Abstract: There is provided a gas diffusion electrode substrate comprising a glass nonwoven fabric obtained by adhering a binder containing an acrylic resin and/or vinyl acetate resin to glass fibers.

Abstract: The invention provides a functional particle carried sheet constituted by a particle layer having a two-layer structure with a reduced pressure loss, in which a function of a functional particle is increased. The sheet is formed as a sharp shape in a peak portion and a trough portion of a pleat at a time of pleating process, the functional particle does not jump out of a base material, and the sheet has a good precision of a fold peak height, is easily manufactured, and can achieve a low cost.

Abstract: The invention provides a filter element which has a reduced initial pressure loss, can reduce an energy cost and can secure a high air flow rate, a filter element which has an elongated gas removing service life and filtering service life while keeping a high gas removing performance and a high dust removing efficiency, a manufacturing method and a method of use of the same. In a filter element (10) in which a pleated composite substrate (11) obtained by lapping or laminating an nonwoven fabric sheet including a fiber constituted by a thermoplastic resin and a gas removal sheet is pleated, and a pleated shape of the pleated composite substrate (11) is held by a shape retaining member (12a), a thickness of the nonwoven fabric sheet is increased at least 5% when heated to 60 degree C.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for manufacturing a fiber having at least a surface comprised mainly of a thermoplastic resin and carrying solid particles affixed to the surface, comprising the steps of: heating the solid particles having a melting point or a decomposition point higher than a melting point of the thermoplastic resin, to a temperature higher than the melting point of the thermoplastic resin, bringing the heated solid particles into contact with the fiber while maintaining the temperature of the heated solid particles higher than the melting point of the thermoplastic resin to bond the solid particles to a fiber surface by fusing the fiber surface, and cooling the fused fiber carrying the solid particle to affix the solid particles to the fiber surface. Further, an apparatus of manufacturing the same, and a fiber having at least a surface comprised mainly of a thermoplastic resin and carrying solid particles affixed to the surface are also disclosed.

Abstract: A separator for an electric double layer capacitor, characterized in that a thickness of the entire separator is 25 ?m or less, a layer of an ultrafine fibrous aggregate prepared by an electrostatic spinning process is contained, an average fiber diameter of ultrafine fibers constituting the ultrafine fibrous aggregate layer is 1 ?m or less, and a maximum pore size of the ultrafine fibrous aggregate is not more than 3 times a mean flow pore size is disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a surface material for an automobile internal trim panel consisting of a fiber sheet, wherein the fiber sheet contains an oil repellent and substantially consists of non-water absorbent fibers; an oil repellency of at least one surface of the surface material is grade 1 or more in an evaluation by an AATCC Test Method 118-1997; and a grade of the oil repellency of one surface of the surface material is different from that of the other surface thereof. Further, an automobile internal trim panel comprising the same is also disclosed.

Abstract: A battery separator comprising a nonwoven fabric, wherein the nonwoven fabric contains (1) superfine fibers having a fiber diameter of 3 ?m or less, (2) noncircular fine fibers having a noncircular cross-sectional shape and having a fiber diameter of 3 to 5 ?m (excluding 3 ?m), the fiber diameter meaning a diameter of a circle having an area the same as that of the noncircular cross-sectional shape, and (3) polypropylene based high-strength composite fibers containing a fusible component on the surface thereof and having a tensile strength of 4.5 cN/dtex or more, and the fusible component contained in the polypropylene based high-strength composite fibers is fused, and a battery comprising the battery separator are disclosed. A battery separator of the present invention has a high electrolyte-holding capacity and is capable of effectively preventing a short circuit, even if the separator is designed to be thinner to enhance the capacity of a battery.

