Other

Armstrong World Industries, Inc.

Awi Licensing Company

Sheldon M Atlas

Kenneth P Kehrer

Valentine Rogachova

Alexander Zezin

Victor A Kabanov

Alexander Victorovich Kabanov

Helen Atlas

A method and composition are disclosed for providing a two-part polymer binder additive for a fibrous sheet for improving both its strength and durability. The two-part polymer binder may be added to augment organic binders to increase board strength and durability or to reduce the amount of organic binder required. The polymers may also be added in place of conventional organic binders or added in addition to organic binders to improve sag resistance and fibrous sheet performance.

Fibrous sheet binders

Hydrogels are polymers that swell in water and are hydrophilic. The degree and nature of cross linking and the crystallinity of the polymer are responsible for its properties in the swollen state, and the degree to which it imbibes water without the loss of shape is important in many natural hydrogel. Some natural hydrogels are used in the textile industry, pulp and paper production, artificial silk, cellulosic membranes, and biomedical applications. Synthetic hydrogels are used in soft lenses, prosthetic materials and membranes for controlled drug delivery. Poly-HEMA (poly 2 hydroxylthyl methacrylate) is the most widely used hydrogel. The properties of poly HEMA can be modified by cross linking to a certain degree but its hydrophilicity can be increased by the introduction of a second hydroxyl using various monomers. Also its strength will also improve by the addition of a comonomer. These copolymers yielding increase hydrophilicity and strength are exhibited in soft hydrogel films, flexible even in the dry state. Copolymers of HEMA have been utilized in drug delivery systems where the drug diffusion is controlled by the type and ratios of comonomers used together with certain cross linking agents. Comonomers with anionic fixed charges are incorporated in poly HEMA chains, e.g. Methacylic acid (MAA) and acrylic acid(AA). The gels formed containing MAA used in soft contact lenses absorb much more protein than any other gels. Homopolymer poly HEMA fibers and various copolymers of poly HEMA have been combined with standard cosmetic, skin, and nail formulations to provide excellent, enhanced properties to the human body.

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and all copolymers of poly-HEMA fibers

Normally 'dry' or hydrophobic polymers, such as polyolefins, polyesters and the like are rendered more moisture absorptive to improve 'breathability' by providing an adherent surface of a hydrophilic polymer. Composite fibers are obtained by stretching a laminated or coated structure of a hydrophobic polymer film and a hydrophilic polymer film, longitudinally dividing the stretched film into a plurality of strips and fibrillating the stretched strips. Alternatively, the film can first be subdivided into the plurality of longitudinal strips and then stretched and fibrillated. In the resulting shaped articles (e.g. fibers), a discontinuous, discrete, adherent covering of the hydrophilic polymer component is provided on a core or substrate composed of the hydrophobic polymer. For example, the moisture regain of high density polyethylene fibers can be increased to more than 1%.

Process for producing a shaped article, such as fiber composed of a

Woven, non-woven and knitted fabrics containing at least 1% by weight of specialty fibers formed from high molecular weight polymers of alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated aliphatic carboxylic acids, alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated aliphatic sulfonic acids and the hydroxyalkyl esters and glycidyl esters of these acids which are cross-linked at a cross-linking density of from about 1 cross-linkage per from about 40 to about 100 repeating monomeric units of the homopolymer are capable of absorbing up to about 40% by weight of the moisture without loss of mechanical strength and other textile properties. These fabrics have anti-static properties. Sheer fabrics are useful for stockings, panty hose, underwear and the like.

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New York, NY, United States of America

Sheldon M Atlas