Process for producing water-absorbing polymer fibers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9725827-B2
Application number	US-201314430932-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2013
Priority date	Oct 2, 2012
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for producing water-absorbing crosslinked polymer fibers, especially micro- or nanofibers, by spinning process, especially electrospinning process and to fibers obtainable by this process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for producing water-absorbing polymer fibres comprising:
a) spinning a solution of at least one water-soluble polymer, and
b) subjecting the resulting fibres to UV radiation,
wherein the water soluble polymer solution is free of crosslinking agent.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the spinning process is electrospinning.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the water soluble polymer is at least partially neutralized.

4. The process according to claim 3 , wherein a degree of neutralization is between 10 and 85 mol %.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the polymer concentration in an aqueous medium is between 5% to 60% by weight.

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the UV radiation has a wavelength of 50 to 350 nm.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the fibres have a centrifuge retention capacity (CRC) of at least 5 g/g in de-ionized water.

8. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the water soluble polymer is anionic or cationic or a mixture of both.

9. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the water soluble polymer is polyacrylic acid and/or polyvinylamine.

10. Water-absorbing polymer fibres obtained by a process according to claim 1 .

11. The fibres according to claim 10 having a diameter not greater than 3 μm.

12. The fibres according to claim 10 having a centrifuge retention capacity (CRC) in de-ionized water of at least 5 g/g.

13. Water-absorbing polymer fibres having a centrifuge retention capacity (CRC) of at least 5 g/g, a fiber diameter of 0.3 to 2 μm, a degree of neutralization of 10 to 80 mol %, and free of crosslinking agent.

14. A fluid absorbent article comprising fibres according to claim 10 .

15. The fluid absorbent article according to claim 14 , comprising a core containing about 0.1% to 100% by weight of the fibres.

16. A fluid absorbent article comprising fibres according to claim 13 .

17. The fluid absorbent article according to claim 16 , comprising a core containing about 0.1% to 100% by weight of the fibres.

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Daniel Thomas
• Zhang Xiaomin
• Goebel Kathleen H

Classifications

• A61F2013/530613

  in fibres · CPC title

• D10B2509/02

  Bandages, dressings or absorbent pads · CPC title

• D01F6/26

  from other polymers · CPC title

• A61L15/24

  Macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Derivatives thereof {(A61L15/225 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• A61F2013/53062

  being made into a paper or non-woven · CPC title