Durable hydrophilic coating for textiles

Abstract: Low molecular weight silicone polyether ABA type block copolymer surfactants wherein a linear polysiloxane is terminated at each end by a polyether moiety derived from ethylene oxide are useful to imparting a hydrophilic coating to the surface of either woven or non-woven textiles.

Description: The present invention relates to low molecular weight silicone polyether ABA type block copolymers that are useful to imparting a hydrophilic coating to the surface of either woven or non-woven textiles. Textiles are made from a variety of materials both natural and man made. Natural textiles include cotton, wool, silk, linen and the like while synthetic textiles are derived from various high polymers such as polyesters, polyamides, polyimides, and the various polyolefins, e.g. polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene. While polymers are used extensively to make a variety of products ranging from blown and cast films, extruded sheets, injection molded articles, foams, blow molded articles, extruded pipe, monofilaments and non-woven webs many of the polymers used for such materials are hydrophobic. In many cases this property is an advantage. There are a number of uses to which polymers may be put where their hydrophobic nature either limits their usefulness or requires some modification. This is particularly true of polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene which are used to manufacture polymeric fabrics which are used in disposable absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants, incontinence products, wipes, feminine care products and the like. These polymeric fabrics are typically non-woven webs prepared by meltblowing, coforming or spunbonding. For uses such as the foregoing these non-woven fabrics need to be wettable. Frequently wettability can be obtained by coating the fabric in some fashion with a surfactant solution during or after formation of the fabric web and drying the web. Some of the more commonly applied topically applied surfactants are nonionic surfactants, for example polyethoxylated octylphenols and the condensation products of propylene oxide with propylene glycol. These types of surfactants are effective in rendering normally hydrophobic polymeric fabrics wettable or hydrophilic. However, the surfactant is readily removed from the fabric, often after only a single exposure to an aqueous liquid. There have been several different approaches to increasing the durability of surfactants that are topically applied to the surface of a fabric. Among these approaches have been: (1) the use of a composition that includes water, a primary surfactant, and a co-surfactant that functions to wet the fabric with the surfactant composition and that provides for a substantially uniform distribution of the primary surfactant onto the fabric; (2) the use of a surfactant, with or without a nonionic co-surfactant that is the reaction product of an acid anhydride derivative with a polyhydroxy compound, polyethylene glycol, triethanolamine, a polyhydroxyamine, and certain unsaturated aliphatic sulfo compounds; (3) the use of a surfactant, with or without a nonionic co-surfactant that is the reaction product of certain unsaturated aliphatic sulfo compounds with the reaction product of an acid anhydride derivative with a polyamine having at least one NH group capable of addition to a double bond; (4) the use of a surfactant mixture that includes an ester acid, ester salt, or a mixture thereof, and an amide-acid, amide-salt or mixture thereof with or without a nonionic co-surfactant; (5) the use of a surfactant mixture that includes a sorbitol succinate surfactant and a co-wetting aid that can be a silicone polyether or a primary or secondary alcohol; and (6) the use of a silicone polyether surfactant having the formula: where R 1 and R 6 are selected from the group of hydrogen and C 1-8 alkyl and aryl, R 2 , R 3 , R 4 and R 5 are selected from the group of C 1-8 alkyl and aryl, the subscript a represents an integer ranging from about 8 to about 25, the subscript b represents an integer ranging from about 8 to about 25, the ratio of b to a is in a range of from about 0.7 to about 1.5, the subscript c represents an integer from 1 to about 10, the subscript d represents an integer of from about 40 to about 70 the ratio of d to two times the sum of a and b is in a range of from about 0.7 to about 1.5 and the number average molecular weight is preferably in a range of from about 5,000 to about 35,000, more preferably from about 6,500 to about 18,500 and most preferably about 7,000. The examples of U.S. patent 5,540,984 ('984) teach that silicone polyether surfactants having a molecular weight