Patent ID: 6777082
Filing Date: 2004-08-17
Classification: A61F,C08L,D01F,D02G,D03D,Y10T

Abstract:
A fiber produced from a composition comprising at least one hydrogenated block copolymer and at least one other polymer selected from the group consisting of a reactive tailored liquid polyurethane, an elastomeric or sulfonated ethylene/vinyl aromatic interpolymer, an elastomeric ethylene/C3-C20 &agr;-olefin interpolymer, an C3-C20 &agr;-olefin/conjugated diene interpolymer, an elastic polypropylene polymer, an enhanced polypropylene polymer, an elastomeric thermoplastic polyurethane, an elastic polyester, a partially hydrogenated block copolymer, an elastic polyamide, a hydroxyl functionalized polyether (or polyetheramine), a styrene/conjugated diene interpolymer, and an elastomeric metallocene-catalyzed synthetic polymer or a blend or formulated system thereof,wherein the hydrogenated block copolymer is a substantially hydrogenated block copolymer characterized as having: i) a weight ratio of conjugated diene monomer unit block to vinyl aromatic monomer unit block before hydrogenation of greater than or equal to 60:40; ii) a weight average molecular weight (Mw) before hydrogenation of from about 30,000 to about 150,000, wherein each vinyl aromatic monomer unit block (a) has a weight average molecular weight, Mwa, of from about 5,000 to about 45,000 and each conjugated diene monomer unit block (b) has a weight average molecular weight, Mwb, of from about 12,000 to about 110,000; and iii) a hydrogenation level such that each vinyl aromatic monomer unit block is hydrogenated to a level of greater than 90 percent and each conjugated diene monomer unit block is hydrogenated to a level of greater than 95 percent, as determined using UV-VIS spectrophotometry and proton NMR analysis.