PURPOSE: To obtain a lightweight superfine fiber from a conjugate fiber comprising a sea component and an island component.
CONSTITUTION: A polymer produced by reacting a polyvinyl alcohol having monomer units each containing a hydroxyl group bound to a primary carbon atom with a hydroxyl group-containing compound having at least one of a carboxyl group, an epoxy group and a carboxylate ester group, especially an oxyalkylene group-containing polyvinylalcohol or an allylalcohol-modified polyvinylaloohol, is used as a sea component (A). A hydrophobic thermoplastic resin, especially polypropylene homopolymer or high density polyethylene, is used as an island component (B). The components A and B are melt-spun into a conjugate fiber, and the sea component A is subsequently removed with a basic aqueous solution as a removing solvent.
KABETANI TOSHIRO
FUKAHORI MASAAKI
OKAHATA SANGYO KK