Effects of water treatment on processing and properties of cotton/cellulose acetate nonwovens

Environmentally friendly nonwoven fabrics can be formed through thermal bonding of cotton and cellulose acetate fiber blends at reduced bonding temperature with the aid of a plasticizer. Water has been introduced as an external plasticizer to lower the softening temperature of cellulose acetate fibers and to enhance the tensile strength of cotton/cellulose acetate web It has been found that water can significantly increase the tensile strength of cotton/cellulose acetate thermally bonded webs at reasonable bonding temperature, and water can enhance the web bonding to essentially the same degree as acetone treatment does. The mechanisms of water effect have been discussed and the optimal processing conditions are proposed through this work.