Abstract: A method of producing fibrous aggregate, comprising: a supplying and discharging step in which a fiberizable liquid is supplied from a means for storing a fiberizable liquid to a means for discharging a fiberizable liquid via a supplying pipe, and the fiberizable liquid is discharged from the discharging means; and a fibers-collecting step in which fibers drawn and fiberized by applying an electrical field to the discharged fiberizable liquid are accumulated directly on a collecting surface of a collector while the collecting surface is unidirectionally conveyed to form the fibrous aggregate; wherein the discharging means is carried on a support capable of moving along an endless track capable of rotationally travelling between a pair of rotating shafts, and the fiberizable liquid is discharged from the discharging means while the support is revolved at a constant velocity under the condition that a moving direction of a linear motion area in the endless track conforms to a width direction of the collecting s

Abstract: A nonwoven fabrics-laminate comprising a rigid layer of an entanglement-based nonwoven fabric and a bulky layer of a bulky nonwoven fabric having an apparent density lower than that of the rigid layer; an average of a longitudinal tensile strength and a transverse tensile strength of a merely-entangled nonwoven fabric from which the entanglement-based nonwoven fabric is derived being not less than 150 N/50 mm width is disclosed. An automotive internal trim panel into which the nonwoven fabrics-laminate is shaped is also disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for manufacturing a fiber having at least a surface comprised mainly of a thermoplastic resin and carrying solid particles affixed to the surface, comprising the steps of: heating the solid particles having a melting point or a decomposition point higher than a melting point of the thermoplastic resin, to a temperature higher than the melting point of the thermoplastic resin, bringing the heated solid particles into contact with the fiber while maintaining the temperature of the heated solid particles higher than the melting point of the thermoplastic resin to bond the solid particles to a fiber surface by fusing the fiber surface, and cooling the fused fiber carrying the solid particle to affix the solid particles to the fiber surface. Further, an apparatus of manufacturing the same, and a fiber having at least a surface comprised mainly of a thermoplastic resin and carrying solid particles affixed to the surface are also disclosed.

Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a burnishing pad, capable of removing dirt by burnishing a place (i.e., a dirty point) onto which dirt attaches to impart sufficient luster, and being biodegraded; a burnishing machine equipped with the burnishing pad; and a burnishing method using the burnishing pad. The burnishing pad of the invention is comprised of a lock-like fiber composite in which adjacent fibers are bonded at intersection thereof, wherein said fiber is at least one selected from the group consisting of a vegetable fiber and an animal fiber. And another burnishing pad is a fiber composite comprised of thick fibers of 150 ?m or more in fiber diameter. These pads can be equipped with a porous supporting layer, respectively. The porous supporting layer has a mean 5% modulus strength of 20 N/5 cm width or more at 70° C. and a unit area weight of 100 g/m2 or less.

Abstract: Sheet tobacco according to the present invention includes a carrier sheet made of nonwoven plant fibers, and a tobacco powder layer formed on the carrier sheet and containing a powder mixture of tobacco lamina powder and binder powder. In a sheet tobacco manufacturing process according to the present invention, a carrier sheet of plant fibers is formed by a nonwoven fabric production process, a tobacco powder layer is formed by spreading the powder mixture on the carrier sheet, and a cover sheet of plant fibers is optionally formed on the tobacco powder layer. Subsequently, the carrier sheet, the tobacco powder layer and the optical cover sheet are all together subjected to heating and pressing, thereby producing sheet tobacco with a two- or three-layer structure. The present invention also provides a manufacturing system for carrying out the sheet tobacco manufacturing process.

Abstract: A hydrophilic collector for alkaline secondary batteries is formed of a nonwoven fabric plated with nickel in which the nonwoven fabric is hydrophilized by sulfonation, a gaseous fluorine treatment, or vinyl monomer grafting. A method for making the collector includes a hydrophilizing step of a nonwoven fabric comprising at least one of a polyolefin fiber and a polyamide fiber, and a plating step of applying nickel plating to the hydrophilic nonwoven fabric. Preferably, the nickel plating is electroless plating, and the nonwoven fabric has a plurality of micropores extending from one surface to the other surface thereof. An electroplating film may be deposited on the electroless plated film, if necessary. This collector facilitates assembling a battery which exhibits improved high-rate discharge characteristics due to improved adhesiveness of the plated nickel film to the nonwoven fabric.

