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Comfort, chemical, mechanical, and structural properties of natural and synthetic leathers used for apparel
Author(s) -
Sudha Thomas Balasingh,
Thanikaivelan Palanisamy,
Aaron Kavati Phebe,
Krishnaraj Kaliappa,
Chandrasekaran Bangaru
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.30589
Subject(s) - natural materials , synthetic fiber , materials science , polyurethane , synthetic polymer , composite material , tear resistance , polymer science , air permeability specific surface , synthetic resin , polymer , ultimate tensile strength , fiber , layer (electronics)
Natural leather is processed from hides and skins of animals. Synthetic leathers are becoming popular as an alternative material owing to limited availability and varying size of natural leathers. There is a need to understand the properties of natural and synthetic leathers to select proper material for an application. In this study, materials used for apparel application such as natural sheep nappa leather and synthetic polyurethane (PU)‐based leather have been chosen and analyzed for comfort, chemical, physical, and structural properties. It was found that natural sheep nappa leather has enhanced water vapor permeability whereas other comfort properties such as softness and drape ability are comparable to synthetic PU leather. Whereas synthetic PU leather dominated most of the physical properties, especially percentage elongation and stitch tear strength, in specific directions on account of polyester knitted base fabric. Chemical properties of natural sheep nappa leather and synthetic PU leather depended on the individual material composition and characteristics. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis provided convincing evidence for some of the quantified comfort and physical properties. The results of this study would be useful in selection of proper material for apparel application as well as in providing directions for future research in synthetic leather manufacture. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009