Abstract: Nonwovens made of ultrafine fibers has a big potential in filtration, insulation and absorbing medium market. The pore structure and fiber diameter of nonwovens have a dominant influence on the performance of the final products. In this study, nonwovens made of PA6/PE sea-island fiber was prepared by spunlace process. And after a treatment with xylene, nonwovens composed of ultrafine PA6 fibers was obtained. A comparison of the pore diameters, morphology, permeability and liquid behaviors of the nonwovens before and after the treatment was made. The results showed that after treated by xylene, the fiber’s diameter was significantly dropped to 792 nm from 28 μm, and the pore diameter decreased by 85%. Moreover, its water-absorbing capacity, breaking strength and uniformity got better.

Key words: spunlaced nonwovens; ultrafine fiber; structure-property relation; aperture