Structures Comprising an Association Agent and Processes for Making Same

Abstract

Polysaccharides and/or hydroxyl polymers, more particularly, structures, especially fibers, containing an unsubstituted polysaccharide and/or hydroxyl polymer, for example an unsubstituted starch, fibrous structures comprising such structures and processes for making such structures and/or fibrous structures are provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A non-naturally occurring starch fiber comprising an unsubstituted starch, wherein the starch fiber has an average fiber diameter of less than about 50 μm. 
     
     
         2 . The starch fiber according to  claim 1  wherein the starch fiber exhibits an apparent peak wet tensile stress greater than 0.2 MPa. 
     
     
         3 . The starch fiber according to  claim 1  wherein the starch has a weight average molecular weight of at least 10,000 g/mol. 
     
     
         4 . The starch fiber according to  claim 1  wherein the starch fiber further comprises a polysaccharide selected from the group consisting of: chitosan, gums, arabinans, galactans and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The starch fiber according to  claim 1  wherein the starch fiber further comprises a hydroxyl polymer selected from the group consisting of: polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl alcohol copolymers, polyvinyl alcohol derivatives and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The starch fiber according to  claim 1  wherein the starch fiber further comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of: petroleum-derived polymers, polyvinylamines and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The starch fiber according to  claim 1  wherein the starch fiber exhibits a pH of less than 7. 
     
     
         8 . The starch fiber according to  claim 1  wherein the starch fiber as a whole exhibits no melting point. 
     
     
         9 . The starch fiber according to  claim 1  wherein the starch fiber comprises at least 50% to about 99.5% by weight of starch within the fiber. 
     
     
         10 . A web comprising a starch fiber according to  claim 1 , wherein the web exhibits an initial total wet tensile greater than about 10 g/in. 
     
     
         11 . A single- or multi-ply sanitary tissue product comprising a web according to  claim 10 .