New Nonwovens - Latest Developments in Multicomponent Fibers

Multicomponent fibers, also known as conjugate fibers, are composed of two or more different fiber-forming polymers or similar fiber-forming polymers of different properties. Since the components contained in such fibers complement each other, the properties of the composite fibers are generally superior to those of conventional synthetic fibers, and have various uses. Multi-component fiber has occupied an increasingly important position in the field of non-woven fabrics due to its unique functionality and excellent new energy index. It is highly concerned by product companies, and more and more non-woven equipment companies and coil companies A lot of research and development efforts have been invested in research on such topics.

In the 1960s, DuPont of the United States used a variety of polymer materials to successfully obtain bicomponent fibers with different fiber cross-section structures, which made the functional change of bicomponent fibers generally valued by fiber manufacturers. Into the field of sensors, drug controlled release, photoelectric transmission and electromagnetic shielding.

The following is a look at the application of cutting-edge applications for multi-component fibers in recent years.

Multi-component photocatalytic fiber and its in water

Purification and odor elimination applications

At present, the main ways to remove organic pollutants in water are membrane filtration, activated carbon adsorption, biochemical treatment, ozone oxidation or high-end oxidation technology. These methods have the disadvantages of high cost and high energy consumption.

Multi-component photocatalytic fibers have the advantage of energy saving, which can degrade organic pollutants or remove pathogens by means of solar energy. Photocatalysis does not require high temperature and high pressure conditions, and generally no chemical oxidant is added.

The TiO2/cellulose nanofiber composites under development have exhibited very good photocatalytic properties under UV environment, and then modified Ag/TiO2/cellulose nanofibers and Au/TiO2/cellulose nanofibers. Composite materials can exhibit good photocatalytic properties in visible light and can be used in drinking water purification and agricultural water treatment. In addition, the use of TiO2 photocatalytic fibers can decompose odors and can be used to eliminate the odor of textiles.

Multi-component conductive fiber and its application in material structure detection in complex environments

The Institute of Textile Research (RWTH) of the University of Aachen in Germany has carried out research on the polymer sensor fiber project, using piezoelectric polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resin as the skin layer and PP-CNT-low melting point metal preparation as the core group. In the piezoelectric sensor fiber, the composite fiber can convert an electrical signal when the external environmental conditions change.

The multi-component fiber is mainly used for the detection of material structure in complex environments, such as the monitoring of the strength of the civil engineering, wind energy equipment structure and the change of the blade load condition, and is considered to be one of the most valuable application fields.

Bicomponent fiber in reinforced concrete

Application in construction

The bicomponent fiber for concrete reinforcement is economical and has proven to be an alternative to steel fiber. Polyolefin bicomponent fibers have been successfully used in concrete engineering. The addition of nanopowders and additives to the skin layer can greatly improve the fracture strength, elastic modulus and mechanical properties of concrete.

Polyolefin sheath-core composite fiber in concrete

Through the flat test and the four-point bending test, as well as the actual application and on-site inspection data, the structure of the polyolefin sheath-core composite fiber has the advantage of no peeling under load, effectively improving the adhesion between the fiber and the concrete, and improving the adhesion. The flexural strength of concrete can be used for the construction of prefabricated parts, industrial floor construction and seismic protection facilities.

Flow core bicomponent fiber and its

Application in the field of personal protection

Flow Core Bicomponent Fibers For impact impacts from the external environment, traditional personal protection methods rely on enhancing the shell's bearing capacity to prevent or slow down the body's possible damage. The use of mobile core fiber materials is becoming a new concept of personal protective materials, and liquid component packing fibers are expected to become a new and highly applicable protective material.

Flow core bicomponent fiber

The developing core-type composite fiber exhibits a rate-dependent viscoelasticity based on the rheological properties of the core layer. The core layer is made of polymer and flowable medium. Facing the external impact, the movement of the rheological core layer can significantly reduce the impact strength and greatly enhance the adaptability of the fiber material to the impact change.

Through the combined experiments of different fluids and various injection methods, the special forming assembly of the rheological core bicomponent fiber has been successfully developed, and the rheology core can occupy 36% of the core cavity. In the current research of mobile core fiber, the available skin materials include PP, low density polyethylene (PE), polyamide (PA) 6, PA12 and the like. The rheological core component is mainly polydimethylsiloxane, polyethylene glycol, polyolefin oligomer.