Absorbent articles including HIPE foam enhanced with clay nanoplatelets, and method of manufacture

An absorbent article comprising a liquid permeable topsheet, a liquid impermeable backsheet, and an absorbent layer disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet, wherein the absorbent layer comprises an open-cell foam,

• the open-cell foam comprising a structure of interconnected struts formed of polymeric material and defining open cells, resulting from polymerization of a continuous phase of a high internal phase water-in-oil emulsion where the oil contains an emulsifier, the struts comprising the polymeric material with clay nanoparticles at least partially captured therewithin, wherein the clay nanoparticles are rendered organophilic with a surface modifier,
• wherein the clay nanoparticles comprise nanoplatelets of sodium fluorohectorite, and wherein the surface modifier is an ammonium-terminated oligomeric poly(2-ethylhexyl methacrylate) having an average chain length of about 5, resulted from a reaction of oligomerization of 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate with cysteamine.