below about 7,000 do not provide the durability provided by patentee's invention. Further, the polyether endgroups on the silicone surfactants employed by the '984 patent ranged from about 50 to 80 weight percent propylene oxide and from about 50 to about 20 weight percent ethylene oxide. The '984 patent specifically teaches that reversing this weight ratio of polyether end groups to 85 weight percent ethylene oxide and 15 weight percent propylene oxide (patentee's example P) does not provide a durable hydrophilic coating as defined by patentee. This is emphasized by patentee's results for a silicone polyether surfactant having 100 weight per cent ethylene oxide polyether groups wherein the surfactant was not durable (patentee's example J). Thus, the '984 patent teaches that the polyether substituents of the silicone polyether surfactant must contain a mix of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide groups or preferably all propylene oxide groups. These results were obtained for copolymers terminated with the respective polyether moieties. US-A-5283023 discloses a method of forming a nonwoven web having delayed wettability, in that the web is not wettable by water upon its formation but becomes wettable within from about three hours to about 30 days thereafter without any post-formation treatment, comprising the steps of (1) melting a mixture consisting of a thermoplastic polyolefin, and additive, and a retardant co-additive; (2) forming fibers by extruding the resulting melt through under defined conditions of shear and throughput; (3) drawing the fibers; and (4) collecting the fibers on a moving foraminous surface as a web of entangled fibers. The additive is a defined polysiloxane polyether having a molecular weight of from 700 to 1,300 and a polydispersity of from 1.3 to 3.0. The additive is present in an amount of from 1.8 to 3.0 percent by weight, based on the amount of thermoplastic polyolefin. The co-additive is a high surface area particulate inorganic or organic material which is insoluble in the polymer at both ambient and melt-extrusion temperatures, is present in an amount of from 0.1 to 1 percent, based on the weight of the thermoplastic composition, has a surface area of from 50 to 500 m 2 , and is capable of being at least partially coated by the additive. US-A-4857251 discloses a method of forming a nonwoven web from a composition composed of at least one thermoplastic polymer and at least one defined siloxane-containing additive, which method involves the steps of (A) forming fibers by extruding a molten thermoplastic composition through a die; (B) drawing the fibers; (C) collecting the fibers on a moving foraminous surface as a webl of entangled fibers; and (D) heating the web at a temperature of from about 27° to about 95° C for a period of time sufficient to cause additional additive to move to the surfaces of the fibers and provide at least one surface characteristic which is different from that of the thermoplastic polymer. Notwithstanding the advances that have been made in rendering fabrics wettable by providing for a hydrophilic coating there remains a need for further improvement in these areas. Summary of the Invention The present invention provides for a surfactant silicone compound selected from the group consisting of: 1) polysiloxane polyethers having the formula: where R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyls and R 2 and R 3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of one to forty carbon atom monovalent hydrocarbon radicals; the subscript a ranges from 1 to 8; the subscript b ranges from 1 to 10; the subscript c ranges from zero to 2; the subscript d ranges from to 1 to 10; and the number average molecular weight ranging from ranges from to 300 to 1,000. 2) polysiloxane polyethers having the formula: where R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyls and R 2 and R 3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of one to forty carbon atom monovalent hydrocarbon radicals; the subscript a ranges from to 1 to 8; the subscript b ranges from 1 to 10; the subscript c ranges from zero to 2; the subscript d ranges from to 1 to 10; and the number average molecular weight ranging from ranges from to 300 to 1,000; 3) polysiloxane polyethers having the formula: where R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyls and R 2 and R 3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of one to forty carbon atom monovalent hydrocarbon radicals; the subscript a ranges from to 1 to 8; the subscript b ranges from 1 to 10; the subscript c ranges from zero to 2; the subscript d ranges from to 1 to 10; the subscript e ranges from to 1 to 10; and the number average molecular weight ranging from ranges