UNIDIRECTIONAL WICKING SUBSTRATE

• US 20180371665A1
• Filed: 09/02/2016
• Published: 12/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Newtech Textile Technology Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cotton Research And Development Corporation, Deakin University
• Inventors: Lin, Tong, Wang, Hongxia, Zhou, Hua
• Granted Patent: US 10,767,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A41B 1/08 Details
• CPC Class Codes: A41B 2400/62 through several layers
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2500/10 Knitted
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2500/20 Woven
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 2500/30 Non-woven
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 31/02 Layered materials characterised by special function or use A41D31/04
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 31/102 Waterproof and breathable
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 9/0253 Pillow slips
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 1/00 Platen presses, i.e. presses in which printing is effected by at least one essentially-flat pressure-applying member co-operating with a flat type-bed
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/38 for printing on knitted fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/006 Patterns of chemical products used for a specific purpose, e.g. pesticides, perfumes, adhesive patterns; use of microencapsulated material; Printing on smoking articles
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 1/00 Woven fabrics designed to make specified articles
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 13/004 with weave pattern being non-standard or providing special effects
• CPC Class Codes: D06B 19/00 Treatment of textile materials by liquids, gases or vapours, not provided for in groups D06B1/00 - D06B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06B 19/0005 Fixing of chemicals, e.g. dyestuffs, on textile materials D06B9/02, D06B17/00 - D06B17/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D06C 23/00 Making patterns or designs on fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2201/02 Cotton
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/021 hydrophobic
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/022 hydrophylic
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2501/04 Outerwear; Protective garments

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate having a unidirectional water transport property, the substrate comprised of a fluid permeable structure and including: an inner side surface; and an outer side surface having a higher absorbent capacity than the inner side surface, wherein the inner side surface has a hydrophobic surface layer extending continuously over at least one section thereof, the hydrophobic surface layer having a predetermined thickness which, in use, produces a substantial hydrophobic property to contacting water, whilst allowing for water contacting the inner side surface of the substrate to wick through the hydrophobic surface layer into the substrate; and wherein the substrate is respectively comprised of hydrophobic channels and hydrophilic channels which respectively extend between the inner side surface and the outer side surface.

Claims

1. A substrate having a unidirectional water transport property, the substrate having a fluid permeable structure and including:

an inner side surface; and

an outer side surface having a higher absorbent capacity than the inner side surface;

wherein the inner side surface has a hydrophobic surface layer extending continuously over at least one section thereof, the hydrophobic surface layer having a predetermined thickness which, in use, produces a substantial hydrophobic property to contacting water, whilst allowing for water contacting the inner side surface of the substrate to wick through the hydrophobic surface layer into the substrate; and

wherein the substrate is respectively comprised of hydrophobic channels and hydrophilic channels which respectively extend between the inner side surface and the outer side surface.

2. A substrate according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the hydrophobic channels or the hydrophobic surface layer comprise superhydrophobic channels.

3. A substrate according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic surface layer has a thickness of between 20 to 100 μ

m, preferably 30 to 70 μ

m.

4. A substrate according to claim 1, wherein the inner side of the substrate has an accumulative one-way transport capacity index (R) (measured by AATCC Test Method 195-2011) of at least 200, preferably at least 300, and more preferably at least 400.

5. A substrate according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic channels are respectively interspaced by the hydrophilic channels.

6. A substrate according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic channels are arranged in a pattern, preferably a regular repeating pattern, along the length and width of the substrate.

7. A substrate according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic channels are arranged in a regular array of spaced apart sections across the length and width of the substrate.

8. A substrate according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic channels form columns between the inner side surface and the outer side surface which are surrounded by the hydrophilic channels.

9. A substrate according to claim 6, wherein the hydrophobic channels are arranged in a pattern which occupy between 30 to 70%, preferably between 40 and 60%, more preferably between 45 and 55%, and even more preferably about 50% of the total surface area of the lateral plane of the pattern.

10. A substrate according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic surface layer and surfaces in the hydrophobic channels have a water contact angle greater than 150 degrees.