Abstract: A hydrophilic collector for alkaline secondary batteries is formed of a nonwoven fabric plated with nickel in which the nonwoven fabric is hydrophilized by sulfonation, a gaseous fluorine treatment, or vinyl monomer grafting. A method for making the collector includes a hydrophilizing step of a nonwoven fabric comprising at least one of a polyolefin fiber and a polyamide fiber, and a plating step of applying nickel plating to the hydrophilic nonwoven fabric. Preferably, the nickel plating is electroless plating, and the nonwoven fabric has a plurality of micropores extending from one surface to the other surface thereof. An electroplating film may be deposited on the electroless plated film, if necessary. This collector facilitates assembling a battery which exhibits improved high-rate discharge characteristics due to improved adhesiveness of the plated nickel film to the nonwoven fabric.

Abstract: Sheet tobacco according to the present invention includes a carrier sheet made of nonwoven plant fibers, and a tobacco powder layer formed on the carrier sheet and containing a powder mixture of tobacco lamina powder and binder powder. In a sheet tobacco manufacturing process according to the present invention, a carrier sheet of plant fibers is formed by a nonwoven fabric production process, a tobacco powder layer is formed by spreading the powder mixture on the carrier sheet, and a cover sheet of plant fibers is optionally formed on the tobacco powder layer. Subsequently, the carrier sheet, the tobacco powder layer and the optical cover sheet are all together subjected to heating and pressing, thereby producing sheet tobacco with a two- or three-layer structure. The present invention also provides a manufacturing system for carrying out the sheet tobacco manufacturing process.

Abstract: Disclosed is a powders-affixed nonwoven fabric prepared from a fiber web comprising powder materials and fine short fibers having a fiber diameter of 4 &mgr;m or less and a fiber length of 3 mm or less in a dispersed state in the powders-containing fiber web, the powders-containing fiber web being formed by a method other than a wet-laid method. Further, a process for manufacturing the powders-affixed nonwoven fabric, and a sheet material comprising the powders-affixed nonwoven fabric are also disclosed.

Abstract: A floor mat for an automobile consisting essentially of one or more porous material layers wherein a water-resistant pressure of the whole floor mat is 40 mmH2O or more is disclosed. A floor mat for an automobile consisting essentially of two or more porous material layers, wherein at least one of the porous material layers is a mixture layer containing two or more materials including a material other than one or more materials forming a porous material layer adjacent to the mixture layer, and a permeability of the mixture layer is 0.1 to 10 mL/cm2/sec is disclosed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a surface material for an automobile internal trim panel consisting of a fiber sheet, wherein the fiber sheet contains an oil repellent and substantially consists of non-water absorbent fibers; an oil repellency of at least one surface of the surface material is grade 1 or more in an evaluation by an AATCC Test Method 118-1997; and a grade of the oil repellency of one surface of the surface material is different from that of the other surface thereof. Further, an automobile internal trim panel comprising the same is also disclosed.

Abstract: A porous article wherein a sulfur containing atomic group is introduced onto at least a part of outer-inner surfaces of the article, a ratio (S/C) of the number of sulfur atoms (S) to the number of carbon atoms (C) on the surface onto which the sulfur containing atomic group is introduced is 7×10−4 or more, a ratio (O/C) of the number of oxygen atoms (O) to the number of carbon atoms (C) on the surface onto which the sulfur containing atomic group is introduced is 0.2 or more, and the ratio (S/C) and the ratio (O/C) are determined by means of an X-ray photoelectron spectrophotometer is disclosed.

Abstract: An alkaline battery separator which enables the preparation of a battery with a good yield and workability is provided. The alkaline battery separator of the present invention comprises a fiber sheet mainly comprising hydrophilicity-imparted polyolefin fibers having a fiber diameter of 8 &mgr;m or more, and a part of the hydrophilicity-imparted polyolefin fibers is composed of high-strength fibers having a tensile strength of 5 g/d or more.