Fiber webs coated with fiber-containing resins
Fiber webs that may be coated and used in filter media are provided. In some embodiments, the fiber web is a non-woven web that is coated with a resin comprising fibers. For example, the resin may include fibers that have sizes (e.g., diameters) in the nano or micron range. In some cases, the fibers distributed within the resin are fibrillated fibers. The respective characteristics and amounts of the fibers in the resin may be selected to impart desirable properties including enhanced mechanical properties and filtration properties (e.g., relatively high strength and air permeability), amongst other benefits.
1. An article, comprising:
a non-woven web comprising a plurality of fibers; and
a resin comprising a plurality of fibrillated fibers distributed therein, wherein the plurality of fibrillated fibers distributed within the resin coats at least a portion of the plurality of fibers within an interior of the non-woven web, and wherein the weight percent of the plurality of fibrillated fibers within the resin is greater than or equal to about 0.5 wt % and less than or equal to about 5 wt %, and the weight percentage of the plurality of fibrillated fibers within the resin is based on dry resin solids.
2. An article, comprising:
a non-woven web comprising a plurality of fibers; and
a resin comprising a plurality of non-conductive nanofibers distributed therein, wherein the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers distributed within the resin coats at least a portion of the plurality of fibers within an interior of the non-woven web, wherein the weight percent of the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers within the resin is greater than or equal to about 0.5 wt % and less than or equal to about 5 wt %, and wherein the weight percentage of the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers within the resin is based on dry resin solids.
3. A method, comprising:
providing a non-woven web comprising a plurality of fibers; and
coating at least a portion of the plurality of fibers within an interior of the non-woven web with a plurality of fibrillated fibers distributed within a resin, wherein the weight percent of the plurality of fibrillated fibers within the resin is greater than or equal to about 0.5 wt % and less than or equal to about 5 wt % of the resin, and the weight percentage of the plurality of fibrillated fibers within the resin is based on dry resin solids.
4. A method, comprising:
providing a non-woven web comprising a plurality of fibers; and
coating at least a portion of the plurality of fibers within an interior of the non-woven web with a plurality of non-conductive nanofibers distributed within a resin, wherein the weight percent of the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers within the resin is greater than or equal to about 0.5 wt % and less than or equal to about 5 wt %, and the weight percentage of the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers within the resin is based on dry resin solids.
5. The article of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers comprises fibrillated fibers.
6. The article of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers comprises cellulose fibers.
7. The article of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers comprises regenerated cellulose fibers.
8. The article of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers comprises a synthetic polymer.
9. The article of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers comprises cellulose fibers comprising both crystalline and amorphous regions.
10. The article of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers have an average diameter of less than or equal to about 1 micron.
11. The article of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fibrillated fibers have an average diameter of greater than about 1 micron.
12. The article of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers have an average diameter of less than or equal to about 100 nm.
13. The article of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of non-conductive nanofibers have an average diameter of less than or equal to about 20 nm.
14. The article of claim 2 , wherein the resin is water soluble.
15. The article of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of fibers of the non-woven web comprises cellulose fibers.
16. The article of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of fibers of the non-woven web comprises glass fibers.
17. The article of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of fibers of the non-woven web comprises synthetic polymeric fibers.
18. The article of claim 2 , wherein the non-woven web is a filter medium.
19. The article of claim 2 , wherein the weight percent of the resin within the non-woven web is greater than or equal to about 18 wt % and less than or equal to about 25 wt %.
20. The article of claim 2 , wherein the resin coats the entire non-woven web throughout the thickness of the web.
21. A filter element comprising an article of claim 2 .
22. The article of claim 2 , wherein the non-woven web has a wet tensile strength in the machine direction of greater than or equal to about 10 pli and less than or equal to about 140 pli.
23. The article of claim 2 , wherein the non-woven web has a wet tensile strength in the cross direction of greater than or equal to about 6 pli and less than or equal to about 90 pli.
24. The article of claim 2 , wherein the non-woven web has a tensile elongation of in the machine direction of greater than or equal to about 4% and less than or equal to about 15%.
25. The article of claim 2 , wherein the non-woven web has a tensile elongation of in the cross direction of greater than or equal to about 5% and less than or equal to about 15%.
26. The article of claim 2 , wherein the non-woven web has a dry tensile strength in the machine direction of greater than or equal to about 10 pli and less than or equal to about 140 pli.
27. The article of claim 2 , wherein the non-woven web has a wet Mullen Burst strength of greater than or equal to about 30 kPa and less than or equal to about 300 kPa.
28. The article of claim 2 , wherein the non-woven web has a dry Mullen Burst strength of greater than or equal to about 320 kPa and less than or equal to about 600 kPa.
29. The article of claim 2 , wherein the resin is an aqueous-based resin.
30. The article of claim 15 , wherein the non-woven web comprises greater than or equal to about 85 wt % cellulose fibers.
31. The article of claim 2 , wherein the resin coats at least a portion of a surface of the non-woven web.