JP3071471B2 - Hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer coated with antimicrobial agent - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various disposable absorbers that are not only effective in absorbing body fluids such as urine, blood, menstrual fluid, etc. but are also considered to be hygienic and comfortable to use are known in the literature. Have been. Disposable absorbent products of this type are usually made up of a liquid permeable topsheet material, an absorbent core and a liquid impermeable backsheet material. Various shapes, sizes and thicknesses of such objects have been explored in an effort to make their use even more comfortable and convenient.

At one time, research on such disposable absorbers has been primarily directed at the ability to absorb objects. As a result, various absorbent polymers having high absorbency have been developed. Such known absorbent polymers (also known as hydrogel-forming absorbent polymers) can absorb about 30 to 60 g of water per gram of polymer.

More recently, research has been directed at eliminating malodors and preventing skin disorders such as dermatitis, rashes and redness resulting from wearing disposable absorbers for relatively long periods of time. Many body fluids have an unpleasant odor or emit such an odor when exposed to air and / or bacteria for an extended period of time. In addition, urine and / or other exudates absorbed into the absorber are converted to ammonia by urease produced from the skin flora, a normal microbial community on the skin. This ammonia in turn causes dermatitis, rash and / or
Or cause other forms of skin irritation. Such diseases of the skin in infants are a serious medical problem and, in extreme cases, result in death.

Antimicrobial agents and bactericides are chemical compositions used to prevent microbial contamination and degradation of products, materials and systems. Specific areas of application of antimicrobial agents and compositions include, for example, cosmetics, pesticides, disinfectants, wood preservatives, food, animal feed, cooling water, metalworking fluids, hospital and medical applications, plastics and resins, petroleum, pulp And paper, textiles, latex, adhesives, leather and animal hides, paint slurries and disposable diapers.

For example, in Japanese Patent No. 4-17058, bacteria col
Disposable diapers are disclosed which are said to prevent the development of diaper rashes due to the growth of saprophytes such as ibacillus and Candida. The disclosed disposable diaper has a water-permeable topsheet, a water-impermeable backsheet,
It consists of a water-absorbing layer sandwiched between these sheets. The water absorbing layer comprises: a) a polyacrylate polymer, a starch acrylonitrile graft copolymer hydrolyzate, a starch acrylic acid graft copolymer, a polyvinyl alcohol-acrylate copolymer, a polymer produced by further crosslinking of a crosslinked acrylate with a crosslinking agent and modified carboxymethylcellulose. And b) benzalkonium chloride and / or chlorhexidine gluconate contained within the water-absorbing organic polymer. In that document, an organic polymer / bactericide material by combining an organic polymer starting material (eg, particulate silicon dioxide, a copolymer such as crosslinked potassium polyacrylate and a crosslinker such as ethylene glycol diglycidyl) and a bactericide. Are further disclosed. The resulting mixture is then heated to cause a crosslinking reaction to form a crosslinked structure,
The fungicide is incorporated into the structure.

The diaper disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4-17058 is said to absorb the ammonia contained in the urine of the wearer by an organic polymer, and the bactericide produces ammonia by bacteria (the production of urea contained in urine). Formed by decomposition)
But we found a shortcoming in this technology.

For example, because the fungicide is incorporated within the polymer, the fungicide does not begin to work until the polymer swells in urine. In other words, the product is not immediately effective, for example, when urinating.

In addition, water-absorbing polymers (produced as described in Japanese Patent No. 4-17058 or without incorporation of a fungicide into the polymer) are prone to dusting during production. Such dust production has several disadvantages, including health risks to workers who inhale dust, increased cleaning of dust removing machines, and product loss due to unwanted dust formation. .

Based on the above, when used in a disposable absorber,
There is a need for an antimicrobial hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer ("A-HFAP") that has an immediate effect upon the drainage of bodily fluids by the user. There is also a need for a method for producing such A-HFAP that minimizes dust production. There is also a need for such an A-HFAP-containing absorbent product that retains the antimicrobial agent away from the wearer's skin even after wetting.

SUMMARY The present invention relates to an antimicrobial hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer comprising a hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer and an antimicrobial agent, wherein the hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer is coated with an antimicrobial agent. Such materials meet the need for a hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer and antimicrobial combination that, when used in a disposable absorbent article, have an immediate effect on the drainage of bodily fluids by the user.

The invention further relates to a method for producing such an antimicrobial hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer, comprising coating the hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer with an antimicrobial agent. Such a method meets the process need to minimize dust production associated with the production of hydrogel-forming absorbent polymers.

The invention further relates to a disposable absorbent comprising an antimicrobial hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer. Such a structure satisfies the need for an absorbent that can keep the active ingredients away from the user's skin while effectively reducing malodor and rash.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the present disclosure and the accompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the invention, the present invention is more fully understood from the following description of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is considered well understood, where the same reference numerals represent the same elements: FIG. 1 has been cut open to reveal the inner surface of the diaper facing the viewer, the underlying structure, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the disposable diaper embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the disposable diaper of FIG. 1 along the lateral centerline 110 of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of another embodiment, which corresponds to a portion of FIG. 2; and FIG. 4 illustrates key elements of the end product uptake test.

Specific Description The following is a list of definitions for terms used herein.

"A-HFAP" means an antimicrobial hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer.

"Body fluids" include urine, menstrual fluid and vaginal secretions.

By "comprising" is meant that other steps and other ingredients which do not affect the end result can be added. This term encompasses the terms “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”.

"Disposable" refers to absorbents that are not intended to be washed or recycled or reused as absorbents (ie, they are discarded after a single use and are preferably recycled, composted to be compatible with the environment). Or disposed of).

"HFAP" means a hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer.

"Unitary" absorbent articles
Is formed from separate parts that are merged together to form an integrated one so that they do not require separate operating parts such as separate holders and liners. Related to the absorber.

All percentages are by weight of the total composition unless otherwise indicated.

All ratios are by weight unless otherwise indicated.

The invention has been described in detail in its product and process aspects as follows.

The present invention relates to an antimicrobial hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer comprising HFAP and an antimicrobial agent, wherein the HFAP is coated with the antimicrobial agent.

In a preferred embodiment, the weight ratio of HFAP to antimicrobial is about 10
0: 0.01 to about 100: 2, more preferably about 100: 0.02 to about 100:
1, even more preferably from about 100: 0.05 to about 100: 0.5.

Hydrogel-forming absorbent polymers The water-insoluble, water-swellable absorbent polymers useful in the present invention are commonly referred to as "hydrogel-forming absorbent polymers" (HFAP), "hydrocolloids" or "superabsorbent" polymers,
Polysaccharides such as carboxymethyl starch, carboxymethyl cellulose and hydroxypropyl cellulose; nonionic types such as polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl ether; polyvinyl pyridine, polyvinyl morpholinion, and N, N-dimethylaminoethyl or N, N-diethylamino There are cationic types such as propyl acrylate and methacrylate and their respective quaternary salts. Typically, HFAP useful in the present invention
Has a large number of anionic functional groups, such as sulfonic acids, and more typically a carboxy group. Examples of polymers suitable for use in the present invention include those made from polymerizable unsaturated acid bearing monomers. Thus, such monomers include olefinically unsaturated acids and anhydrides having at least one carbon-carbon olefinic double bond.
More specifically, these monomers can be selected from olefinically unsaturated carboxylic acids and acid anhydrides, olefinically unsaturated sulfonic acids and mixtures thereof.

