AsianScientist (Oct. 7, 2016) – A new material made of tiny nanofibers could replace potentially harmful materials found in diapers and sanitary products, according to research published in Applied Materials Today.
For the last few decades, disposable diapers, sanitary napkins and other sanitary products have been made absorbent using superabsorbent polymers (SAPs). These materials are capable of absorbing many times their own weight in liquid; the average diaper can absorb 30 times its own weight in bodily fluids.
Unfortunately SAPs are not biodegradable; even under ideal conditions, it can take as long as 500 years for a diaper to degrade. Furthermore, SAPs have been linked to health problems like toxic shock syndrome, leading to their ban in tampons in the 1980s.
The new material, which is made of electrospun cellulose acetate nanofibers, does not have these drawbacks. In their study, the team from the Indian Institute of Technology analyzed the material and then suggested that it could replace the use of SAPs in female hygiene products, with less of an environmental impact while also being safer for humans.
The nanofibers are long and very thin fibers made using a technique called electrospinning–spinning using electricity. Because of their large surface area compared to their volume, the researchers thought they would be more absorbent than existing materials.
The material used in commercially-available sanitary napkins is made up of flat, ribbon-like fibers that are about 30 micrometers thick. In contrast, the nanofibers are about 150 nanometers thick–about 200 times thinner. They compared the performance of the material to commercially-available sanitary napkins and found it to be even more absorbent. Notably, the material is more comfortable than those used in existing products and leaves behind less residue after use.
“Our results show that electrospun nanofibers outperform commercially-available sanitary products in terms of absorbency and comfort, and we think this makes it a good candidate to replace the potentially harmful materials currently used,” said Dr. Chandra Sharma, corresponding author of the study.
“By making sanitary products safer to use and dispose, we hope to have a global impact on health and the environment.”
The article can be found at: Yadav et al. (2016) High Absorbency Cellulose Acetate Electrospun Nanofibers for Feminine Hygiene Application.
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Source: Elsevier; Photo: S. Yadav/IIT.
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