Milliken Research Corporation

Milliken + Co

Other

William C Kimbrell, Jr

Hans H Kuhn

Yunzhang Wang

Daniel Taylor McBride

Xinggao Fang

Dominick Joseph Valenti

John W Rekers

Thomas E Godfrey

Roy Phillip Demott

Patricia A Scott

Todd W Copeland

Samuel J Lynn

Masato Ishibashi

The present invention relates generally to substrates that exhibit useful, auto adaptable surface energy properties that depend on the environment of the substrate. Such surface energy properties provide relatively high advancing and receding contact angles for liquids when in contact with the target substrate surface. The substrates exhibit low surface energy quantities of at most about 20 millijoules per square meter (mJ/m) at a temperature of about 25 degrees C. and a surface energy greater than about 20 mJ/mat, or with exposure to, a temperature of about 40 degrees C. More specifically, encompassed within the present invention are textile substrates having this highly desirable unique surface energy modification property and which exhibit wash durable oil and water repellency and stain release features. Novel compositions and formulations that impart such surface energy modifications to substrates are also encompassed within this invention, as well as methods for producing such treated substrates.

Wash-durable, liquid repellent, and stain releasing cotton fabric substrates

Methods for imparting reversibly adaptable surface energy properties to target surfaces

A fabric having a unique combination of stain resistance, fluid barrier properties, aesthetic characteristics and drape ability is described, and a method of making such fabrics. The fabric includes a fabric substrate that has been treated with a low surface energy stain resist compound on at least one of its surfaces, and one or more layers secured to the other of its surfaces, with the layers providing the fabric with the unique combination of characteristics. In addition, the fabric is desirably provided with flame resisting and ultraviolet resisting characteristics, to enable it to be used as a seating material for transportation vehicles. Methods for making the fabric are also described.

Transportation seat with release barrier fabrics

Fabrics are made electrically conductive by contacting the fiber under agitation conditions with an aqueous solution of an aniline compound, oxidizing agent and a doping agent or counter ion and then depositing onto the surface of individual fibers of the fabric a prepolymer of the aniline compound so as to uniformly and coherently cover the fibers with a conductive film of the polymerized aniline compound and wherein, furthermore, the oxidizing agent is a vanadyl compound whereby the reaction rate is controlled such that the prepolymer is uniformly and coherently absorbed onto the surface of the textile material, thereby providing improved films of electrically conductive polymerized compound on the textile material.

Method for making electrically conductive textile materials

Fabrics are made electrically conductive by contacting the fabric under agitation conditions with an aqueous solution of a pyrrole or aniline compound, and an oxidizing agent and a doping agent or counter ion; and then epitaxially depositing onto the surface of the individual fibers of said fabric the in status nascendi forming polymer of the pyrrole or aniline compound so as to uniformly and coherently cover the fibers with an ordered conductive film of the polymerized pyrrole or aniline compound. Individual fibers and yarns can be similarly treated and then formed into fabrics. Products made by the process are also described.

Electrically conductive textile materials and method for making same

Fabrics are made electrically conductive by contacting the fiber under agitation conditions with an aqueous solution of a pyrrole compound, an oxidizing agent and a doping agent or counter ion and then depositing onto the surface of individual fibers of the fabric a prepolymer of the pyrrole compound so as to uniformly and coherently cover the fibers with a conductive film of the polymerized pyrrole compound and wherein, furthermore, the oxidizing agent is a ferric salt and the aqueous solution further contains a weak complexing agent for ferric ions to effectively control the reaction rate such that the prepolymer is uniformly and coherently adsorbed onto the surface of the textile material, thereby providing improved films of electrically conductive polymerized compound on the textile material.

A process is provided for the coloration of a preformed polyester resin shaped article having improved dye migration properties, which comprises:

Process for coloring polyester shaped articles

Textile materials comprising polyester fibers having improved durable soil release characteristics are provided by padding the textile material with an effective amount of polymer solution comprising from about 0.05 to about 5 weight percent based on the weight of the solution of a sulfonated polyester polymer, and at least about 10 percent based upon the weight of the sulfonated polyester polymer of a water-soluble salt in which the cation moiety of the salt is a polyvalent metal ion of magnesium, zinc, or calcium. The aqueous solution is padded onto the textile material in an amount sufficient to provide at least about 0.05 weight percent solids on the textile material, such solids being a combination of the sulfonated polyester and the salt constituent. The resulting wet textile material may thereafter be dried to remove substantially all of the water and thereafter the dry textile material may be heated to a temperature sufficient to heat set the fabric and cure the polymer containing the salt constituent.

Growing community of inventors

Inman, SC, United States of America

William C Kimbrell, Jr