Liquid responsive materials and personal care products made therefrom

Abstract

There is provided a new structural composite comprising nonwoven fabric, compressed in the presence of a temporary bodily-fluid soluble binder, which will spring back upon insult of body fluids to nearly its original, uncompressed thickness, in order to decrease the gap between the product and the wearer's body. A suitable web is a vertically oriented or “Z-directonally” oriented web which may be made from a variety of synthetic polymeric fibers. Suitable bodily-fluid soluble binders include polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polyvinyl pyrrilidone (PVP), polyethylene oxide (PEO), and blends thereof. The binder may be added to the nonwoven by various means such as spraying, dipping, and the like. The soluble binder is present in an amount effective to hold the nonwoven in a compressed state until sufficient body fluid passes through the nonwoven, dissolving the temporary binder, and releasing the nonwoven to almost its original thickness. These materials are suitable for use in personal care products like diapers, training pants, incontinence products, bandages, and sanitary napkins.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 ) A stabilized nonwoven material for personal care products, comprising a material having a first, uncompressed thickness, compressed and dried in the presence of a soluble binder to a second, compressed thickness, wherein said soluble binder will dissolve upon contact with fluids and said material will increase in thickness to nearly its first thickness, thereby decreasing the gap between a product and a wearers body.  
     
     
         2 ) The nonwoven of  claim 1  wherein said materials is made by a method selected from the group consisting of spunbonding, meltblowing, bonding-carding, airlaying, Z-directionally orienting, creping and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         3 ) The nonwoven of  claim 2  wherein said web is Z-directionally oriented.  
     
     
         4 ) The nonwoven of  claim 1  made from synthetic polymeric fibers selected from the group consisting of polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters, polyethers, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         5 ) The nonwoven material of  claim 4  wherein said fibers are in a form selected from the group consisting of conjugate and biconstituent.  
     
     
         6 ) The nonwoven material of  claim 1  wherein said soluble binder is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrilidone, polyethylene oxide, and blends thereof.  
     
     
         7 ) The nonwoven material of  claim 1  wherein said soluble binder is added to said fabric by a method selected from the group consisting of spraying and dipping.  
     
     
         8 ) The nonwoven material of  claim 1  having a Percent Average Retained Thickness 5 (PART 5 ) of at least 55.  
     
     
         9 ) The nonwoven material of  claim 1  having a Percent Average Retained Thickness 5 (PART 5 ) of at least 70.  
     
     
         10 ) The nonwoven material of  claim 8  having a Percent Average Retained Thickness 2 (PART 2 ) after of 50 or less.  
     
     
         11 ) The nonwoven material of  claim 8  having a Percent Average Retained Thickness 2 (PART 2 ) of 35 or less.  
     
     
         12 ) A diaper comprising the material of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         13 ) A training pant comprising the material of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         14 ) An incontinence product comprising the material of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         15 ) A bandage comprising the material of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         16 ) A sanitary napkin comprising the material of  claim 1 .  
     
     
         17 ) A nonwoven material for personal care products comprising Z-directionally oriented fibers and having a first, uncompressed thickness, compressed in the presence of polyvinyl pyrrolidone in an effective amount to a second, compressed thickness, which is less than the first thickness, wherein said nonwoven material will spring back upon insult of bodily fluids to decrease the gap between a product and a wearer's body.  
     
     
         18 ) The nonwoven material of  claim 17  having a Percent Average Retained Thickness 5 (PART 5 ) of at least 55.  
     
     
         19 ) The nonwoven material of  claim 17  having a Percent Average Retained Thickness 5 (PART 5 ) of at least 70.  
     
     
         20 ) The nonwoven material of  claim 18  having a Percent Average Retained Thickness 2 (PART 2 ) after of 50 or less.  
     
     
         21 ) The nonwoven material of  claim 18  having a Percent Average Retained Thickness 2 (PART 2 ) of 35 or less.  
     
     
         22 ) A diaper comprising the material of  claim 17 .  
     
     
         23 ) A training pant comprising the material of  claim 17 .  
     
     
         24 ) An incontinence product comprising the material of  claim 17 .  
     
     
         25 ) A bandage comprising the material of  claim 17 .  
     
     
         26 ) A sanitary napkin comprising the material of  claim 17 .  
     
     
         27 ) A nonwoven material for personal care products, comprising a soluble binder and conjugate polyolefin fibers having a first, uncompressed thickness, compressed to a second, compressed thickness, which nonwoven material will spring back to nearly its uncompressed thickness upon insult and decrease the gap between a product and a wearers body.