from to 300 to 1,000; and 4) mixtures thereof. Such surfactant silicone compositions are useful for treating fabrics comprised of natural or synthetic polymeric materials to render the fabrics hydrophilic, i.e. capable of picking up and absorbing quantities of water. Such surfactant silicone compositions are useful for treating cellulosic materials such as paper. Detailed Description of the Invention As used herein, the term "polymeric fabric" means a fabric prepared from any polymeric material capable of being formed into a fabric and includes fabric webs such as paper. Thus, such material can be synthetic or natural, although the former are more likely to be employed in the present invention. Examples of natural polymeric materials include, cotton, silk, wool, and cellulose, by way of illustration only. Synthetic polymeric materials, in turn, can be either thermosetting or thermoplastic materials, with thermoplastic materials being more common. As used herein fabric means any textile, non-woven or woven, or any web such as paper or felt. Examples of thermosetting polymers include, by way of illustration only, alkyd resins, such as phthalic anhydride-glycerol resins, maleic acid-glycerol resins, adipic acid-glycerol resins, and phthalic anhydride-pentaerythritol resins; allylic resins, in which such monomers as diallyl phthalate, diallyl isophthalate diallyl maleate, and diallyl chlorendate serve as nonvolatile cross-linking agents in polyester compounds; amino resins, such as aniline-formaldehyde resins, ethylene urea-formaldehyde resins, dicyandiamide-formaldehyde resins, melamine-formaldehyde resins, sulfonamide-formaldehyde resins, and urea-formaldehyde resins; epoxy resins, such as cross-linked epichlorohydrin-bisphenol A resins; phenolic resins, such as phenol-formaldehyde resins, including Novolacs and resols; and thermosetting polyesters, silicones, and urethanes. Examples of thermoplastic polymers include, by way of illustration only, end-capped polyacetals, such as poly(oxymethylene) or polyformaldehyde, poly(trichloroacetaldehyde), poly(n-valeraldehyde), poly(acetaldehyde) and poly(propionaldehyde); acrylic polymers, such as polyacrylamide, poly(acrylic acid), poly(methacrylic acid), poly(ethyl acrylate) and poly(methyl methacrylate); fluorocarbon polymers, such as poly(tetrafluoroethylene), perfluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymers, ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymers, poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene), ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymers, poly(vinylidene fluoride) and poly(vinyl fluoride); polyamides, such as poly(6-aminocaproic acid) or poly(epsilon-caprolactam), poly(hexamethylene adipamide), poly(hexamethylene sebacamide) and poly(11-amino-undecanoic acid); polyaramides, such as poly(imino-1,3-phenyleneiminoisophthaloyl) or poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide); parylenes, such as poly-p-xylylene and poly(chloro-p-xylylene); polyaryl ethers, such as poly(oxy-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) or poly(p-phenylene oxide); polyaryl sulfones, such as poly(oxy-1,4-phenylenesulfonyl-1,4-phenyleneoxy-1,4-phenylene-isopropylidene-1,4-phenylene) and poly(sulfonyl-1,4-phenyleneoxy1,4-phenylenesulfonyl-4,4'-biphenylene); polycarbonates, such as poly(bisphenolA)orpoly(carbonyldioxy-1,4-phenyleneisopropylidene- 1,4-phenylene); polyesters, such as poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(tetramethylene terephthalate), poly(cyclohexylene-1,4-dimethylene terephthalate) or poly(oxymethylene-1,4-cyclohexylenemethyleneoxyterephthaloyl); polyaryl sulfides, such as poly(p-phenylene sulfide) or poly(thio-1,4-phenylene); polyimides, such as poly(pyromellitimido-1,4-phenylene); polyolefins, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, poly(1-butene), poly(2-butene), poly(1-pentene), poly(2-pentene), poly(3-methyl-1-pentene), poly(4-methyl-1-pentene), 1,2-poly-1,3-butadiene, 1,4-poly-1,3- butadiene, polyisoprene, polychloroprene, polyacrylonitrile, poly(vinyl acetate), poly(vinylidene chloride) and polystyrene; copolymers of the foregoing, such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymers. In certain embodiments, the polymeric fabric will be prepared from a polyolefin. In other embodiments, the polyolefin will be polypropylene or polyethylene. The term "fabric" is used broadly herein to mean any fibrous material which has been formed into a sheet or web. That is, the fabric is composed, at least in part, of fibers of any length. Thus, the fabric can be a woven or nonwoven sheet or web, all of which are readily prepared by methods well-known to those having ordinary skill in the art. For example, nonwoven webs are