Patent ID: 8003209

Claim:
A bicomponent fiber comprising a thermoplastic polymer and an elastomeric compound wherein the elastomeric compound consists essentially of a selectively hydrogenated block copolymer having an S block and an E or E 1 block and having the general formula: S-E-S,(S-E 1 ) n ,(S-E 1 ) n S,(S-E 1 ) n X or mixtures thereof, wherein: a. prior to hydrogenation the S block is a polystyrene block; b. prior to hydrogenation the E block is a polydiene block, selected from the group consisting of polybutadiene, polyisoprene and mixtures thereof, having a molecular weight from 40,000 to 70,000; c. prior to hydrogenation the E 1 block is a polydiene block, selected from the group consisting of polybutadiene, polyisoprene, and mixtures thereof, having a molecular weight from 20,000 to 35,000; d. n has a value of 2 to 6 and X is the residue of a coupling agent; e. the styrene content of the block copolymer is from 13 to 25 weight percent; f. the vinyl content of the polydiene block prior to hydrogenation is from 70 to 85 mol percent; g. the block copolymer includes less than 15 weight percent of units having the general formula: S-E or S-E 1 wherein S, E and E 1 are as already defined; h. subsequent to hydrogenation about 0 to 10% of the styrene double bonds have been hydrogenated and at least 80% of the conjugated diene double bonds have been hydrogenated; i. the molecular weight of each of the S blocks is from 5,000 to 7,000 and a tackifying resin, wherein the melt flow rate of the block copolymer is at least 15 g/10 min at 230° C. and 2.16 kg weight according to ASTM D1238.