Method for hydrophilizing materials using charged particles

• US 20030148684A1
• Filed: 01/08/2003
• Published: 08/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Cramer, Ronald Dean, Rohrbaugh, Robert Henry, Carter, John David, Thuemmler, Karl Edward
• Application Number:
  US10/338,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20030148684A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 442/118
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 5/04 to obtain a surface receptive to ink or other liquid B05D5/02, B41M5/52 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 10/001 Treatment with visible light, infrared or ultraviolet, X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 10/005 Laser beam treatment
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 10/025 Corona discharge or low temperature plasma
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 2101/18 Synthetic fibres consisting of macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 2101/20 Polyalkenes, polymers or copolymers of compounds with alkenyl groups bonded to aromatic groups
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 2101/32 Polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 2200/00 Functionality of the treatment composition and/or properties imparted to the textile material
• CPC Class Codes: D06M 23/08 Processes in which the treating agent is applied in powder or granular form adhesives for multi-layer textile fabrics D06M17/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2484 Coating or impregnation is water absorbency-increasing or hydrophilicity-increasing or hydrophilicity-imparting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2861 Coated or impregnated synthetic organic fiber fabric
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/291 Coated or impregnated polyolefin fiber fabric
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 442/2918 Polypropylene fiber fabric

Abstract

A method of rendering materials having hard and soft surfaces hydrophilic or more hydrophilic is disclosed. The method involves hydrophilizing such materials by applying a high energy treatment and charged particles and/or one or more hydrophilic polymeric materials with discrete charges to such materials.

Claims

1. A method of rendering a material hydrophilic or increasing the hydrophilicity of a material, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a material;

(b) applying a high energy surface treatment to said material to form a treated material; and

(c) applying a plurality of charged particles to said treated material.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the material provided in step (a) is comprised of hydrophobic or borderline hydrophilic structural components.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said material comprises a fabric material.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said fabric material comprises a nonwoven material.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said nonwoven material comprises structural components, and at least some of the structural components of said nonwoven material are at least partially comprised of polyolefin.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein at least some of the structural components of said nonwoven material are at least partially comprised of polyethylene.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein at least some of the structural components of said nonwoven material are at least partially comprised of polypropylene.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein said fabric material comprises structural components, and at least some of the structural components of said fabric material are at least partially comprised of polyester or co-polyester.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said fabric material comprises structural components, and at least some of the structural components of said fabric material are comprised of a borderline hydrophilic polyester or borderline hydrophilic co-polyester.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the high energy surface treatment applied in step (b) comprises a treatment selected from the group consisting of:

corona discharge treatment;

plasma treatment;

UV radiation;

ion beam treatment;

electron beam treatment; and

laser treatment.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein steps (b) and (c) occur sequentially.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein steps (b) and (c) occur simultaneously.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein after step (c), the surface of the treated material becomes hydrophilic and has an advancing contact angle with water of less than about 90°

.

14. A material having a soft surface and a plurality of charged particles thereon which provide said material with a hydrophilically-modified surface.

15. A pervious material according to claim 14 wherein the liquid strike-through time of said material is less than or equal to about 10 seconds after 3 gushes of test liquid according to the Liquid Strike-Through Test.

16. An absorbent nonwoven material according to claim 14.

17. The material of claim 14 having fibers comprising at least one of the following:

polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyester.

18. A disposable absorbent article comprising a disposable absorbent nonwoven material according to claim 16.

19. A wipe according to claim 14.

20. A method of rendering a material hydrophilic or increasing the hydrophilicity of a material, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a material;

(b) applying a high energy surface treatment to said material to form a treated material; and

(c) applying a charged species to said treated material, said charged species comprising at least one of;

(i) a plurality of charged particles; and

(ii) at least one hydrophilic polymeric material, said hydrophilic polymeric material comprising at least one of the following;

a hydrophilic polymeric material having discrete charges;

a hydrophilic polymeric material with a strong dipole moment;

or a hydrophilic polymeric material other than a polysaccharide-based material.