US 12,012,680 B2
Non-woven fibrous web and methods thereof
Jinzhang You, Shanghai (CN); Jonathan H. Alexander, Roseville, MN (US); Michael R. Berrigan, Oakdale, MN (US); Akira Ito, Tokyo (JP); Xiaojun Su, Shanghai (CN); Qinrong Wu, Shanghai (CN); Liyun Ren, Woodbury, MN (US); Thomas P. Hanschen, Mendota Heights, MN (US); Daniel J. Zillig, Woodbury, MN (US); and Sachin Talwar, Woodbury, MN (US)
Assigned to 3M Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, MN (US)
Appl. No. 16/607,258
Filed by 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY, St. Paul, MN (US)
PCT Filed Sep. 15, 2017, PCT No. PCT/CN2017/101857
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 22, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/051761, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 21, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2020/0299877 A1, Sep. 24, 2020
Int. Cl. D04H 1/56 (2006.01); D04H 1/4291 (2012.01); D04H 3/14 (2012.01); D04H 3/16 (2006.01)
CPC D04H 1/56 (2013.01) [D04H 1/4291 (2013.01); D04H 3/14 (2013.01); D04H 3/16 (2013.01); B01D 2239/0622 (2013.01); B01D 2239/1233 (2013.01); B32B 2262/0253 (2013.01); B32B 2262/0276 (2013.01); B32B 2307/718 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A non-woven fibrous web comprising:
a plurality of first fibers consisting essentially of a thermoplastic semicrystalline polyester and having a median diameter of up to 10 micrometers;
a plurality of second fibers comprising one or more thermoplastic semicrystalline polyesters and having a median diameter of at least 10 micrometers that are interspersed with the plurality of first fibers, wherein the plurality of second fibers are staple fibers;
wherein the first fibers are melt-blown fibers annealed using an in-flight heat treatment operation at a temperature below a melting temperature of the portion of the first fibers to achieve stress relaxation of at least a portion of molecules within a portion of the first fibers and further wherein the non-woven fibrous web comprises a densified layer and an undensified layer, the non-woven fibrous web having at least one major surface processed to form the densified layer, and wherein the undensified layer extends adjacent to and alongside the densified layer, and represents a remaining portion of the non-woven fibrous web, and further wherein the plurality of melt-blown fibers are bonded to each other at points of fiber intersection while melting of the plurality of first fibers is avoided in the densified layer during web formation,
characterized in that the non-woven fibrous web has a unitary construction and is dimensionally stable at ambient conditions and resists shrinkage at a temperature exceeding 150° C.