Highly absorbent composite and method of making the same
AssigneeDSG International Limited
InventorsMigaku Suzuki, Ryoichi Matsumoto, Shingo Mori
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A composite structure mainly composed of hydratable fine fibers in the form of microfibril and a water swellable solid body, the fibers being obtained from cellulose or derivatives thereof, and at least part of the surface of the solid body is covered with the fine fibers. The absorbent composite can be formed in various form of, for example, particle, pellet, sheet and the like, especially of a sheet type with a supporting sheet of a non-woven fabric. The present invention further provides a method of making the composite structure.
Claims14
A method of making an absorbent sheet comprising the steps of:
- preparing a three component dispersion slurry by adding and dispersing a short-cut staple fiber component and absorbent polymer particles in a dispersion liquid where hydratable fine fibers in the form of microfibril are dispersed in a dispersion medium, the short-cut staple fiber component having longer fiber length than average diameter of the absorbent polymer particles;
- forming a slurry layer by spreading said three component dispersion slurry on at least either surface of a supporting sheet;
- and
- removing said dispersion medium from said slurry layer and then drying,
- wherein the ratio (P/Q) of weight (P) of said hydratable fine fibers in the form of microfibril to weight (Q) of said short-cut staple fiber component is in the range of from 1/5 to 5/1.
A method of making an absorbent sheet comprising the steps of:
- preparing a two component dispersion liquid by dispersing hydratable fine fibers in the form of microfibril and absorbent polymer particles in a dispersion medium;
- forming a first slurry layer by spreading said two component dispersion liquid on at least either surface of a supporting sheet;
- forming a second slurry layer covering said first slurry layer by feeding a dispersion liquid where a short-cut staple fiber component is dispersed in a dispersion medium from the top of said first slurry layer, the short-cut staple fiber component having longer fiber length than average diameter of the absorbent polymer particles;
- and
- removing said dispersion mediums from said first and second slurry layers, and then drying,
- wherein the ratio (P/Q) of weight (P) of said hydratable fine fibers in the form of microfibril to weight (Q) of said short-cut staple fiber component is in the range of from 1/5 to 5/1.
A method of making an absorbent sheet comprising a supporting sheet, a first layer comprising two components of hydratable fine fibers in the form of microfibril and a short-cut staple fiber component, and a second layer comprising three components of absorbent polymer particles, hydratable fine fibers in the form of microfibril and a short-cut staple fiber component, said first and second layers being laid on at least one surface of said supporting sheet in a desired pattern, the short-cut staple fiber component having longer fiber length than average diameter of the absorbent polymer particles, comprising the steps of:
- forming a slurry layer by spreading a slurry where hydratable fine fibers in the form of microfibril and short-cut staple fiber component are dispersed in a dispersion medium so that said absorbent polymer particles on the supporting sheet are covered;
- and
- removing said dispersion medium from said slurry layer containing absorbent polymer particles and then drying,
- wherein the ratio (P/Q) of weight (P) of said hydratable fine fibers in the form of microfibril to weight (Q) of said short-cut staple fiber component is in the range of from 1/5 to 5/1.
A method of making an absorbent sheet comprising the steps of:
- preparing a dispersion liquid in the form of a slurry by dispersing absorbent polymer particles into a dispersion medium consisting of a water soluble polyvalent alcohol or a mixture of said alcohol with water;
- storing said dispersion liquid;
- forming said dispersion liquid into a sheet;
- removing said dispersion medium from said sheet;
- and
- drying said sheet to foam an absorbent body;
- wherein the viscosity of said dispersion liquid slurry is lowered by heating said dispersion liquid in succession in a process from a transfer of said dispersion liquid to said forming step up to said removing step, and said polyvalent alcohol is selected from a group consisting of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, low molecular weight polyethylene glycol and glycerin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.