Some non-acid monomers can also be included, usually in small amounts, when producing HFAP in the present invention. Such non-acid monomers include, for example, water-soluble or water-dispersible esters of acid-bearing monomers and monomers having no carboxylic or sulfonic acid groups. Thus, optional non-acid monomers include the following types of functional groups: carboxylic or sulfonic esters, hydroxyl groups, amide groups, amino groups, nitrile groups, quaternary ammonium bases, aryl groups (eg, derived from styrene monomers). Phenyl groups). These non-acid monomers are well-known materials, for example, US Pat. No. 4,076,663, issued Feb. 28, 1978 (Masuda et al.) And Jan. 1977.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,817 issued Feb. 13 (Wester
man) is described in more detail in the specification.

The olefinically unsaturated carboxylic acid and carboxylic anhydride monomers include acrylic acid itself, methacrylic acid, ethacrylic acid, 3-chloroacrylic acid, cyanoacrylic acid, methacrylic acid (crotonic acid), phenylacrylic acid, and acryloloxypropionic acid. Sorbic acid, chlorosorbic acid, angelic acid, cinnamic acid, p-chlorocinnamic acid, sterylacrylic acid, itaconic acid, citraconic acid, mesaconic acid, glutaconic acid, aconitic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, tricaalkoxyethylene and There are acrylic acids represented by maleic anhydride.

Olefinically unsaturated sulfonic acid monomers include aliphatic or aromatic vinyl sulfonic acids such as vinyl sulfonic acid, allyl sulfonic acid, vinyl toluene sulfonic acid and styrene sulfonic acid; sulfoethyl acrylate, sulfoethyl methacrylate, sulfopropyl acrylate, Sulfopropyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxy-
There are acrylic and methacrylsulfonic acids such as 3-methacryloxypropylsulfonic acid and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid.

A preferred HFAP for use in the present invention has a carboxy group. These polymers include hydrolyzed starch-acrylonitrile graft copolymers, partially neutralized hydrolyzed starch-acrylonitrile graft copolymers, starch-acrylic acid graft copolymers, partially neutralized starch-acrylic acid graft copolymers, saponified vinyl acetate-
There are acrylic ester copolymers, hydrolyzed acrylonitrile or acrylamide copolymers, slightly crosslinked polymers of the copolymers, partially neutralized polyacrylic acids, and slightly neutralized crosslinked polymers of partially neutralized polyacrylic acids. These polymers can be used alone or in the form of a mixture of two or more different polymers. Examples of these polymeric materials are described in U.S. Pat.
No. 875, U.S. Pat.No. 4,076,663, U.S. Pat.No. 4,093,776
No. 4,666,983 and U.S. Pat.No. 4,734,478
In the specification.

Further preferred polymeric materials for use in making HFAP are partially reticulated crosslinked polymers of partially neutralized polyacrylic acid and their starch derivatives. More preferably, the HFAP is neutralized somewhat reticulated crosslinked polyacrylic acid (ie, poly (sodium acrylate / acrylic acid))
About 50-95%, preferably about 75%. Reticulated cross-linking renders the polymer substantially water-insoluble and partially characterizes the absorption capacity and extractable polymer content of HFAP. The process of network cross-linking these polymers and typical network cross-linking agents is described in more detail in US Pat. No. 4,076,663.

Furthermore, surface crosslinked HFAP is preferably used in the present invention. They have a higher level of crosslinking near the surface than inside. "Surface" as used herein refers to the outwardly facing boundary of a particle, fiber, or the like. In the case of porous HFAP (eg, porous particles, etc.), an exposed internal boundary is also included. A high level of cross-linking at the surface means that the functional cross-linking level of HFAP near the surface is usually higher than the functional cross-linking level of the polymer inside.

The degree of cross-linking from the surface to the interior varies, both in depth and profile. Thus, for example, the depth of surface cross-linking is shallow, and transitions relatively sharply to lower cross-linking levels. On the other hand, for example, the depth of surface crosslinking is HF
It can be a significant factor in AP dimensions and can vary widely.

Depending on considerations such as size, shape, porosity and functionality, the degree and gradient of surface cross-linking will vary within a given HFAP. In the case of granular HFAP, surface cross-linking varies depending on particle size, porosity, and the like. It is not uncommon for the overall cross-linking level to vary within a material due to variations in the surface: volume ratio within the HFAP (eg, between small and large particles) (eg, smaller particles are larger).

Surface crosslinking is usually performed after the final boundaries of the HFAP have been essentially defined (eg, by grinding, extruding, forming, etc.). However, it is also possible to carry out the surface crosslinking simultaneously with the creation of the final boundary. Furthermore,
Some additional modification of the boundaries can be made even after surface cross-linking has been introduced.

Several processes for introducing surface crosslinking have been disclosed in the art. These include (i) bi- or polyfunctional reagents that can react with functional groups present in HFAP (eg,
Glycerol, 1,3-dioxolan-2-one, polyvalent metal ions, polyquaternary amines) are applied to the surface of the HFAP; (ii) other added reagents, such as to increase the level of surface crosslinking, and A bi- or polyfunctional reagent is applied to the surface, possibly capable of reacting with the functional groups present in the HFAP (eg addition of monomer + crosslinking agent and initiation of a second polymerization reaction); (iii) additional polyfunctional reagent Is not added, but HF is added during or after the main polymerization process, such as because additional reagents create higher cross-linking levels at or near the surface.
Introduced into the components present in the AP (eg, the formation of anhydride and / or ester cross-links between the polymer carboxylic acids and / or hydroxyl groups present;
Heating to induce a suspension polymerization process in which the crosslinker is inherently present at higher levels near the surface); and (iv) other substances introduce higher levels of crosslinks or the resulting hydrogel There are processes added to the surface, such as to reduce surface deformability. Combinations of these surface crosslinking processes may also be used simultaneously or sequentially. In addition to the cross-linking reagent, other components can be added to the surface to assist / control the distribution of cross-linking (eg, spread and penetration of the surface cross-linking reagent).

A general method suitable for performing surface cross-linking of HFAP according to the present invention is described in US Pat. No. 4,54, issued Sep. 17, 1985.
No. 1,871 (Obayashi); published PCT application WO 92/16565 (Stanley) published on Oct. 1, 1992; published PCT application WO 90/08789 published on August 9, 1990 (Tai) ); 199
Published PCT Application No. WO 93/05080 (Stanley) published March 18, 3; US Patent No.
No. 4,824,901 (Alexander); U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,861 issued Jan. 17, 1989 (Johnson); May 6, 1986.
U.S. Patent No. 4,587,308 issued on Date (Makita); 19
U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,478 issued Mar. 29, 1988 (T
subakimoto); U.S. Patent No. 5,164,459 issued on November 17, 1992 (Kimura et al.); Published German Patent Application No. 4,020,780 (Dahmen) published August 29, 1991; and October 21, 1992. Published European Patent Application No. published on date
No. 509,708 (Gartner).

Preferably, the HFAP is of one type (ie, is homogeneous), but mixtures of polymers may be used in the present invention.
For example, a mixture of a starch-acrylic acid graft copolymer and a slightly reticulated crosslinked polymer of partially neutralized polyacrylic acid can be used in the present invention.

The HFAP particles used in the present invention can have a wide range of sizes, shapes and / or morphologies. HFAP particles have a large maximum to minimum size ratio (eg,
Granules, flakes, fine powders, inter-particle aggregates, inter-particle cross-linked aggregates, etc.) and can be in the form of fibers, foams and the like. The HFAP may be made of a mixture with low levels of one or more additives, such as, for example, powdered silica, surfactants, glues, binders, and the like. The components of the mixture may be physically and / or chemically associated in such a way that the hydrogel-forming polymer component and the non-hydrogel-forming polymer additive cannot be easily separated physically.

