Vinyon
Synthetic fiber made from PVC
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vinyon is a generic term for synthetic fiber made primarily from polyvinyl chloride.[1][2] Vinyon fibers may also be called to as polyvinyl chloride fibers, especially outside the United States. It can bind non-woven fibers and fabrics. Its existence was known as early as 1937,[3] and 1939 by the American Viscose Corporation had begun manufacturing a copolymer textile fiber made from vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate.[4]
It has the same health problems associated with chlorinated polymers. In the past, Vinyon was used a substitute for plant-based filters in tea bags.
Vinyon fiber characteristics
As vinyon fiber is a generic term for copolymerized PVC fibers, properties will differ among different formulations. For modern vinyon fibers, the United States Federal Trade Commission sets its definition as a copolymer containing at least 85 % vinyl chloride by mass.[1][2] Several sources note the fiber type for low melting points, thermoplastic behavior, and resistance to acids/bases and other chemicals though these are properties that will vary with specific fiber type.[1][2][4][5]
History
Original fiber
In a 1940 description of vinyon, its structure was described as a linear copolymer of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate with "high-molecular-weight" that could be stretched create yarns for textiles.[4] It was noted that vinyl acetate acted as a plasticizer for the copolymer, preventing a need for small-molecule plasticizers in the final product. The polymer is soluble in acetone and could be spun into a fiber from solution.[4]
As a thermoplastic material, vinyon could be used as a "staple" material in producing felts to bind other fiber types.[4] As a chloride-containing polymer, it has a tendency to smoke and char rather than catch fire which made it useful for fire resistance when it was invented.[4] Vinyon was noted for its resistance to caustic aqueous solutions, both acid and base, and was primarily used for industrial filtration shortly after its initial invention.[4] It deteriorated more slowly in saltwater than other textile materials available at the time and thus found use in fishing nets.
Vinyon N
Vinyon N was developed by the Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation to improve the properties of the original vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer. The invention was announced in 1947 and pilot production began in 1948.[6]
The new copolymer used acrylonitrile in place of vinyl acetate. In the original formulation, vinyl chloride only formed 56-60 % of the polymer and would not be considered vinyon by later FTC definitions.[1][5] Vinyon N fibers had a higher softening point than the original vinyl acetate based copolymers, and the manufacturer claimed superior resistance to solvent for Vinyon N.[6] Staple fibers of vinyon N were commercialized in 1949 under the trademark Dynel and had begun to supersede the vinyl acetate copolymer by 1951.[3] However, vinyon N was also more difficult to dye than the original vinyon making it difficult to use for textiles.[7]
Uses
With a relatively low softening and melting point, vinyon found use as a bonding agent for non-woven fabrics and products.[8]
In 1952, the use of vinyon N as a graft for arterial defects was explored by Arthur Voorhees.[9][10] This early work has been cited as an important development in the field of synthetic arterial grafts, though vinyon N was replaced by improved synthetic polymers with time.[10]