Wool, leather or cotton like most natural products are permeable to air and water vapor. The reason for this property is a fibrous structure consisting of chains of hydrophilic constituents such as cellulose or collagene. It is difficult to imitate this natural phenomenon by synthesis. Ways to obtain water vapor permeability by microporosity or a hydrophilic structure are discussed in this book (nearly 2,500 citations). Most commercial products permeable to water vapor substitutes for natural leather are named. Materials permeable to water vapor offer a wide range of use, the subsitution of leather was only the starting point. Other uses are in the medical sector for implants and dialysis, in industry for filtration or catalytic reactions or for processes demanding the slow release of substances. Further applications of this interesting chemistry will surely be developed in the future.
Preface
Abbrevations
Part 1 : Leather and Artificial Leather
Chapter 1 : Leather
Chapter 2 : Coating of Textiles
Chapter 3 : Definitions
Chapter 4 : Water Vapor Permeability
Chapter 5 : Microporous Products: Comparison of the Structure
Part 2 : Ways To Create Water Vapor Permeability by Elimination of Solid or Liquid Products
Chapter 6 : Ways To Create Microporosity
Chapter 7 : Elimination of Solid Particles Especially Leaching of Salts
Chapter 8 : Coagulation of Polyurethanes
Chapter 9 : Microporosity by Evaporation of Volatile Products
Chapter 10 : Reactive Processes
Part 3. Porosity by Other Means
Chapter 11 : Blowing and Foaming
Chapter 12 : Microporosity by Controlled Melting Processes
Chapter 13 : Perforation
Chapter 14 : Discontinuous Coatings e.g. by Printing
Chapter 15 : Flocking
Chapter 16 : Crystallization of Homopolymers
Chapter 17 : Precipitation of Polymers in Water-Based Dispersions
Chapter 18 : Hydrophilic Polymers
Chapter 19 : Production of Synthetic Suede
Chapter 20 : Leather Board
Chapter 21 : Nonwovens
Part 4 : Treatment of Man-Made Leather
Chapter 22 : Finishing and Dyeing
Chapter 23 : Modification of Physical Properties by Chemical Methods
Chapter 24 : Conversion of Water Vapor Permeable Products
Part 5 : Chemistry, Testing Methods, Other Industrial Applications, Ecology
Chapter 25 : The Chemistry of Polyurethanes-Especially for Water Vapor Permeable Products
Chapter 26 : Testing Methods
Chapter 27 : Other Industrial Applications
Chapter 28 : Ecology
Part 6 : Trade Names, Marketing History, Summary of Patent Applications
Chapter 29 : Comparison of Different Articles
Chapter 30 : The Development of Water Vapor Permeable Materials: Patents and Publications
Part 7 : Summary of Patent Applications and Practical Examples
Chapter 31 : Summary of the Patent Applications
Chapter 32 : Some Practical Examples
Subject Index
