra-pure water drop (3l) was added to a dry sample in ambient atmosphere, and the sample was observed through a traveling microscope tted with a goniometer eyepiece. The data

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shown represented an average over ve measurements performed on ve dierent areas of the same specimen. 2.4.3.2 The Liquid Wicking Rate The capillarity method measures the rate of vertical capillary rise in a specimen strip suspended in the test liquid. The liquid wicking rate was investigated according to ISO 9073-6 Textiles Testing standard. 2.4.3.3 Multiple Liquid Strikethrough Time This test measures the strikethrough time, i.e. the time taken for a known volume of liquid (simulated urine) applied to the surface of the test piece of nonwoven cover stock, which is in contact with an underlying standard absorbent pad, to pass through the nonwoven. In this test, the liquid strikethrough time of the fabrics has been examined for 12 times. Liquid strikethrough time was investigated according to ISO 9073-8 Textiles Testing standard.

3
3.1
3.1.1

Results and Discussion

Raw Materials Analysis
DSC Analysis

Since the web structure can be signicantly aected by the heating during melt-blown process, it is very important to investigate the thermal properties of the three raw materials. Fig. 1 shows the DSC curves for the raw materials, where the melt temperature of PP is 160 , while THA and CHA show more complicated on DSC curve which have multi-melting points performance, indicating that they are both intermixture, therefore, the condition of the melt blowing process of the mixture may be dierent from pure PP.
0.8 0.6 0.4 H (mv) 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 0 50 100 150 Tempreture 200 250 PP RZ CHA

Fig. 1: DSC curves of raw materials

3.1.2

Rheological Property Analysis

As shown in Fig. 2, the rheological behaviour of the materials was obtained by shear stress-shear rate and shear viscosity -shear rate measurements within a range of shear rates (0.1-100 s1 ). Via rheological analysis, the uid viscosity decreases and the sheer stress increases of the polymer

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Degree of viscosity (Pa*s) Degree of viscosity (Pa*s) Degree of viscosity (Pa*s) 50 40 30 20 10 0 20 40 60 80 100 Sheer rate (1/s) 180 deg 200 deg 220 deg 180 deg 200 deg 220 deg 3000 Sheer stress (Pa) 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 180 deg 200 deg 220 deg 180 deg 200 deg 220 deg 300 200 150 100 50 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 Sheer rate (1/s) Sheer stress (Pa) 250 250 200 150 100 50 0 0 180 deg 200 deg 220 deg

407
350 300 250 200

180 deg 200 deg 150 220 deg 100 50 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Sheer rate (1/s)

(a) PP

(b) CHA

(c) THA

Fig. 2: Rheology curves of raw materials materials with the rise of hot air temperature, so they are typical non-Newtonian uids. Combined with the thermal result, the die temperature was set at 240 in this experiment.

3.2
3.2.1

Nonwoven Fabric Analysis

SEM Observation

The representative SEM images of the samples processed at dierent temperature are shown in Fig. 3. Comparing the three samples, we can see that the morphology is apparently dierent. In addition, the ber diameters were measured from the SEM image using Image-Pro Plus software. Both the diameters and the pore space decreases with the hot air temperature rising, which indicates that the web structure is signicantly aected by the heating during melt-blown process. Since the thermal and uid properties of the polymer materials are infected by hot air temperature, it is not surprising that the heat notably aects the web structure of the nonwoven fabrics. 3.2.2 Crystallization Property Analysis

The WAXD scans of dierent melt-blown web samples are shown in Fig. 4. Results of crystallinity measured by WAXD are as follows: 33.98% (Fig. 4 (a)), 42.52% (Fig. 4 (b)) and 37.53% (Fig. 4 (c)), respectively. The results illustrate that the degree of crystallization increases at rst and then decreases with hot air temperature rising. This is probably because when the temperature is lower,

(a) 275C

(b) 285C

(c) 295C

Fig. 3: SEM images of PP/CHA nonwoven fabrics

Sheer stress (Pa)

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I (CPT)

a b c

10

20 30 40 Two-Theta (C)