HFAP is non-porous in nature, or has substantial internal porosity.

For particles such as those described above, viscosity is defined as the size determined by sieve size analysis. Thus, for example, 710
Particles that remain in the USA Standard Testing Sieve with micron openings (eg, No. 25 USSeries Alternate Sie
ve Designation is considered to have a size greater than 710 microns and particles that pass through a 710 micron opening sieve and remain on a 500 micron opening sieve (eg, No. 35 USSeri
es Alternate Sieve Designation) is considered to have a particle size of 500-710 microns and particles passing through a sieve with a 500 micron opening are considered to have a size smaller than 500 microns. The mass median particle size of a given sample of hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer particles is defined as the particle size that divides the sample by half on a mass basis, i.e., half the sample by weight has a smaller particle size than the median mass size, and half the sample It has a particle size larger than the mass center size. The standard particle size plotting method (the cumulative weight percent of the particle sample that stays at or passes through a given sieve size aperture is plotted against sieve size on probability paper)
It is typically used to determine the mass median particle size when the 50% mass value does not match the USA Standard Testing Sieve sieve opening. These methods for determining the size of hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer particles are further described in U.S. Patent No. 5,061,259, issued October 29, 1991 (Goldman et al.).

For HFAP particles useful in the present invention, the particles are usually about 1 to 1
It has a size range of about 2000 microns, more preferably about 20 to about 1000 microns. Mass median particle size is usually about 20 to about 1500
Microns, more preferably about 50 to about 1000 microns, even more preferably about 100 to about 800 microns.

Within these size ranges, it is preferred to select large or small particles depending on the need for fast or slow absorption kinetics. For example, in the case of non-porous particles, the swelling rate usually decreases with increasing particle size. In order to increase the gel layer permeability (ie increase the Saline Flow Conductivity (SFC) value), it is also possible to select large or small particles, or narrower size cuts (fractions) of large or small particles from the bulk polymer. preferable. For some HFAP particles, a narrow size range cut that typically contains a large particle size within the size range described above is Pe
It has been found to have high SFC values without any significant degradation in other HFAP properties such as rformance Under Pressure (PUP) capacity and extractable polymer levels. Thus, for example, only the minimum mass fraction of particles is about 71
It is useful to use size cuts having a median size in the range of about 500 to about 710 microns, having a size greater than or equal to 0 microns or less than or equal to about 500 microns. On the other hand, larger sizes where the particles typically have a size in the range of about 150 to about 800 microns are also useful.

Antimicrobial Agents Antimicrobial agents useful in the present invention are compounds that can prevent or kill the growth of microorganisms, and can bind to HFAP, more preferably to the surface of HFAP. Preferred antimicrobial agents are those capable of preventing or killing the growth of microorganisms typically found in body fluids, more preferably in body fluids typically collected with disposable absorbents. Preferred antimicrobial agents include, but are not limited to, quaternary ammonium, phenol, amide, acid and nitro compounds and mixtures thereof, more preferably quaternary ammonium, acids and phenols, and even more preferably quaternary ammonium compounds.

Preferred quaternary ammonium compounds include, but are not limited to, 2- (3-anilinovinyl) -3,4-dimethyloxazolinium iodide, alkylisoquinolium bromide, benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, cetylpyridium chloride, Chlorhexidine gluconate, chlorhexidine hydrochloride, lauryl trimethyl ammonium,
There are methylbenzethonium chloride, stearyltrimethylammonium chloride, 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxide and mixtures thereof, more preferably benzalkonium chloride and chlorhexidine gluconate, even more preferably benzalkonium chloride.

Preferred phenolic compounds include, but are not limited to, benzyl alcohol, p-chlorophenol, chlorocresol, chloroxylenol, cresol, o-cymen-5-ol (BIOSOL), hexachlorophen, hinokitiol, isopropylmethylphenol, parabens (methyl , Ethyl, propyl, butyl, isobutyl, isopropyl and / or sodium methyl substituents), phenethyl alcohol, phenol, phenoxyethanol, o-phenylphenol, resorcinol, resorcinol monoacetate, sodium parabens, sodium phenol sulfonate, Thioxolone, 2,4,4'-trichloro-2'-hydroxydiphenyl ether, zinc phenol sulfonate and mixtures thereof, more preferably There is a potassium parabens.

Preferred amides include, but are not limited to, diazolidinyl urea, 2,4-imidazolidinedione (HYDATOIN), 3,
4,4'-trichlorocarbanilide, 3-trifluoromethyl-4,4'-dichlorocarbanilide, monoethanolamine undecylenate and mixtures thereof, more preferably diazolidinyl urea and 2,4-imidazolidinedione, Even more preferably there is 2,4-imidazolidinedione.

Preferred acids include, but are not limited to, benzoate, benzoic acid, citric acid, dehydroacetic acid, potassium sorbate, sodium citrate, sodium dehydroacetate, sodium salicylate, sodium salicylate, salicylic acid, sorbic acid, undecylenic acid, zinc undecylenate And mixtures thereof, more preferably benzoic acid,
There are citric, salicylic and sorbic acids, even more preferably citric and sorbic acids.

Preferred nitro compounds include, but are not limited to, 2-bromo-2-nitro-2,3-propanediol (BRONOPO
L), methyldibromoglutaronitrile, propylene glycol (MERGUARD) and mixtures thereof.

The present invention further relates to a method for producing an antimicrobial hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer, comprising coating HFAP particles with an antimicrobial agent. As used herein, "coating" means that the antimicrobial agent is on at least a portion of the surface of the HFAP. Preferably, the antimicrobial agent is applied on all of the surface of the HFAP. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the antimicrobial is bound to the surface of HFAP by clonal interactions. When A-HFAP is hydrated, most of the antimicrobial agents are ionically attracted to HFAP. However, some antimicrobial agents may diffuse into the spaces between particles and fibers.

If the antimicrobial agent is in the form of small particles or powder, the antimicrobial agent can be applied by various techniques and equipment used to apply (eg, coat) the substance to another substance. In other cases where the antimicrobial agent is in the form of a liquid, the antimicrobial agent can be applied by a variety of techniques and devices used to apply the liquid to the substance (eg, HFAP
Coated on top). As a result, the A-HFAP of the present invention is obtained as described above.

In a preferred embodiment, the antimicrobial agent is dissolved in a solvent to make a solution. Antimicrobial agents can be dissolved in a solvent by various techniques and equipment used to dissolve substances in solvents known in the art. In a further preferred embodiment, an inorganic solvent, preferably water, is used as the solvent. Preferably, the concentration of the antimicrobial agent in the solution is about 2 to about 25% by weight, more preferably about 5 to 15%.

In some embodiments, antimicrobial agents that are insoluble in organic solvents can also be used. In a further preferred embodiment, a polar organic solvent is used as the solvent. In such an embodiment, a mixed solvent of a hydrophilic organic solvent and water is used as a solvent for the antibacterial agent. Non-limiting examples of preferred organic solvents include low molecular weight alcohols such as methanol, ethanol or propanol; acetone; dimethylformamide (DMF); dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO); hexylmethylphosphoric triamide (HMPT); and mixtures thereof. is there. In another preferred embodiment, non-polar solvents such as hexane, toluene, xylene and benzene can also be used as one of the organic solvents.

After preparing the solution, the solution is applied on HFAP, thereby creating an intermittent mixture. More specifically, an amount of the solution is applied on the HFAP. The solution is applied to the substance, including coating, dumping, pouring, dropping, spraying, spraying, condensing or dipping the liquid mixture onto the absorbent gel particles to provide a partial or complete coating of the HFAP with the antimicrobial agent. It can be applied by various techniques and equipment used to apply. Thus, for an intermittent mixture, the solution is on at least a portion (eg, a coat) of the surface of the HFAP. Preferably, the solution is HF
On all surfaces of AP particles.

