Superabsorbent polymers having radiation activatable surface cross-linkers and method of making them

1. A method of making surface cross-linked superabsorbent polymer particles which comprises the steps of:

a) providing a superabsorbent polymer comprising carboxyl groups for chemically reacting with a surface cross-linker, wherein the superabsorbent polymer is a particle selected from the group consisting of granules, flakes, spheres, powders, platelets, and beads;

b) adding radiation activatable surface cross-linkers; and

c) exposing said superabsorbent polymer and said radiation activatable surface cross-linkers to electromagnetic radiation, wherein said radiation activatable surface cross-linker comprises at least two radiation activatable groups R, said at least two radiation activatable groups R being covalently bound to each other or to at least one spacer group S, wherein the spacer group S is a spacer group selected from the group consisting of an organic group with a molecular weight of up to about Mw=10000, and a polymeric group with a molecular weight of up to about Mw=1000000.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said superabsorbent polymer particles comprise homopolymers of partially neutralized α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid or copolymers of partially neutralized α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymerized with a monomer copolymerizable therewith, said homopolymers or said copolymers comprising aliphatic groups, wherein at least some of said aliphatic groups are at least partially exposed on the surface of said superabsorbent polymer particles and wherein said radiation activatable surface cross-linker reacts to form covalent bonds with at least a part of said aliphatic groups at least partially exposed on the surface of said superabsorbent polymer particle.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said electromagnetic radiation is UV radiation.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said superabsorbent polymer and said radiation activatable surface cross-linkers are exposed to UV radiation for from about 0.0001 seconds to about 30 minutes.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein step c) of said method is carried out at temperatures of less than about 100° C.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said method further comprises the step of drying said superabsorbent polymer particles, said drying being carried out after step c) of claim 1 .

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least two different radiation activatable surface cross-linkers are added.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the radiation activatable groups R are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of acetophenone, benzophenone, anthraquinone, xanthone, thioxanthone, camphorquinone, terphthalophenone, benzyl, fluorenone, α-ketocoumarin, and their derivatives, wherein said acetophenone derivatives include reaction products comprising at least two acetophenone groups and said benzophenone derivatives include at least two benzophenone groups.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the radiation activatable groups R are the same or different and comprise a first group and a second group, the first group selected from the group consisting of methyl, benzyl, aryl, phenyl, and substituted phenyl, and a second group selected from the group consisting of an aryl, an alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, cyclo-propyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, α,α-dialkoxyalkyl, and α-hydroxyalkyl, wherein said first group is covalently bound to said second group via a carbonyl group therebetween and wherein the second group is covalently bound to the spacer group S or to another radiation activatable group.