Solution-Spun Polyamide Nanofiber Nonwovens

Abstract

A polymer, applications thereof, and method of making a nanofiber nonwoven product is disclosed which includes: providing a spinnable polyamide polymer composition comprising a solution of a polyamide in a suitable solvent, wherein the polyamide has a Relative Viscosity of from 30-300; a basis weight greater than 1 gm/m2, solution-spinning the polyamide polymer composition into a plurality of nanofibers having an average fiber diameter of less than 1 micron (1000 nanometers); and forming the nanofibers into said nonwoven product which thereby has an average nanofiber diameter of less than 1 micron (1000 nanometers). Preferably, the nonwoven product is solution-spun from a process selected from (i) centrifugal spinning using a rotating spinneret or (ii) 2-phase propellant-gas spinning including extruding the polyamide polymer composition in liquid form with pressurized gas through a fiber-forming channel. Suitable solvents include formic acid, sulfuric acid, trifluoroacetic acid, hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and phenols including m-cresol.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.