The amount of antibacterial agent sufficient to exhibit effective antibacterial properties is HF
It will vary based on several factors, such as the chemical composition of the AP and the physical form of the HFAP, such as the particle size of the HFAP, the chemical composition and molecular weight of the antimicrobial, and the method of applying the antimicrobial.

After making the intermittent mixture, at least some of the solvent is removed from the intermittent mixture. Preferably, at least about 80 of the solvent
%, More preferably at least 95%, most preferably about 100%
Is removed from the intermittent mixture. Removal of the solvent can be accomplished by various techniques and equipment used to separate or remove liquid from the liquid-solid mixture, including evaporation, filtration, washing, or a combination thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, the antimicrobial agent is applied on HFAP after treatment of surface crosslinking of the HFAP particles. On the other hand, in another embodiment, the antimicrobial agent is applied on the HFAP prior to the treatment of the surface crosslinking of the HFAP. In addition, in another aspect, the application of the antimicrobial agent and the treatment of cross-linking can be performed simultaneously.

In a preferred embodiment, the resulting A-HFAP can have several shapes and sizes. For example, the absorbent material can typically take the form of particles, sheets, films, cylinders, blocks, fibers, filaments or other shaped elements. More preferably, the absorbent is in particulate form.

Absorbent using antimicrobial hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer The A-HFAP according to the present invention can be used for many purposes in many fields of use. For example, A-HFAP is a packing container; a drug delivery device; a wound cleaning device;
Burn treatment equipment; Ion exchange column materials; Building materials; Agricultural or horticultural materials such as seed sheets or water storage materials; Use in industrial applications such as sludge or oil dewatering agents, dew formation inhibitors, desiccants and humidity control materials Can be.

Due to the unique absorption and antimicrobial properties of the A-HFAPs of the present invention, they are particularly suitable for use as absorbent cores in absorbents, especially disposable absorbents. As used herein, the term "absorber" refers to an object that absorbs and contains bodily fluids, and more particularly to or on the body of a wearer to absorb and contain various liquids that are drained from the body. Regarding objects placed nearby.

Generally, the absorbers are: (a) a liquid-permeable topsheet placed near the wearer's body; (b) a liquid-impermeable topsheet placed away from the wearer's body and near the wearer's clothing. Backsheet; and (c) made of an absorbent core placed between the topsheet and the backsheet. The absorbent core comprises at least one of the above A-HFAPs of the present invention.
Preferably, the absorbent core further comprises a support web, wherein the absorbent material is attached to the support web. on the other hand,
The absorbent core further includes an envelope web covering the absorbent material. In yet another aspect, the absorbent core further comprises 2
It is made of layered tissue and the absorbent material is placed between the two layers.

In a further preferred embodiment, A-HFAP in the absorbent core is from about 60 to about 1500 g / m ² in basis weight, more preferably about 100
To about 1000 g / m ^2, and most preferably it has an absorption material from about 150 to about 500 g / m ^2.

In some preferred embodiments, the absorbent core or absorbent is fiber or fluff pulp (fibrous or fibrous material),
More specifically, it further contains non-absorbable gelled fibers. Such fibrous materials can be used as a reinforcing material in the absorbent core to improve the liquid handling properties of the core, as well as as a co-absorbent with the absorbent polymer. Preferably, the absorbent core or material comprises about 40 to about 100% by weight of A-HFAP and about 60 to about 0% by weight of such non-absorbable gelled fiber material distributed within the absorbent material.

In a preferred embodiment, A-HFAP is at a concentration of at least 40% by weight, more preferably from about 60 to about 100%, in at least one region of the core or absorbent. In a further preferred embodiment, the absorbent comprises a fibrous matrix,
There, A-HFAP is distributed in a fibrous matrix.

Any type of fibrous material suitable for use in conventional absorbent products can be used in the present invention for the absorbent core or absorbent. Specific examples of such fibrous materials include cellulosic fibers, modified cellulosic fibers, rayon, polypropylene and polyester fibers, and polyethylene terephthalate (DACRON), hydrophilic nylon (HYDROFIL), and the like. Examples of other fiber materials for use in the present invention include, for example, surfactant-treated or silica-treated thermoplastic fibers derived from polyolefins such as polyethylene or polypropylene, polyacryls, polyamides, polystyrenes, polyurethanes, and the like. There are various hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers. In fact, hydrophobized hydrophobic fibers that are not very absorbent by themselves, and thus do not provide a web of sufficient absorption capacity to be useful in conventional absorbent structures, absorb due to their good wicking properties. Suitable for use in the core. this is,
This is because in the present absorbent core, due to the high liquid uptake rate of the absorbent core and the lack of gel blocking properties, the wicking properties of the fibers are equally important, if not more important, than the absorption capacity of the fibrous material itself. Synthetic fibers are usually preferred for use in the present invention as the fiber component of the absorbent core. Most preferred are polyolefin fibers, preferably polyethylene fibers.

Another cellulosic fiber material useful in the absorbent core or absorbent of the present invention is chemically cured cellulosic fibers. Preferred chemically cured cellulosic fibers are cured, thread-curled cellulose fibers made by internally cross-linking the cellulose fibers with a cross-linking agent. Suitable cured, twisted and curled cellulose fibers useful as hydrophilic fiber materials in the present invention comprise 19
U.S. Patent No. 4,888,093, issued December 19, 1989 (D
ean et al.); U.S. Patent No. 4,88, issued December 26, 1989.
No. 9,595 (Herron et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,596 issued on Dec. 26, 1989 (Schoggen et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,597 issued on Dec. 26, 1989 (Bourbon et al.); And 1990 US Patent No. 4,898,64, issued February 6,
No. 7 (Moore et al.).

A preferred embodiment of the disposable absorber is a diaper. The term "diaper" as used herein relates to garments usually worn by infants and incontinent persons, worn around the lower torso of the wearer. A preferred diaper configuration for a diaper having an absorbent core is generally described in U.S. Patent No. 3,860,003 (Buell) issued January 14,1975. On the other hand, a preferred form of the disposable diaper in the present invention is U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,178 (Aziz et al.) Issued on Feb. 28, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,278 (Lawson) issued on Sep. 22, 1987. ; March 28, 1989
U.S. Patent No. 4,816,025 (Foreman) issued on date;
And U.S. Patent No. 5,151, issued September 29, 1992.
No. 092 (Buell et al.).

