Superabsorbent foams, and method for producing the same

A method for producing a microporous, open-celled foam, comprising the steps of:

• (a) mixing hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and water to form a substantially homogeneous, single-phase solution:
• (b) inducing crosslinking of said HPC by adding a suitable crosslinking agent to said single-phase solution;
• (c) inducing phase separation of said single-phase solution into a polymer-concentrated phase and a polymer-dilute phase, wherein said phase separation is induced by increasing the temperature of said single-phase solution to above the lower consolute solution temperature of said single-phase solution;
• (d) permitting said crosslinking to continue, so that said HPC will crosslink in said concentrated phase during said phase separation to thereby form a microporous material;
• and
• (e) drying said microporous material to produce said foam.

A method for producing a microporous, open-celled foam, comprising the steps of:

• (a) mixing hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), water and a phase-separation enhancer to form a substantially homogeneous, single-phase solution, wherein said phase-separation enhancer is chosen from the group consisting of:
• a salt, a water-soluble organic solvent, and a combination of a salt and a water-soluble organic solvent;
• (b) inducing crosslinking of said HEC by adding a suitable crosslinking agent to said single-phase solution;
• (c) inducing phase separation of said single-phase solution into a polymer-concentrated phase and a polymer-dilute phase, wherein said phase separation is induced by increasing the temperature of said single-phase solution to above the lower consolute solution temperature of said single-phase solution;
• and
• (d) permitting said crosslinking to continue, so that said HEC will crosslink in said concentrated phase during said phase separation to thereby form a microporous material;
• and
• (e) drying said microporous material to produce said foam.