prepared by such processes as meltblowing, coforming, spunbonding, carding, air laying, and wet laying. Moreover, the fabric can consist of a single layer or multiple layers. In addition, a multilayered fabric can include films, scrim, and other nonfibrous materials. As used herein, the term "durable" means that the polymeric fabric to which a surfactant has been applied can be subjected to the rigorous washing procedure described hereinafter or to multiple exposures to water and remain wettable. The term "surfactant" is used herein to mean any surface active agent that is capable of durably rendering a polymeric fabric wettable. In some embodiments, the surfactant is a linear polysiloxane that is terminated at each end by a polyether moiety derived from ethylene oxide, commonly referred to as an A-B-A polymer. In one embodiment, the surfactant is a polysiloxane polyether having the general formula: where R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyls and R 2 and R 3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of one to forty carbon atom monovalent hydrocarbon radicals; the subscript a ranges from to 1 to 8, preferably from 1.5 to 6, more preferably from 1.5 to 5, and most preferably from 1.5 to 4; the subscript b ranges from 1 to 10, preferably from 1 to 7, more preferably from 1 to 5, and most preferably from to 1 to 3; the subscript c ranges from zero to 2, more preferably from 1 to 2, and is most preferably 2; the subscript d ranges from to 1 to 10, preferably from to 2 to 8, more preferably from to 2 to 7, and most preferably from to 3 to 5; and the number average molecular weight ranging from ranges from 300 to 1,000, preferably from 400 to 900 ,more preferably from 500 to 900, and most preferably from 600 to 800. In a second embodiment, the surfactant is a polysiloxane polyether having the general formula: where R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyls and R 2 and R 3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of one to forty carbon atom monovalent hydrocarbon radicals; the subscript a ranges from 1 to 8, preferably from 1.5 to 6, more preferably from 1.5 to 5, and most preferably from 1.5 to 4; the subscript b ranges from 1 to 10, preferably from 1 to 7, more preferably from 1 to 5, and most preferably from to 1 to 3; the subscript c ranges from zero to 2, more preferably from 1 to 2, and is most preferably 2; the subscript d ranges from 1 to 10, preferably from 2 to 8, more preferably from 2 to 7, and most preferably from 3 to 5; and the number average molecular weight ranging from ranges from 300 to 1,000, preferably from 400 to 900, more preferably from 500 to 900, and most preferably from 600 to 800. In a third embodiment, the surfactant is a polysiloxane polyether having the general formula: where R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyls and R 2 and R 3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of one to forty carbon atom monovalent hydrocarbon radicals; the subscript a ranges from 1 to 8, preferably from 1.5 to 6, more preferably from 1.5 to 5, and most preferably from 1.5 to 4; the subscript b ranges from 1 to 10, preferably from 1 to 7, more preferably from 1 to 5, and most preferably from 1 to 3 ; the subscript c ranges from zero to 2, more preferably from 1 to 2, and is most preferably 2; the subscript d ranges from 1 to 10, preferably from 2 to 8, more preferably from 2 to 7, and most preferably from 3 to 5; the subscript e ranges from 1 to 10, preferably from 2 to 8, more preferably from 2 to 7, and most preferably from 3 to 5; and the number average molecular weight ranging from ranges from 300 to 1,000, preferably from 400 to 900, more preferably from 500 to 900, and most preferably from 600 to 800. In a fourth embodiment the surfactant of the present invention is a mixture comprising two or more of the first, second and third embodiments. It should be noted that for molecular species the subscripts a, b, c, d etc. will assume integral values. When a mixture of compounds is employed as the surfactant component, the values of the subscripts will assume non-integral values depending on the population fraction for a given molecular weight, i.e. molar averaged stoichiometric subscripts will be non-integral in the case of mixtures as opposed to pure compounds. The advantages of the present invention are that the silicone polyether compounds of the present invention do not require a co-surfactant. The materials also are effective at extremely low levels and maintain effectiveness after as many as five washings. Thus the materials maintain effectiveness after one, two, three, four and five washings. Effectiveness as to the hydrophilic coating is defined in the experimental section. The hydrophilic