A preferred embodiment of the absorbent body of the present invention is the diaper 20, an integral disposable absorbent body shown in FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the diaper 20 of the present invention in a flattened, uncontracted state (ie, with elastic retraction retracted), some of the structure further illustrating how to assemble the diaper 20. The part of the diaper 20 that is cut open to show it easily and faces the wearer,
It has an inner surface 40 facing the viewer. As shown in FIG. 1, the diaper 20 includes a liquid-permeable topsheet 24, a liquid-impermeable backsheet 26 joined to the topsheet,
It preferably comprises a containment assembly 22 consisting of an absorbent core 28 located between the topsheet 24 and the backsheet 26. The absorbent core 28 has a pair of opposed vertical ends 6
0, having an inner surface 62 and an outer surface 64. Diapers are
Side panels 30, elastic leg cuffs 32, elastic waistbands 34, and preferably a pair of anchors 37 and receivers 38
It preferably further comprises a fastening system 36 consisting of:

The diaper 20 includes an inner surface 40 (facing the viewer in FIG. 1), an outer surface 42 opposite the inner surface 40, a rear waist region 44, a front waist region 46 opposite the rear waist region 44, and a rear waist region. With a crotch region 48 located between 44 and the front waist region 46 and a peripheral edge defined by the outer edge or edge of the diaper 20 (side edges are denoted by 50 and ends are denoted by 52) As shown in FIG.
The inner surface 40 of the diaper 20 comprises a portion of the diaper 20 that is placed near the body of the wearer during use (ie, the inner surface 40 is joined to at least a portion of the topsheet 24 and to the topsheet 24). Usually formed by other elements). The outer surface 42 comprises a portion of the diaper 20 that is separated from the wearer's body (ie, the outer surface 42 is typically formed by at least a portion of the backsheet 26 and other elements joined to the backsheet 26). Is formed). As used herein, the term "joined" includes the form in which an element is directly fixed to another element by attaching the element directly to another element, and the form in which the element is attached to an intermediate material and then to another element. A form in which the element is indirectly fixed to another element by being attached to the element. The rear waist region 44 and the front waist region 46 are formed by a peripheral end 52.
To the crotch region 48.

The diaper 20 also has two centerlines, a vertical centerline 100 and a horizontal centerline 110. As used herein, the term "longitudinal" generally refers to (e.g., substantially parallel to) a vertical surface that halves an upright wearer when the diaper 20 is worn.
With respect to the line, axis or direction on the surface of the diaper 20. As used herein, the terms "lateral" and "lateral" are interchangeable, and are generally lines, axes or axes in the diaper plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (dividing the wearer into the front and back halves of the body). Regarding the direction.

The containment assembly 22 of the diaper 20 is shown in FIG. 1 as consisting of the main body (chassis) of the diaper 20. The containment assembly 22 includes a topsheet 24, a backsheet 26, and a pair of opposed longitudinal ends 60, an inner surface 62,
It is preferably made of an absorbent core 28 having an outer surface 64. The inner surface 62 is normally facing the wearer's body and the outer surface
64 is normally facing away from the wearer's body. When the absorber comprises a separate holder and liner, the containment assembly 22 is usually made of a holder and a liner (ie, the containment assembly 22 is made up of one or more layers of material to make the holder, and the liner is a topsheet, backing Consisting of an absorbent composite such as a sheet and an absorbent core). In the case of integral absorber, containment assembly
The diaper 22 is preferably made of a diaper topsheet 24, a backsheet 26 and an absorbent core 28, with other features added to form a composite diaper structure.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a containment assembly 22 in which the topsheet 24 and the backsheet 26 have length and width dimensions that are typically greater than in the case of an absorbent core 28. The top sheet 24 and the back sheet 26 protrude from the end of the absorbent core 28 to form a peripheral edge of the diaper 20. While the topsheet 24, backsheet 26 and absorbent core 28 may be assembled in various well-known forms, the illustrated containment assembly form is described in Kenn, Jan. 14, 1975.
U.S. Patent No. 3,860,003 entitled "Shrinkable Side Parts of Disposable Diapers" issued to Kenneth B. Buell et al., issued September 29, 1992, issued to Kenneth B. Buell et al., issued to eth B. Buell. No. 5,151,092, entitled "Absorptive Body With Dynamic Elastic Waist Features," each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The absorbent core 28 is an absorbent material that is normally compressible, conformable, non-irritating to the skin of the wearer and capable of absorbing and storing liquids such as urine and some other body exudates. As shown in FIG. 1, the absorbent core 28 has a garment-facing side, a body-facing side, a pair of side ends, and a pair of waist ends. The absorbent core 28 can be of various sizes and shapes (eg, square, engraved, “T” shaped, asymmetric, etc.)
In addition to containing the A-HFAP of the present invention, it includes various liquid absorbent materials commonly used in disposable diapers and other absorbent materials such as finely ground wood pulp, commonly referred to as air felt. You can go out. Examples of other suitable absorbent materials include creped cellulose wadding; melt brown polymers, including coforms; chemically cured, modified or crosslinked cellulose fibers; tissue wraps and tissue laminates Tissue; absorbent foam; absorbent sponge; superabsorbent polymer; absorbent gelling substance; or any corresponding substance or combination of substances.

The form and structure of the absorbent core 28 may vary (e.g.,
The absorbent core has various caliper zones, hydrophilic gradients, superabsorbent gradients, or low average density and low average basis weight uptake zones, or has one or more layers or structures). Further, the size and absorbency of the absorbent core 28 may be varied for wearers from infants to adults. However, the total absorption capacity of the absorbent core 28 is
Should be compatible with the design load and application of the

One embodiment of the diaper 20 has an asymmetric, modified T-shaped absorbent core 28 with ears in the front waist region, but is generally square in the rear waist region. An absorbent structure, exemplified for use as the absorbent core 28 of the present invention, which has achieved broad acceptability and commercial success, is disclosed by Weisman on September 9, 1986.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,678, issued to Weisman et al. On Jun. 16, 1987, issued to Weisman et al., Issued to Weisman et al., Issued to Weisman et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,231 issued to Angstadt on Dec. 19, 1989, entitled "Absorptive Core with Dusting Layer"; and U.S. Pat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,832 issued to lemany et al., entitled "High Density Absorbent with Low Density and Low Basis Weight Uptake Zones".
No. 4,735. The absorbent core is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,878 issued to Alemany et al. On Aug. 10, 1993, entitled "Absorbent with Elastic Waist Features and High Absorbency".
Issue 5,234,423; and Young, LaVon on September 15, 1992
And the incorporation of chemically cured fibers throughout an absorbent storage core, as described in US Pat. No. 5,147,345, issued to Taylor and entitled "High Efficiency Absorbers for Incontinence Treatment". / May be made of a dual core system with a distribution core.

The topsheet 24 is preferably located near the inner surface 62 of the absorbent core 28 and is preferably joined to it and the backsheet 26 by attachment means (not shown) as is well known in the art. A suitable attachment means is the backsheet 26
To the absorbent core 28. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the topsheet 24 and the backsheet 26 are joined directly to each other at the diaper periphery and indirectly joined together by joining them directly to the absorbent core 28 with any suitable attachment means. You.

The topsheet 24 is preferably elastic, soft, and non-irritating to the wearer's skin. Further, the topsheet 24 is preferably liquid permeable, allowing liquids (eg, urine) to easily penetrate from its thickness. Suitable topsheets 24 include various materials such as woven and non-woven materials;
Manufactured from polymeric materials such as apertured thermoplastic films, apertured plastic films and hydrohold thermoplastic films; porous foams; reticulated foams; reticulated thermoplastic films; and thermoplastic scrims.
Suitable woven and non-woven materials can be composed of natural fibers (eg, wood or cotton fibers), synthetic fibers (eg, polymer fibers such as polyester, polypropylene or polyethylene fibers), or a combination of natural and synthetic fibers. it can. The topsheet 24 is preferably made of a hydrophobic material to keep the wearer's skin away from the liquid contained in the absorbent core 28 through the topsheet 24 (ie, to prevent rewet). If the topsheet 24 is made of a hydrophobic material, at least the top surface of the topsheet 24 is treated to be hydrophilic so that liquid passes through the topsheet faster. This is to eliminate the possibility of body exudates flowing too far from the topsheet 24, rather than being drawn from the topsheet 24 and absorbed by the absorbent core 28. Top sheet
24 can be made hydrophilic by treating it with a surfactant. Suitable methods for treating the topsheet 24 with a surfactant include spraying the topsheet 24 material with a surfactant and immersing the material in the surfactant. A more detailed description of such treatments and hydrophilicities can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,988, issued to Reising et al. On Jan. 29, 1991, entitled "Absorbers with Multilayer Absorbing Layers."
No. 344, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,344, issued to Reising on Jan. 29, 1991, entitled "Absorbers with Rapidly Uptake Absorbent Cores."