50

60

Fig. 4: Wide-angle x-ray diraction of PP/CHA nonwoven ((a) 275 , (b) 285 , (c) 295 ) the crystal nucleus in the system will lead to heteropical nucleation, resulting in a higher speed of crystallization, therefore, a higher degree of crystallization. However, when the temperature is come up to 285 , the crystal nucleus is mainly generated by homogeneous nucleation, and because nucleation takes time (induction period), the speed of crystallization is lower, resulting in a lower crystallization. The increase of the hot air temperature is benecial to the activity of macromolecules and renders it easier to enter into the crystal lattice. Besides, it is also conducive to the elimination of internal stress, leading to a more sucient crystallization. 3.2.3 3.2.3.1 Hydrophilic Properties Analysis Static Water Contact Angle

Fig. 5 indicates that unmodied PP nonwoven (a) is hydrophobic, PP nonwoven fabric containing 5.5%THA (b) has little hydrophilic property, and while PP nonwoven fabric containing 5.5%CHA (c) exhibits excellent hydrophilic property. Furthermore, the water contact angles were measured and the results were as follows: the static water contact angle value of pristine polypropylene nonwoven fabrics is 136.4 , while the contact angle value of PP nonwoven fabrics containing 5.5% CHA is 38.3 . The value for the modied nonwoven fabrics was much smaller than the PP nonwoven fabrics containing 5.5% THA (129.2 ) indicating that the PP nonwoven fabrics containing CHA have much better hydrophilic property. For THA, because the C-O has weak dissociation in water, it can only contribute limitative hydrophilic eect to PP melt-blown fabrics. However, for CHA, due to its special structure, the hydrophilic groups can transfer to

(a)

(b)

(c)

Fig. 5: Contact angle of nonwoven fabrics: pristine sample (a), the modied sample with 5.5% THA (b)
and 5.5% CHA (c)

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the surface and in the meantime, the hydrophobic groups can prevent molecules breaking from the surface, therefore endows PP nonwovens with durable hydrophilicity. 3.2.3.2 Liquid Wicking Rate (Capillarity) The liquid conveying property of melt-blown nonwoven fabric is mainly in connection with the liquid inltration into the bres, the structures and surface characteristics of the bres and nonwovens. From Fig. 6, we can see that PP nonwoven fabric containing CHA have the highest liquid wicking rate due to its hydrophilic groups transferred to the surface and forming a hydrophilic lm, which is benecial to the liquid transferring. 3.2.3.4 Multiple Liquid Strikethrough Time It can be seen from Fig. 7 that PP/CHA melt-blown nonwoven samples are repeatedly subjected to saline solution for multiple strike-through time measurements show values below 3s. The nonwoven fabric treated by THA lost its wettability after 3 insults, while nonwovens containing 4.5% and 5.5% CHA remain hydrophilic even after 12 insults. We can conclude that CHA provides a durable hydrophilic surface eect to PP melt-blown nonwoven fabrics.
Arerage liquid wicking rate (cm/30 min) 1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 PP PP/THA PP/CHA MD CD

Fig. 6: Liquid wicking rate of nonwovens

20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

Liquid strike-through time (s)

>15 >15 12.8 10.3 5.5%THA 4.5%CHA 5.5%CHA

5 6 7 8 9 Number of insults

10 11 12

Fig. 7: The multiple liquid strikethrough time of nonwoven fabrics

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Conclusion

PP melt-blown nonwovens containing hydrophilic additives were prepared and their hydrophilicity was investigated. The THA didnt give necessary hydrophilic properties to PP melt-blown nonwoven fabrics, while CHA was eective in rendering PP melt-blown nonwoven fabric surfaces hydrophilic. CHA is a hydrophilic internal additive for PP melt-blown nonwovens and allows PP melt-blown nonwoven fabrics to absorb liquid quickly. PP/CHA melt-blown nonwoven fabric represents a breakthrough for wipes and similar applications since it continues to be highly absorbent after repeated use. Whats more, it has a short strikethrough time, even after dozens of insults, which is an innovative feature for hygiene products. Due to its specic advantages, PP/CHA melt-blown nonwoven fabric will be used more and more widely in many applications.

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