coatings of the present invention typically comprise from 0.01 to 20.00 weight percent of the total weight of the treated fabric, preferably from 0.10 to 10.00 weight percent of the total weight of the treated fabric, more preferably from 0.50 to 5.00 weight percent of the total weight of the treated fabric, and most preferably from 0.75 to 2.50 weight percent of the total weight of the treated fabric. Depending on the means employed to coat the fabric, the coated fabric may demonstrate a greater or lesser hydrophilic behavior for a given surfactant composition depending on whether the coating is applied from an aqueous solution or dispersion or an alcoholic solution or dispersion. The greatest hydrophilic behavior is observed when the hydrophilic coating is applied from an aqueous dispersion, particularly when water is the only solvent employed. The following experiments are to be regarded as illustrative only and are not intended by their presentation to constitute any limitations upon the appended claims. Experimental The base fabric used in evaluating the coating compositions of the present invention was a spunbound polypropylene nonwoven web having a basis weight of 15.5 g per square meter. The fabric was cut into test swatches having dimensions of 22 ± 5 cm x 28 ± 5 cm and an average weight ranging from 0.9 to 1.1 g (1.00 ± 0.10 g). The silicone polyether compounds evaluated had the following structural formulas: structure type A: structure type B: and structure type C: The silicone polyether compounds evaluated for the purposes of the present invention are listed in Table 1. Structural Parameters for Silicone Polyethers Sample No. Type R 1 R 2 R 3 a b c d e 1 A H CH 3 CH 3 1.8 3 2 3 0 2 A H CH 3 CH 3 4 3 2 0 0 3 A H CH 3 CH 3 4 3 2 3 0 4 A H CH 3 CH 3 4 3 2 4 0 5 A H CH 3 CH 3 4 3 2 5 0 6 A H CH 3 CH 3 8 3 2 3 0 7 A H CH 3 CH 3 8 3 2 5 0 8 A H CH 3 CH 3 8 3 2 10 0 9 A H CH 3 CH 3 12 3 2 15 0 10* A H CH 3 CH 3 20 3 2 25 0 11 B H CH 3 CH 3 1.7 3 2 3 0 12* C H CH 3 CH 3 12 3 3 20 3 The silicone polyethers listed in Table 1 were suspended or dissolved in a 50 weight percent aqueous solution of isopropanol (2-propanol) or water at levels of 2.0, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1 and 0.05 weight percent. Samples of the nonwoven spunbonded polypropylene fabric were treated by soaking them in the water-alcohol-silicone polyether mixture for 1 - 2 hours followed by drying in a forced air oven for 30 minutes at 105 °C. The treated fabrics, having swatch dimensions of 22 x 28 cm. and weighing on average 0.95 g each were tested for hydrophilicity by pouring 100 g of water onto the fabric samples while the fabric sample was supported at a 35° angle above horizontal with an absorbent pad underneath the sample, which is known in the art as a run-off test. The treated fabric was judged effective or as having an effective hydrophilic coating if the fabric swatch retained 80 g of the 100 g poured onto the fabric, i.e. 80% . Conversely, if 20g of water or more was recovered from the test the fabric sample was deemed to have failed the test. Fabrics that were treated with a water solution or dispersion of the compounds of the present invention tended to perform better than fabrics treated with alcoholic solutions or dispersions. The amount of coating it is possible to impart to the treated fabric tends to be a function of how the fabric is treated, i.e. whether the external surfaces of the fabric are treated or whether the entire fabric is immersed into the impregnating solution or dispersion. Coating Weights of Hydrophilic Silicone Coating on Textile Samples Sample No. A D Solution Concentration of Silicone wt.% Concentration of Aqueous iso-Pr-OH Coating Weight of Silicone, wt.% A-1 1.8 3 0.05 0 4.67 A-3 4 3 2.00 50 6.59 A-3 4 3 0.50 50 0.66 A-3 4 3 0.40 50 1.20 A-3 4 3 0.40 0 15.03 A-3 4 3 0.30 0 6.88 A-3 4 3 0.20 0 4.64 A-3 4 3 0.10 0 1.75 A-3 4 3 0.05 0 1.68 A-5 4 5 2.00 50 8.01 A-5 4 5 0.50 50 1.30 A-5 4 5 0.05 0 1.25 A-6 8 3 0.05 0 0 A-7 8 5 2.00 50 3.44 A-8 8 10 2.00 50 3.78 A-8 8 10 0.05 28 0 A-9 12 15 0.05 28 0 A-10* 20 25 0.05 28 0.02 B-1 1.7 2 2.00 50 9.01 B-1 1.7 3 0.50 50 1.31 C-1 8 1 0.05 0 0 C-2* 12 3 2.00 50 5.39 C-2 12 3 0.05 28 0.05 The coated textiles when coated with the compounds of the present invention will pick up varying amounts of water depending on how extensively the textile is treated. If only the external surfaces of the textile are treated at very low levels, the total amount of water absorbed by the treated textile will be very low and may be indistinguishable from an untreated fabric. However, if the entire body of the fabric, exterior and interior, has been treated, the treated fabric can absorb as much as 300 to 400 weight percent.

