Study on structure and property of PP/TPU melt-blown nonwovens

Abstract

This work studied the feasibility of the melt-blown nonwovens which were made by blending thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with polypropylene (PP). Firstly, PP/TPU-blending pellets with different PP and TPU weight ratios were prepared through extrusion process, and then PP/TPU hybrid nonwovens were fabricated by the melt-blowing method. SEM observation showed that the single fiber in the nonwovens formed a sea-island structure in which TPU served as the ‘island’ phase and PP served as the ‘sea’ phase. The compatibility of the two phases was poor. Furthermore, the influence of die to collector distance (DCD) on the structure and properties of PP/TPU melt-blown nonwovens, including fiber diameter, thickness, surface density, and tensile strength, was analyzed. The results showed that PP/TPU melt-blown nonwovens exhibited excellent mechanical properties, they are soft, elastic, and have a certain tensile strength.

Keywords:

• PP
• TPU
• melt-blown
• nonwovens
• structure