Fiber materials with improved properties for use in wound treatment

1. A fiber material comprising:

a substrate of non-ionic, non-woven fibers, and

at least one additional component, which is an agent that comprises at least one group capable of forming a hydrogen bond,

wherein the non-ionic, non-woven fibers are crosslinked by the agent.

2. The fiber material according to claim 1 , wherein the non-ionic, non-woven fibers comprises polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a polysaccharide, and/or a polyurethane polymer with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and/or polypropylene glycol functionalities, and/or copolymers thereof.

3. The fiber material according to claim 1 , wherein the agent that comprises the at least one group capable of forming a hydrogen bond comprises at least one of the following groups: a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, an amino group, a sulfhydryl group, and/or hydrogen donor linkages comprising a glycolytic linkage, or a peptide bond.

4. The fiber material according to claim 1 , wherein an amount of agent in the fiber material, relative to the overall weight of the fiber material, is from 1% w/w to 40% w/w.

5. The fiber material according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one antimicrobial agent.

6. The fiber material according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one absorbing material.

7. The fiber material according to claim 1 , wherein a wet tensile strength of the fiber material is increased by at least 5%, as compared to an otherwise identical fiber material without the at least one agent comprising the at least one group capable of forming a hydrogen bond.

8. The fiber material according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate of non-ionic, non-woven fibers is a web of non-ionic, non-woven fibers.

9. The fiber material according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate of non-ionic, non-woven fibers comprises cross-linked PVA.

10. The fiber material according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one superabsorbent material in the form of particles.

11. The fiber material according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of agent in the fiber material, relative to the overall weight of the fiber material, is from 15% w/w to 25% w/w.

12. The fiber material according to claim 1 , wherein the agent comprises at least two groups capable of forming a hydrogen bond.

13. A process for making a fiber material comprising the following steps:

providing at least one non-ionic fiber material, which is present as a non-woven substrate;

bringing said at least one non-ionic fiber material into contact with at least one agent that comprises at least one group capable of forming a hydrogen bond, thereby crosslinking the non-ionic fiber material by the agent.

14. The process according to claim 13 , further comprising the following step:

drying the non-ionic fiber material and the agent as brought into contact with each other.

15. The process according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one agent that comprises the at least one group capable of forming a hydrogen bond and that is brought into contact with at least one non-ionic fiber material is provided as a compound that is dissolved or is distributed in a liquid.