Another preferred topsheet comprises an aperture forming film. Aperture forming films are preferred as topsheets because they are permeable to body exudates but are non-absorbable, tending to cause the liquid to return to the wearer's skin and re-wet it. It is because it decreases. As such, the surface of the formed film in contact with the body remains dry, thereby reducing body soiling and creating a more comfortable feel for the wearer. Suitable formed films are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,135 issued to Thompson on Dec. 30, 1975, entitled "Absorbing Structure with Tapered Capillary"; Mull on Apr. 13, 1982.
U.S. Patent No. 4,324,246, issued to ane et al., entitled "Disposable Absorber With Soil Resistant Topsheet";
U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,314, issued to Radel et al. On Aug. 3, 1982, entitled "Elastic Plastic Webs Showing Fibrous Properties"; issued to Ahr et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,045 entitled "Macro-expanded Three-Dimensional Plastic Web Showing Glossy Surface and Cloth-like Tactile Impression"; and "Multilayer Polymer Films" issued to Baird on Apr. 9, 1991. No. 5,006,394, entitled US Pat.

The backsheet 26 of the present invention is typically placed away from the skin of the wearer to prevent exudates absorbed and taken up by the absorbent core 28 from wetting articles in contact with the diaper 20, such as bed sheets and underwear. Part of Diaper 20. For this reason, the back sheet 26 is preferably a liquid (for example,
Although it is impermeable to urine and preferably made from a thin plastic film, other flexible liquid impermeable materials may also be used (the term "flexible" as used herein refers to a resilient material). For materials that are easily adapted to the general shape and contours of the human body). However, the backsheet 26 allows the vapor to escape from the diaper 20. A suitable material for the backsheet 26 is approximately 0.
A thermoplastic film having a thickness of from 012 mm (0.5 mil) to about 0.051 mm (2.0 mil), preferably comprising polyethylene or polypropylene.

The backsheet 26 of the present invention may be made of a single material, such as the film described above, or may be made of several materials joined together to form the backsheet 26. For example, the backsheet may include a central region 74 made of one film or other material and a central region 74 made of the same or a different film or other material.
The outer region 76 described above may be provided. In one preferred embodiment, the backsheet 26 is comprised of a central region 74 of a liquid impermeable non-opening film and two opposing outer regions 76 of an air permeable open film. The means by which any portion of such a backsheet is joined includes any means known in the art, such as adhesives, heating, pressing, heating and pressing, and ultrasonic bonding. Further, the backsheet 26 may be made of several layers of material joined together to form a laminate. If the backsheet 26 is a laminate, each layer need not be uniform throughout the backsheet. For example, back sheet 26
The central region 74 may be made of more layers than the outer region 76 or a layer of a different material.

The backsheet 26 is preferably located near the outer surface 64 of the absorbent core 28 and is preferably joined thereto by any suitable attachment means known in the art. For example,
The backsheet 26 may be secured to the absorbent core 28 by a uniform continuous layer of adhesive, a patterned layer of adhesive, or an array of separate lines, spirals or spots of adhesive.
Adhesives found to be satisfactory are St. Paul, Minnesota
Manufactured by the HB Fuller Company, Inc. and sold as HL-1258. An example of a suitable attachment means consisting of an open pattern network of adhesive filaments was issued to Minetola et al. On March 4, 1986,
US Patent No. 4, entitled "Disposable Waste Containment Clothes"
No. 573,986. Another suitable attachment means consisting of several lines of adhesive filament wound in a spiral pattern is described in
US Patent No. 3,911,1 issued to Sprague, Jr.
No. 73; U.S. Patent No. 4,785,996 issued to Ziecker et al. On November 22, 1978; and Werenic on June 27, 1989.
This is illustrated by the apparatus and method set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,666 issued to Z. Each of these patents is incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, the attachment means may be a heated connection, a pressure connection, an ultrasonic connection, a mechanical-mechanical connection, or any other suitable attachment means as known in the art, or a combination of these attachment means.

In embodiments of the present invention, it is contemplated that the absorbent core may not be joined to the backsheet 26 and / or topsheet 24 to provide greater elasticity in the front waist region 46 and the rear waist region 44. In another embodiment, it is contemplated that an additional material, such as a liquid impermeable barrier material (not shown), is placed between the outer surface 64 of the absorbent core 28 and the backsheet 28. Such a barrier material may or may not be bonded to the absorbent core 28. Furthermore, back sheet
26 may or may not be bonded to a barrier material located between the backsheet 26 and the absorbent core 28.

Another preferred embodiment of the disposable absorbent article is a sanitary product. Preferred sanitary products are U.S. Patent No. 4,285,343 (McNair) issued August 25, 1981; August 26, 1986.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,047, issued to Mattingl
y); and a formed film apertured topsheet as disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,687,478 (Van Tilburg) issued Aug. 18, 1987.

A preferred sanitary product is a co-pending general-assigned U.S. Patent of Yasuko Morita, filed on November 30, 1992, entitled "Absorbent with Elastic Side Flaps", attorney physician no. It is made of wings, side flaps and other structures and elements, as described in WO 984,071.

A particularly preferred disposable absorber made from A-HFAP is
Low surface wetting tendency. Such an object can easily keep the antimicrobial agent away from the skin of the user even after wetting. The disposable absorber comprises a backsheet, a topsheet, an uptake / distribution layer and an absorbent core, the absorbent core being made of the A-HFAP of the present invention. Such absorbers preferably have a total end product uptake rate of about 1.9 ml / sec or more on the first squirt and about 0.3 ml / sec on the fourth squirt (test method below). The folded stack height of such an absorber is preferably about 9.9 mm or less per pad, more preferably about 6 mm or less. Preferably, the topsheet of such a product comprises from about 0.05 to about 1 g or less of liquid, more preferably from about 0.05 to about 1 g of liquid, as measured by the final product wetting test (described below).
It holds no more than 0.5 g of liquid, more preferably no more than about 0.2 g, even more preferably no more than about 0.15 g.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of such a disposable absorbent article in the form of a diaper. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of such an embodiment of the disposable diaper of FIG. 1 along the lateral centerline 110 of FIG. This figure shows a cross-sectional view of the back sheet 26, the core cover 22, the absorbent core 28, the top sheet 24, and the elastic leg cuff 32. This embodiment differs from FIG. 1 in that an additional element, the uptake / distribution layer 105, has been added.
Is different from that shown in

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of another embodiment of the disposable diaper of FIG. 1, which corresponds to a part of FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the topsheet 24 comprises a first topsheet layer 115 and a second topsheet layer 120. Same topsheet layer 115
And second topsheet layer 120 are preferably heat bonded together. The acquisition / distribution layer 105 includes a first acquisition / distribution layer 125 and a second acquisition / distribution layer 130. The first uptake / distribution layer 125 is preferably a second topsheet layer 120
Spiral glue. Preferably, the first acquisition / distribution layer 125 and the second acquisition / distribution layer 130 are not joined together.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 exhibits a reduced tendency to wet the surface, which makes it easier to keep the antimicrobial agent away from the skin of the user even after wetting. In other words, such an embodiment provides an opportunity for the liquid, e.g., urine, that may come into contact with the A-HFAP, possibly containing the antimicrobial agent, to return to the user's skin, bringing the antimicrobial agent into contact with the user's skin. Reduce it.

