Use of binder compositions for producing textile sheet products

1. A method of using binder compositions in the manufacture of textile sheet products,

comprising contacting fibers based on natural or synthetic, organic materials with one or more binder compositions comprising one or more polymers based on ethylenically unsaturated monomers, and then optionally drying and/or curing the resulting product,

wherein the one or more polymers are based on ethylenically unsaturated monomers consisting of

a) 0.1 to 10 wt % of one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers comprising epoxy groups,

b) 0.1 to 10 wt % of one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers comprising silane groups, and

c) one or more further ethylenically unsaturated monomers, other than said monomers a) and b), selected from the group consisting of vinyl esters, (meth)acrylic esters, vinylaromatics, olefins, 1,3-dienes and vinyl halides, and

optionally d) one or more further monomers selected from the group consisting of ethylenically unsaturated sulfonated monomers or their salts and ethylenically unsaturated carboxamides and

optionally 0.1 to 10 wt % of ancillary monomers selected from the group consisting of ethylenically unsaturated mono- and dicarboxylic acids, mono- and diesters of fumaric acid and maleic acid, monomers having hydroxyl or CO groups, diacetoneacrylamide, and acetylacetoxyethyl acrylate or methacrylate,

wherein the amounts in wt % are each based on the total weight of the polymers.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more polymers based on ethylenically unsaturated monomers are in the form of emulsifier-stabilized aqueous dispersions and are obtained via free-radically initiated emulsion polymerization processes in the presence of emulsifiers and in the absence of protective colloids.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers a), comprising epoxy groups, are selected from the group consisting of 4-hydroxybutyl acrylate glycidyl ether, 4-hydroxybutyl methacrylate glycidyl ether, allyl glycidyl ether, glycidyl methacrylate and glycidyl acrylate.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one or more compounds of the general formula R 1 SiR 2 0-2 (OR 3 ) 1-3 are selected as ethylenically unsaturated monomers b), comprising silane groups,

wherein R 2 is a C 1 - to C 3 -alkyl moiety, C 1 - to C 3 -alkoxy moiety or halogen, R 1 has the meaning CH 2 ═CR 4 —(CH 2 ) 0-1 or CH 2 ═CR 4 CO 2 (CH 2 ) 1-3 with R 4 as carbyl moiety of 1 to 10 carbon atoms, R 3 is a branched or unbranched, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl moiety of 1 to 12 carbon atoms.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers b), comprising silane groups, are selected from the group consisting of vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinylmethyldimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinylmethyldiethoxysilane, vinyltripropoxysilane, vinyltriisopropoxysilane, vinyltris(1-methoxy)isopropoxysilane, vinyltributoxysilane, 3-methacryloyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-methacryloyloxypropylmethyldimethoxysilane, methacryloyloxymethyltrimethoxysilane, 3-methacryloyloxypropyltris(2-methoxyethoxy)silane, vinyltris(2-methoxyethoxy)silane, allylvinyltrimethoxysilane, allyltrimethoxysilane, vinyldimethylmethoxysilane, vinyldimethylethoxysilane, vinylisobutyldimethoxysilane, vinyltriisopropyloxysilane, vinyltributoxysilane, vinyltrihexyloxysilane, vinylmethoxydihexyloxysilane, vinyltrioctyloxysilane, vinyldimethoxyoctyloxysilane, vinylmethoxydioctyloxysilane, vinylmethoxydilauryloxysilane, vinyldimethoxylauryloxysilane, γ-(meth)acryloyloxypropyltri(alkoxy)silanes, α-methacryloyloxymethyltri(alkoxy)silanes, γ-methacryloyloxypropylmethyldi(alkoxy)silanes, vinylalkyldi(alkoxy)silanes and vinyltri(alkoxy)silanes.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more polymers are in the form of aqueous dispersions.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fibers are loose or in the form of bundles or woven textiles, or in the form of yarns, nonwovens, such as webs, non-crimp fabrics or knitted fabrics other than those formed by weft knitting with independently-movable needles.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more polymers are employed in an amount of 1 to 50 wt %, based on the total weight of the fibers.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the proportion of fibers is from 40 to 99 wt %, based on the total weight of the textile sheet products.

10. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the term “alkoxy” denotes a moiety selected from the group consisting of methoxy, ethoxy, isopropoxy, methoxyethylene, ethoxyethylene, methoxypropylene glycol ether, and/or ethoxypropylene glycol ether moieties.