Toray Industries, Inc.

Hiromichi Iijima

Miyoshi Okamoto

Akito Miyoshi

Koji Watanabe

Masami Ikeyama

The present invention relates to an artificial leather having nap very little oriented on the surface and having short fibers densely, and hence having a good nubuck-like look and hand, and also relates to a production process thereof. The present invention provides an artificial leather having a nap surface of ultra-fine fibers at least on one side, which is formed by applying an elastic polymer to an ultra-fine fiber-entangled substrate, characterized by being 0.3 g/cm or more in the apparent density of the artificial leather, being 0.5 mm or less in the nap length, and being 25% or less in the R value obtained from the goniometric reflectance distribution measured with the nap surface rotated from 0 degree to 180 degrees using a goniophotometer. The present invention also provides a process for producing a nubuck-like artificial leather, in which a sheet obtained by applying an elastic polymer to an ultra-fine fiber-entangled substrate is raised to produce a napped sheet, comprising the steps of applying an elastic polymer to an ultra-fine fiber-entangled substrate, substantially solidifying the elastic polymer, immersing the polymer-deposited fiber-entangled substrate into a swelling agent of the elastic polymer, to swell the elastic polymer, compressing the sheet in the normal direction of the sheet, removing the swelling agent by an aqueous solvent, and raising the sheet at least on one side.

Nubuck-like artificial leather and a production process thereof

Improved ultrafine sheath-core composite fibers and composite sheets composed of these fibers are disclosed. The composite fibers have a fineness of 0.0001 to 0.5 denier and comprises 10 to 70% of the core having a very high intrinsic viscosity within a specific range and being located at the center of the sheath and 90 to 30% of the sheath composed of a polyester copolymerized 1.5 to 8 mole %, based on the total acid component, of 5-sodium (or lithium or potassium) sulfoisophthalate and having a thickness of 0.04 to 2 microns. The composite fibers have a high strength and are dyeable with a cationic dye. When the composite fibers are combined with an elastic material such as polyurethane, suede-like artificial leathers having excellent softness, touch, feel and color can be obtained.

Ultrafine sheath-core composite fibers and composite sheets made thereof

Improved ultrafine sheath-core composite fibers and composite sheets composed of these fibers are disclosed. The composite fibers have a fineness in the range of 0.0001 to 0.5 denier and a core/sheath weight ratio in the range of 10/90 to 70/30. The core has a very high intrinsic viscosity within a specific range and is located at the center of the sheath. The sheath is composed of a polyester copolymerized with 1.5 to 8 mole % of 5-sodium (or lithium or potassium) sulfoisophthalate, based on the total acid component, of 5-sodium (or lithium or potassium) sulfoisophthalate and having a thickness of 0.04 to 2 microns. The composite fibers have a high strength and are dyeable with a cationic dye. When the composite fibers are combined with an elastic material such as polyurethane, suede-like artificial leathers having excellent softness, touch, feel and color can be obtained.

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Otsu, Japan

Hiromichi Iijima