Preferred topsheet 24 and uptake / distribution layer 105 materials for such surface wettability reducing absorbers include: Preferred topsheet 24 materials are Fiberweb North Ame
r-8, a P-8 nonwoven commercially available from Rica, Inc. (Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA). It is about 2.2dte
a conventional thermally bonded carded web of about 20-22 g / m ² made of x polypropylene fibers and an easily removable surfactant (spin finish), ie it is very hydrophilic on the first liquid insult However, when wetted many times, it becomes essentially as hydrophobic as the base polypropylene.

More preferably, the topsheet 24 material is Havix Co., Ja
S-2355 commercially available from pan. It is a bilayer composite material and is made from two synthetic surfactant-treated bicomponent fibers using carding and air-through technologies. The first topsheet layer 115 is preferably a polypropylene / polypropylene bicomponent fiber, for example, a low melting polypropylene for the exterior and a high melting polypropylene for the fiber core. The second topsheet layer 120 is preferably a polyethylene / polyethylene terephthalate bicomponent fiber, for example a low melting polyethylene for the exterior and a high melting polyethylene terephthalate for the core of the fiber. The first topsheet layer 115 preferably has a weak hydrophilic surfactant, and the second topsheet layer preferably has a normal hydrophilic surfactant. Typical materials have a total basis weight of about 20-22
g / m ² .

Preferably, the uptake / distribution layer 105 is, for example, Polymer G
roup, Inc., North America (Landisiville, New Jersey,
USA) is made of a carded resin bonded high loft nonwoven material such as FT-6860. They are
Made from 6 dtex polyethylene terephthalate fiber and has a basis weight of about 43 g / m ² . On the other hand, the acquisition / distribution layer 105 is a commercial name of CMC under the name of Weyerhaeuser Co. (United Sta.
tes), made of chemically treated hardened cellulosic fibrous material. In another preferred embodiment, the acquisition / distribution layer 105 is a Weyerha under the trade name FLINT RIVER.
It is made of conventional cellulose fruss material, also known as wood pulp, commercially available from euser Co. (United States).

It is also applicable to other absorbents known commercially under other names, such as the incontinence briefs, adult incontinence products, training pants, diaper inserts, cosmetic tissues, paper towels and the like of the present invention.

Test method a. General All tests are about 23 ± 2 ℃ and relative humidity about 50 ± 10%
Done in

Unless otherwise specified, the specific synthetic urine used in the test method is commonly known as JAYCO SYNURINE and is available from Jayco Pharmaceuticals of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
Commercially available from Company. Prescription of synthetic urine is KCl 20g /
, Na ₂ SO ₄ 2.0 g /, (NH ₄ ) H ₂ PO ₄ 0.8 g /, (NH ₄ ) ₂ HP
O ₄ 0.15 g /, CaCl ₂ 0.19 g / and MgCl ₂ 0.23 g /. All chemicals are reagent grade. The pH of synthetic urine is about
It ranges from 6.0 to about 6.4.

b. Final product uptake test In FIG. 4, the absorption structure 10 is pumped from a height of 5 cm above the sample surface (Cole Parmer Instruments, Chicago, U.S.A.).
It is loaded with a 75 ml squirt of synthetic urine at a rate of 15 ml / s using SA-supplied Model 7520-00). The time to absorb urine is recorded by a timer. Until the object is fully loaded
The squirt is repeated every 5 minutes at a precise 5 minute squirt interval.
This test data is created by loading four times.

The test sample, including the topsheet and the backsheet, with the absorbent core, is placed flat on the foam pedestal 11 in a perspex box (only its base 12 is shown). A perspex plate 13 having a 5 cm diameter opening substantially in the center is placed on the sample. Synthetic urine is introduced into the sample from cylinder 14 which is glued tightly into the opening. The electrode 15 is applied to the lowermost surface of the plate in contact with the surface of the absorbing structure 10. The electrodes are connected to a timer. The weight 16 is placed on a plate, for example, to resemble the baby's weight. A pressure of 50 g / cm ² is typically used in this test.

When the test liquid is introduced into the cylinder, it typically accumulates on the absorbent structure, forming an electrical circuit between the electrodes. This starts the timer. The timer is
It stops when the absorbing structure absorbs the urine squirt and the electrical contact between the electrodes disappears.

The uptake rate is defined as the volume of effluent (ml) absorbed per unit time (seconds). The uptake rate is calculated for each effluent introduced into the sample. Of particular interest in the context of the present invention are the first and last of the four eruptions.

This test is designed primarily to evaluate products with an absorption capacity of about 300 to about 400 ml. If products with very different capacities have to be evaluated, the setting of the liquid volume per squirt, in particular, should be around a reasonable theoretical capacity.
Adjusted to 20%, the deviation should be recorded.

c. End product wetness test The disposable absorber is placed on the device shown in FIG. 4 as described above for the end product uptake test,
However, there are the following differences. 255 ml of synthetic urine is loaded into the absorber sample. The loading is carried out three times with 75 ml injections at 3 minute intervals. No additional pressure is applied beyond the negligible pressure arising from the perspex plate.

After completion of the loading of 225 ml of synthetic urine, the perspex plate is removed. Two filter papers measuring 12 cm x 12 cm (Hollingsworth & Vose, United Kingdom
Supply, type ERT FF3.W / S) is weighed and then placed on urine load diapers. 2kg load 2 in 10cm × 10cm area
Run on filter paper (ie, 0.28 psi) for minutes. The filter paper is removed and weighed again. The diaper rewet value is defined as the weight gain (g) of the filter paper.

d. In-bag stacking height In essence, the in-bag stacking height is a measure of the height of the stack of absorbent products packed in a carton or bag as supplied on the market and the object in this stacking. Find out by dividing its height by the number of.

This can be done by removing one of the bags and taking the measurement, or by mimicking the pressure of the packed bag with a suitable device (such as a stress-strain measuring device as supplied by INSTRON Instruments).

This test is primarily for "folded" products, ie, products that have only one fold line in the cross (width) direction of the object around the center of the object so that the front and rear portions of the object overlap with the bag. Has been done to In the case of non-folded or tri-fold products (three layers overlap), the results need to be corrected accordingly.

e. Basis weight Basis weight is often mentioned for various substances. These are obtained essentially by dividing the weight of the specimen by its area. The size of the area and the number of re-preparation repetitions depend on the uniformity of the specimen.

f. Hydrophilicity / hydrophobicity Hydrophilicity (and thus wettability) is typically referred to in terms of the contact angle and surface tension of the liquids and solids involved. This is, for example, the “Con
Amer entitled "tact Angle, Wetability and Adhesion"
It is described in detail in the ican Chemical Society publication (copyright 1964). In the context of the present invention, substances can be divided into three groups: substances which are "highly hydrophilic" (abbreviated "h +"): they usually have a contact angle of about 80 degrees or less. Examples are cellulosic fibers and olefin polymers when treated with effective and strong surfactants (at least when exposed to wetness for the first time).

Substances that are "essentially hydrophobic" (abbreviated "h-"):
It usually has a contact angle of about 100 degrees or more. An example is a pure olefin (polyethylene / polypropylene) without surfactant (both surface and resin formulation).

A substance that is "moderately hydrophilic" (abbreviated as "ho"): it has a contact angle of about 90 degrees. Examples are polypropylene / polyethylene with less effective resin-loaded surfactants and other less hydrophilic surfactants applied to the surface of such olefins.

The following examples further describe and demonstrate preferred embodiments within the scope of the present invention. The examples are provided for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limitations on the present invention, many variations thereof being possible without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

Example 1 This example illustrates a method for making the HFAP used in the present invention.

