ARS | Publication request: Electrokinetic properties of incontinence nonwoven devices

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: January 18, 2011
Publication Date: April 25, 2011
Citation: Edwards, J.V., Condon, B.D., Parikh, D.V., Batiste, S.L., Prevost, N.T., Reynolds, M.L., Allen Jr, H.C., Ducruet, M., Sawhney, A.P. 2011. Electrokinetic properties of incontinence nonwoven devices. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. 1454-1460.

Interpretive Summary: Users of absorbent urinary incontinence products are diverse. Urinary incontinence is common and has an adverse effect on quality of life. It has been noted that one-third to one-half of younger and middle age women (40-60 years) and one-half to three-quarters of women >60 years require incontinence use protection. However an aging population will also realize an increased need including immobilized patients in nursing homes, and although female incontinence represents 80% of the market the male incontinence market is growing with 31 percent of men becoming incontinent by age 85. Cotton in addition to being environmentally friendly has many other positive attributes that are of value including softness, comfort, non-irritating, hypo-allergenic and breathability that could be explored as an incontinence material. Thus, an understanding of the water transport properties of nonwoven incontinence devices is a prerequisite to the design of cotton-based nonwovens. A complete understanding of the interfacial moisture movement which occurs between the layers of cover stock, acquisition layer, distribution layer, absorbent core, and back sheet is dependent on characterizing the moisture uptake, urine distribution and retention capacity. This paper employs electrokinetic analysis of the cover stock, acquisition layer, distribution layer, and back sheet to determine the relative hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties, swelling, and moisture movement capacity that function within and between the incontinence layers of different absorbent incontinence products.

Technical Abstract: An understanding of the water transport properties of nonwoven incontinence devices is a prerequisite to the design of cotton-based nonwovens. A complete understanding of the interfacial moisture movement which occurs between the layers of coverstock, acquisition layer, distribution layer, absorbent core, and back sheet is dependent on characterizing the moisture uptake, urine distribution and retention capacity. To this end numerous water absorption tests have previously been effective in characterizing the moisture transport properties of incontinence materials. However, a unified approach to characterizing the role of fiber surface polarity in fluid uptake, inter-layer fluidity, and absorbent capacity in material performance would assist in selecting the appropriate cotton motif for incontinence control. Hence the selection of cotton substitutes for any or all of the layers employed with incontinence materials would be enabled. Electrokinetic analysis of the coverstock, acquisition layer, distribution layer, and back sheet allowed the determination of the relative hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties, swelling, and moisture movement capacity that function within and between the incontinence layers.