Claims: A surfactant silicone compound selected from the group consisting of: 1) polysiloxane polyethers having the formula: where R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyls and R 2 and R 3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of one to forty carbon atom monovalent hydrocarbon radicals; the subscript a ranges from 1 to 8; the subscript b ranges from 1 to 10; the subscript c ranges from zero to 2; the subscript d ranges from 1 to 10; and the number average molecular weight ranging from ranges from 300 to 1,000. 2) polysiloxane polyethers having the formula: where R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyls and R 2 and R 3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of one to forty carbon atom monovalent hydrocarbon radicals; the subscript a ranges from 1 to 8; the subscript b ranges from 1 to 10; the subscript c ranges from zero to 2; the subscript d ranges from 1 to 10; and the number average molecular weight ranging from ranges from 300 to 1,000; 3) polysiloxane polyethers having the formula: where R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyls and R 2 and R 3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of one to forty carbon atom monovalent hydrocarbon radicals; the subscript a ranges from 1 to 8; the subscript b ranges from 1 to 10; the subscript c ranges from zero to 2; the subscript d ranges from 1 to 10; the subscript e ranges from 1 to 10; and the number average molecular weight ranging from ranges from 300 to 1,000; and 4) mixtures thereof. The surfactant silicone compound of claim 1 wherein said silicone is: The surfactant silicone compound of claim 1 wherein said silicone is: The surfactant silicone compound of claim 1 wherein said silicone is: A polymeric fabric wherein said fabric has been treated with the surfactant silicone of any preceding claim. The polymeric fabric of claim 5 comprising a polymer wherein said polymer is selected from the group consisting of: alkyd resins, ophthalmic anhydride-glycerol resins, maleic acid-glycerol resins, adipic acid-glycerol resins, phthalic anhydride-pentaerythritol resins; allylic resins cross-linked by diallyl phthalate, diallyl isophthalate diallyl maleate, or diallyl chlorendate; aniline-formaldehyde resins, ethylene urea-formaldehyde resins, dicyandiamide-formaldehyde resins, melamine-formaldehyde resins, sulfonamide-formaldehyde resins, and urea-formaldehyde resins; epoxy resins, epichlorohydrin-bisphenol A resins; phenolic resins, phenol-formaldehyde resins, end-capped polyacetals, poly(oxymethylene), polyformaldehyde, poly(trichloroacetaldehyde), poly(n-valeraldehyde), poly(acetaldehyde), poly(propionaldehyde), acrylic polymers, polyacrylamide, poly(acrylic acid). poly(methacrylic acid), poly(ethyl acrylate), poly(methyl methacrylate), fluorocarbon polymers, poly(tetrafluoroethylene), perfluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymers, ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymers, poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene), ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymers, poly(vinylidene fluoride), poly(vinyl fluoride), polyamides, such as poly(6-aminocaproic acid) or poly(epsilon -caprolactam), poly(hexamethylene adipamide), poly(hexamethylene sebacamide), poly(11-amino-undecanoic acid), polyaramides, poly(imino-1,3-phenyleneiminoisophthaloyl) or poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide), poly arylenes, poly-p-xylylene, poly(chloro-p-xylylene), polyaryl ethers, poly(oxy-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene), poly(p-phenylene oxide), polyaryl sulfones, poly(oxy-1,4-phenylenesulfonyl-1,4-phenyleneoxy-1,4-phenylene-isopropylidene-1,4-phenylene), poly(sulfonyl-1,4-phenyleneoxy1,4-phenylenesulfonyl-1,4'-biphenylene), polycarbonates, poly(bisphenolA)orpoly(carbonyldioxy-1,4-phenyleneisopropylidene- 1,4-phenylene), polyesters, poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(tetramethylene terephthalate), poly(cyclohexylene-1,4-dimethylene terephthalate), poly(oxymethylene-1,4-cyclohexylenemethyleneoxyterephthaloyl), polyaryl sulfides, poly(p-phenylene sulfide), poly(thio-1,4-phenylene), polyimides, poly(pyromellitimido-1,4-phenylene), polyolefins, polyethylene, polypropylene, poly(1-butene), poly(2-butene), poly(1-pentene), poly(2-pentene), poly(3-methyl-1-pentene), poly(4-methyl-1-pentene), 1,2-poly-1,3-butadiene, 1,4-poly- 1,3- butadiene, polyisoprene, polychloroprene, polyacrylonitrile, poly(vinyl acetate), poly(vinylidene chloride), polystyrene, copolymers of the foregoing, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymers, and mixtures thereof. The polymeric fabric of claim 6 wherein said polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene and polypropylene. The polymeric fabric of claim 5 comprising a polymer wherein said polymer is a natural polymer selected from the group consisting of cotton, silk, wool, and cellulose. The polymeric fabric of claim 8 wherein said cellulose is paper.

Inventors: MCGRATH BARBARA EILEEN, NYE SUSAN ADAMS, PHILLIPS CHRISTINE J, MCGRATH, BARBARA EILEEN, NYE, SUSAN ADAMS, PHILLIPS, CHRISTINE J.
Applicants: GEN ELECTRIC, GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Application year: 1998
Main classification: C08G77
IPC codes: C07F7, D06M101, D06M13, C08G77, D06M15, D21H19