Water-absorbent, foam-type polymer structure

1. A process for producing water-absorbent, foam-type polymer structures consisting of the steps of:

i) preparing an aqueous composition (A) wherein the aqueous composition (A) comprises

(A1) water,

(A2) one or more polymers based at least on

(α1) from about 55 to about 100 wt. % of a polymerized, monoethylenically unsaturated, acid-group-containing monomer or its salt thereof, wherein said polymerized, monoethylenically unsaturated, acid-group-containing monomer is neutralized from about 50 to about 90 mol %;

(α2) from 0 to about 45 wt. % of a polymerized, monoethylenically unsaturated monomer that is copolymerizable with (α1),

wherein the sum of the amounts by weight of (α1) and (α2) is 100 wt. % and wherein at least about 31.5 wt. % of the monomers, based on the total weight of the monomers (α1) and (α2), are acrylic acid or salts of acrylic acid,

(A3) one or more crosslinkers,

(A4) one or more blowing agents,

(A5) one or more surfactants,

(A6) and optionally further auxiliary substances,

ii) foaming the aqueous composition (A) to make a foamed aqueous composition,

iii) applying ethylene carbonate to the surface of the foamed aqueous composition of step ii),

iv) heating the foamed aqueous composition including ethylene carbonate of step iii) to a temperature in a range of from about 50 to about 300° C., so that the polymer (A2) crosslinks at least partially and the content of water (A1) is adjusted to not more than about 15 wt. %, based on the total weight of the foam-type polymer structure that forms,

v) smoothing the surface of the water-absorbent, foam-type polymer structure of step iv) by treating the surface of the water-absorbent, foam-type polymer structure with steam at temperatures in the range of from about 20° C. to 40° C. followed by calendaring wherein the pores in the region of the surface of the foam-type polymer structure are compressed but not closed resulting in the water-absorbent, foam-type polymer structure having nonuniform cell structure.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the foamed aqueous composition polymer has a number-average molecular weight of at least about 10,000 g/mol.

3. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the foamed composition has a foam liter weight of from about 10 to about 1000 g/l.

4. A water-absorbent, foam-type polymer structure obtainable by a process according to claim 1 .

5. A chemical product comprising a water-absorbent, foam-type polymer structure according to claim 4 .

6. A composite comprising a water-absorbent, foam-type polymer structure according to claim 4 and a substrate.

7. A chemical product comprising a composite of claim 6 .

8. A process for the production of a composite, wherein at least a portion of the surface of the water-absorbent, foam-type polymer structure obtained by the process of claim 1 is brought into contact with at least a portion of the surface of a substrate, and the polymer structure is then immobilized on at least a portion of the surface of the substrate.

9. The process according to claim 8 , wherein the substrate is a thermoplastic sheet-form structure.

10. A composite obtainable by a process according to claim 8 .

11. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more blowing agents is selected from inorganic salts or organic compounds that are capable of decarboxylation.

12. A process for the production of a composite, comprising the steps of

i) preparing an aqueous composition (A) wherein the aqueous composition (A) comprises

(A1) water,

(A2) one or more polymers based at least on

(α1) from about 55 to about 100 wt. % of a polymerized, monoethylenically unsaturated, acid-group-containing monomer or its salt thereof, wherein said polymerized, monoethylenically unsaturated, acid-group-containing monomer is neutralized from about 50 to about 90 mol %;

(α2) from 0 to about 45 wt. % of a polymerized, monoethylenically unsaturated monomer that is copolymerizable with (α1),

wherein the sum of the amounts by weight of (α1) and (α2) is 100 wt. % and wherein at least about 31.5 wt. % of the monomers, based on the total weight of the monomers (α1) and (α2), are acrylic acid or salts of acrylic acid,

(A3) one or more crosslinkers,

(A4) one or more blowing agents,

(A5) one or more surfactants,

(A6) and optionally further auxiliary substances,

ii) foaming the aqueous composition (A) to make a foamed aqueous composition,

iii) applying ethylene carbonate to the surface of the foamed aqueous composition of step ii),

iv) contacting the foamed aqueous composition including ethylene carbonate of step iii) with at least a portion of the surface of a substrate,

v) heating the substrate brought into contact with the foamed aqueous composition of step iv) to a temperature in a range of from about 50 to about 300° C. so that the polymer (A2) crosslinks at least partially, the content of water (A1) is adjusted to not more than about 15 wt. %, based on the total weight of the foam-type polymer structure that forms, and the resulting foam-type polymer structure is immobilized on at least a portion of the surface of the substrate, and

vi) smoothing the surface of the water-absorbent, foam-type polymer structure of step v by treating the surface of the water-absorbent, foam-type polymer structure with steam at temperatures in the range of from about 20° C. to 40° C. followed by calendaring wherein the pores in the region of the surface of the foam-type polymer structure are compressed but not closed resulting in the water-absorbent, foam-type polymer structure having nonuniform cell structure.

13. The process according to claim 12 , wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of polymeric film, metal, nonwoven, fluff, tissue, woven fabric, natural fiber, synthetic fiber and foam.

14. The process according to claim 12 , wherein templates are used during application of the foamed aqueous composition to the substrate.

15. A composite obtainable by a process according to claim 12 .