Leather-like sheet material, process for production thereof, and interior, clothing and industrial materials made by using the same

A sheet material comprising:

• a self-emulsifiable polyurethane, comprising self-emulsifiable polyurethane molecules, solidified from an aqueous dispersion, the self-emulsifiable polyurethane in a nonwoven fabric composed of ultra-fine fibers with a mean single fiber fineness of at or above 0.001 dtex to at or below 0.5 dtex;
• wherein the ultra-fine fibers and the self-emulsifiable polyurethane do not substantially adhere to each other and the self-emulsifiable polyurethane forms a non-porous structure;
• and
• wherein a cross-linking structure is formed by siloxane bonds in the non-porous structure of the self-emulsifiable polyurethane, the siloxane bonds having been formed by condensing silanol groups which are part of the self-emulsifiable polyurethane molecules such that siloxane bonds form between the self-emulsifiable polyurethane molecules;
• wherein the self-emulsifiable polyurethane contains polyethylene glycol at or above 3% by weight to at or below 30% by weight with respect to the total weight of the polyurethane and interior emulsifers in the self-emulsifiable polyurethane are of a nonion family, and
• wherein a content of silicon atoms in the non-porous structure of the self-emulsifiable polyurethane is more than 0% by weight to at or less than 1% by weight with respect to the weight of the polyurethane.