Process for forming a synthetic leather
A process of making a synthetic leather includes (i) first, contacting a textile with an aqueous solution containing a cationic hydroxyethylcellulose polymer to form a modified textile component; (ii) subsequently, impregnating the modified textile component with an aqueous polyurethane dispersion externally stabilized with an anionic surfactant; and (iii) precipitating the polyurethane in the modified textile component. And a synthetic leather formed by the process.
1. A process comprising:
(i) first, contacting a textile with an aqueous solution consisting of (i) a cationic hydroxyethylcellulose polymer, (ii) water, and (iii) optionally silicone oil to form a modified textile component;
(ii) subsequently, impregnating the modified textile component with an aqueous polyurethane dispersion externally stabilized with an anionic surfactant; and
(iii) precipitating, in the absence of a free inorganic salt, the polyurethane in the modified textile component.
2. The process of claim 1 comprising (iv) forming a synthetic leather.
3. The process of claim 1 comprising selecting a cationic hydroxyethylcellulose polymer that is a hydroxyethylcellulose polymer with a quaternary ammonium cation group.
4. The process of claim 3 comprising selecting a cationic hydroxyethylcellulose polymer having a weight average molecular weight (Mw) from 100,000 Dalton to 3,000,000 Dalton.
5. The process of claim 4 wherein cationic hydroxyethylcellulose polymer has a Structure (A)
wherein
n is an integer from 200 to 10,000,
x is an integer from 0 to 30, and
y is an integer from 1 to 10.
6. The process of claim 5 comprising
(i) first, contacting the textile with an aqueous solution consisting of (i) the cationic hydroxyethylcellulose polymer, (ii) water, and (iii) silicone oil to form a modified textile component.
7. The process of claim 5 comprising
(i) first, contacting the textile with an aqueous solution consisting of (i) the cationic hydroxyethylcellulose polymer, and (ii) water to form a modified textile component.
8. The process of claim 1 comprising selecting an anionic surfactant that is a sulfonate surfactant.
9. The process of claim 1 comprising maintaining, during the impregnating, a Cation:Anion Ratio from 0.1 to 10.
10. The process of claim 1 comprising drying the modified textile component before impregnating the modified textile component with the aqueous polyurethane dispersion.
11. The process of claim 1 comprising forming a synthetic leather comprising from 20 wt % to 70 wt % polyurethane.
12. The process of claim 1 wherein the aqueous solution comprising a cationic hydroxyethylcellulose polymer is void of organic solvent.
13. The process of claim 12 wherein the aqueous polyurethane dispersion is void of organic solvent.