11. A substrate according to claim 1, wherein the surface temperature difference between the inner side surface and outer side surface of a wetted substrate is at least 2°

C., preferably at least 3°

C. during moisture evaporation from the substrate.

12. (canceled)

13. A method of producing a unidirectional water transport property to a hydrophilic substrate, the substrate being fluid permeable and having an inner side surface;

and an opposite outer side surface, the method including the steps of;

applying a hydrophobic treatment in a predetermined pattern on and through the thickness of at least a portion of the substrate, said pattern comprising hydrophobic treated channels and untreated hydrophilic channels which respectively extend between the inner side surface and the outer side surface; and

applying a coating of hydrophobic treatment to the surface of the inner side of the substrate, the coating applied to produce a hydrophobic surface layer having a predetermined thickness to produce a substantial hydrophobic property to contacting water, whilst allowing for wicking water contacting the inner side surface of the substrate to wick through the coating into the substrate;

thereby producing a treated substrate that allows wicking of liquid contacting the inner side surface of the substrate from the inner side surface to the outer side surface of the substrate.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the hydrophobic treated channels are arranged in a regular array of spaced apart sections across the length and width of the substrate.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein the pattern of a hydrophobic treatment is applied using at least one of electrospraying, ink jet printing, screen printing, stamp printing, block printing, roller printing, heat transfer printing, photographic printing, discharge printing, duplex printing, transfer printing, plasma treatment or a combination thereof, and preferably using a combination of electrospraying and screen printing using a screen having the desired aperture patterned formed therein.

17. A method according to claim 13, wherein the coating of hydrophobic treatment to the surface of the inner side of the substrate is applied using at least one of electrospraying, ink jet printing, screening, stamp printing, block printing, roller printing, heat transfer printing, photographic printing, discharge printing, duplex printing, transfer printing, plasma treatment or a combination thereof.

20. A method according to claim 13, wherein the hydrophobic treatment is selected from the group consisting of polymers, small molecules, salts, coupling agents, crosslinkers, organic or inorganic solids, solvents, and blends thereof or comprises at least one of polyalcohol, polysugar, polyaldehydes, polyketones, polycarboxylic acids, amino acid, polyamine, polythiols, nucleic acids and phospholipids, polyethers, disaccharides, polysaccharides, peptide, polypeptides, proteins, collagen, gelatine, or combinations thereof.

14. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

22. A method of producing a unidirectional water transport property to a hydrophobic substrate, the substrate being fluid permeable and having an inner side surface;

and an opposite outer side surface, the method including the steps of;

applying a hydrophilic treatment in a predetermined pattern on and through the thickness of at least a portion of the substrate, said pattern comprising;

hydrophilic treated channels and untreated hydrophobic channels which respectively extend between the inner side surface and the outer side surface; and

a hydrophobic surface layer having a predetermined thickness to produce a substantial hydrophobic property to contacting water, whilst allowing for wicking water contacting the inner side surface of the substrate to wick through the coating into the substrate,

thereby producing a treated substrate that allows wicking of liquid contacting the inner side surface of the substrate from the inner side surface to the outer side surface of the substrate.

24. A method according to claim 22, wherein the untreated hydrophobic channels are arranged in a regular array of spaced apart sections across the length and width of the substrate.

25. A method according to claim 22, wherein the pattern of a hydrophilic treatment is applied using at least one of electrospraying, ink jet printing, screen printing, stamp printing, block printing, roller printing, heat transfer printing, photographic printing, discharge printing, duplex printing, transfer printing, plasma treatment or a combination thereof, preferably using a combination of electrospraying and screen printing using a screen having the desired aperture patterned formed therein.

27. A method according to claim 22, wherein the hydrophilic treatment is selected from the group consisting of polyalcohols, polysugar, polyaldehydes, polyketones, polycarboxylic acids, amino acid, polyamine, polythiols, nucleic acids and phospholipids, polyethers, disaccharides, polysaccharides, peptide, polypeptides, proteins, collagen, and gelatine.

23. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

28-36. -36. (canceled)