A Method and Principle of Soft and Transparent Leather Manufacturing

For preparing a new kind of leather with transmittance and softness at the same time, glycerol was used to treat delimed and bleached split pelt. The softness, transmittance and mechanical properties were tested to evaluate the performance of soft and transparent leather (STL). FT-IR, SEM, XRD, DSC and TG were used to character the structure of STL and reveal the basic principle of STL manufacturing. The results showed that 25% glycerol based on limed pelt weight could make leather soft and transparent simultaneously. Pig pelt was more suitable for thin and transparent leather while cattle split was better for uniform and clear leather. Glycerol combined with collagen through multipoint hydrogen bonds, and the combination had slight positive effect on improving STL thermal stability. Fiber bundles of STL trended to disperse and collagen hierarchical structure including triple helix remained during transparent treatment. The soft and transparent leather could be a new choice for leather goods designers and might be a selectable substrate for high-performance electronic skin.