Bicomponent fiber

'''Bicomponent fiber''' is made of two materials, utilizing desired properties of each material.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bicomponent Fibers—Classification of Bicomponent Fibers—Production of Bicomponent Fibers—Application of Bicomponent Fibers |url=https://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2012/01/bicomponent-fibers-classification-of.html |accessdate=August 1, 2019 |website=Textile Learner}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Specialty Markets — Bicomponent Fibers |author=Jeffrey S. Dugan |date=July–August 2010 |publisher=Textile Industries Media Group |journal=Textile World |url=https://www.textileworld.com/textile-world/nonwovens-technical-textiles/2010/07/specialty-markets-bicomponent-fibers/ |accessdate=August 1, 2019}}</ref> Such fibers can be created by extrusion spinning.<ref>{{cite patent |title=Islands-in-sea type composite fiber and process for producing the same |number=7622188 |country=US |assign=Teijin Fibers Ltd.|inventor1-last=Kamiyama |inventor1-first=Mie |inventor2-last=Numata |inventor2-first=Miyuki}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Quality Fabric Of The Month: A Sea Change For Microfibers |date=September 16, 2013 |author=Janet Bealer Rodie |publisher=Textile Industries Media Group |journal=Textile World |url=https://www.textileworld.com/textile-world/quality-fabric-of-the-month/2013/09/a-sea-change-for-microfibers/ |accessdate=July 31, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Soltani |first1=Iman |last2=Macosko |first2=Christopher W. |year=2018 |title=Influence of rheology and surface properties on morphology of nanofibers derived from islands-in-the-sea meltblown nonwovens |journal=Polymer |volume=145 |pages=21–30 |doi=10.1016/j.polymer.2018.04.051|doi-access=free }}</ref>

One or both materials may remain in the finished product, or one material may be dissolved, leaving only one material remaining. For example, DuPont created the highly coiled elastic fiber called ''cantrese'' having two different nylon polymers side-by-side.<ref name="silver"/>

==Formats== Formats of bicomponent fibers include:<ref name="silver">{{cite web |title=MODULE 7. SMART/FUNCTIONAL SPECIALITY FIBRES—7.3 Bicomponent and Micro Fibres (2 Lectures)—Bicomponent Fibres |publisher=National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) |url=https://nptel.ac.in/courses/116102006/19# |accessdate=July 31, 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603091710/https://nptel.ac.in/courses/116102006/19 |archivedate=June 3, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

;Side-by-side Extrusions are side-by-side within a single filament

;Core-sheath Extrusions with one material surrounding another

;Segmented Segmented like sections of a pie

;Islands-in-the-sea Islands-in-the-sea extrusions are also called matrix-fibril, because fibrils of one polymer are distributed in the matrix of another polymer. The matrix is known as the "sea", and the fibrils are known as islands.<ref name="ndaro">{{cite journal |title=Splitting of Islands-in-the-Sea Fibers (PA6/COPET) During Hydroentangling of Nonwovens |journal=Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics |author1=Mbwana Suleiman Ndaro |author2=Xiang-yu Jin |author3=Ting Chen |author4=Chong-wen Yu |s2cid=34868300 |volume=2 |issue=4 |date=2007|doi=10.1177/155892500700200402 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The matrix is a soluble material that is washed away by a suitable solvent at some point in the manufacturing process. What remains at the microscopic level are bundles of thin parallel fibers, resulting in a fabric that is very soft and flexible.

==Applications== Islands-in-the-sea can be melt blown to produce fabric such as Alcantara.

==See also== * PTFE fiber

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://www.bestwillcomposite.com/ Carbon Fiber Solutions] *[https://www.slideshare.net/rajeshkumar572/needle-punching-nonwovens Needle Punching Nonwovens]

Category:Fibers