Sodium acrylate 74.95mol%, acrylic acid 25mol
% And trimethylolpropane triacrylate 0.05
4,000 parts of an aqueous solution of 37% acrylic monomer consisting of 2.0% sodium persulfate and 0.08% 1-ascorbic acid
The mixture is stirred and polymerized to obtain a gel hydrated polymer finely divided to a particle size of about 5 mm. Gel hydrated polymer at 150 ° C
And then pulverized with a hammer type pulverizer and sieved with a 20 mesh metal gauge to separate the powder passing through 20 mesh as absorbent polymer A (having an average particle size of about 350 microns).

100 parts of Absorbent Polymer A are mixed with 0.5 part of glycerol, 2 parts of water and 2 parts of ethyl alcohol, and then the resulting mixture is heat-treated at 210 ° C. to obtain Absorbent Polymer B whose surface is secondarily crosslinked.

Example 2 This example illustrates a method for making A-HFAP of the present invention.

10 g of bersalkonium chloride (eg, Wako Chemical, Osa
ka, Japan) in 100 ml of distilled ionized water. After complete dissolution, the solution is introduced into an air tank connected to a spray nozzle and an air pump. Absorbing polymer B of Example 1
500 g is evenly placed on a stainless steel plate to form a thin layer having a thickness of about 3 mm. 25 g of aqueous benzalkonium chloride solution are sprayed onto 500 g of absorbing polymer B particles at room temperature. The particles are then placed in a food mixer and
Stir for minutes. The benzalkonium chloride coated absorbent polymer B particles are then subjected to drying in a dynamic oven at 95 ° C. for 1 hour or hot air for 10 minutes to reduce the moisture level to less than 1% of the absorbent polymer B particles. The dry particles are gently pulverized into granules having a size of 800 μm or less, and slightly generate polymer dust.
The resulting particles contain 0.5% benzalkonium chloride.

Example 3 This example illustrates the preparation of another embodiment of the A-HFAP of the present invention.

In this case, the same operation as in Example 2 is performed, except that the absorbing polymer B is replaced with Aqualic CA-L76 (crosslinked sodium polyacrylate; commercially available from Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan). The process produces a small amount of polymer dust after coating with benzalkonium chloride.

Example 4 This example demonstrates the A-HFAP of the present invention for a disposable absorber
Are shown for an absorbent core having

The Southern Pine wood pulp is broken down and opened in the vent chamber. A fiber having an average length of about 3 mm is dropped on a vacuum plate. Fiber lay
ydown) During operation, the A-HFAP of Example 3 is dispersed in the wood pulp fiber. 230~400g / m ² wood pulp fibers and 160-3
A core containing 60 g / m ² of A-HFAP is formed. The core is suitable for use in infant and / or adult incontinence diaper applications. Typical composition of the L-size infant diaper application is as follows: This example Ingredient Weight (g)% (wt) wood pulp fibers 15 55 Hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer 12 44 antimicrobials 0.024 0.09 Example 5 of the present invention 1 shows a disposable baby diaper having A-HFAP.

The dimensions listed are for children's diapers ranging in size from 6 to 10 kg. These dimensions can be varied in proportion to differently sized child or adult incontinence briefs in accordance with standard practice.

1. Backsheet 0.020-0.038 mm liquid impermeable film made according to U.S. Patent No. 4,687,478; top and bottom width 33 cm; center 28.5 cm notch on both sides inside; 50.2 cm length Sheet: Card heat bonded staple length polypropylene fiber (Hercules type 151 polypropylene);
Top and bottom 33 cm wide; 28.5 cm center notch inside on both sides; 50.2 cm long 3. Absorbent core: consisting of 28.6 g cellulose wood pulp and 4.9 g A-HFAP from Example 3; 8.4 mm thick , Calendar processing;
Top and bottom width 28.6cm; central side 10.2cm notch on both sides; length 44.5cm 4. Elastic leg bands: 4 individual rubber strips (2 on each side); width 4.77mm; Length 370 mm; thickness 0.178 mm (all dimensions above are loose) Diapers are manufactured by gluing a core material covered with a topsheet on a backsheet in a standard fashion.

Elastic bands (labeled "inside" and "outside" corresponding to the bands closest and farthest to the core, respectively)
Stretch to about 50.2 cm and place between the topsheet / backsheet along each longitudinal side of the core (two bands on each side). Place the inner band along each side approximately 55mm from the narrowest width of the core (measured from the inner edge of the elastic band). this is,
A spacing element of a topsheet / backsheet material flexible between the inner elastic and curved ends of the core is provided along each end of the diaper. The inner bands adhere along their length when stretched. The topsheet / backsheet assembly is flexible and the glued bands shrink to stretch each side of the diaper.

The resulting diaper exhibits combined liquid absorption and antimicrobial properties.

Example 6 This example illustrates an adult incontinence product having A-HFAP of the present invention.

Following the manufacturing procedure of Example 4, a heavy core is formed having 24-40 g of wood pulp fiber and 10-20 g of A-HFAP. The core is then inserted between a liquid impermeable polybacksheet and a liquid permeable topsheet to form an adult incontinence product.

Example 7 This example illustrates a light weight panty liner product having A-HFAP of the present invention.

Light weight panty liners suitable for use during menstruation have pads. The pad has a surface area of 117 cm ² and contains 3 g of wood pulp fiber and 1.5 g of A-HFAP of Example 3. The pad is then inserted between a porous formed film topsheet according to US Pat. No. 4,463,045 to produce a liquid impermeable backsheet according to US Pat. No. 4,687,478. The resulting panty liner exhibits combined liquid absorption and antimicrobial properties.

Example 8 This example illustrates a physiological pad with A-HFAP of the present invention.

A sanitary article in the form of a sanitary napkin having two flaps extending outwardly from the absorbent core is manufactured according to the design of Van Tillburg U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,478 issued Aug. 18, 1987. However, the pad utilized has a surface area 117cm ^2, includes A-HFAP1~3g wood pulp fibers 6~12g and Example 2. The liquid permeable topsheet is made according to US Pat. No. 4,463,045. The liquid impermeable backsheet is made according to U.S. Patent No. 4,687,478. The resulting physiologic pad exhibits combined liquid absorption and antimicrobial properties.

The aspects and embodiments of the invention shown herein have many surprising advantages, including improved efficacy and improved processability. For example, by coating the surface of the HFAP with the antimicrobial agent rather than incorporating the antimicrobial agent into the HFAP, the antimicrobial agent will act as soon as the liquid enters the absorbent core. Conversely, if the antimicrobial is incorporated into the HFAP, its efficacy will be delayed until the HFAP begins to swell with the liquid.

In addition, coating HFAP with, for example, an antimicrobial agent reduces the emission of HFAP dust particles into the air. This reduction in HFAP dust particles results in a safer environment for workers, reduced downtime spent screening processing equipment, and prevention of material loss.

All documents, patent applications and issued patents mentioned above are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only, in view of which various modifications or alterations are contemplated by those skilled in the art and are encompassed by the spirit and scope of this application and the appended claims. It is understood that.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI C08J 7/06 A41B 13/02 D 7/12 (72) Inventor Reiko Nakamura 1-4-17-101 Koshienguchi, Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture (72) Inventor Motohiro Shimizu 5-5, Hashizuka-cho, Nishinomiya-shi, Hyogo, 303 (72) Inventor Resai, Ebrahim 63-135501 (JP, A) JP-A-2-14741 (JP, A) JP-A-6-54880 (JP, A) JP-A-8-502664 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl ^7, DB name) C08L 1/00 -. 101/16 C08J 7/06 - 7/12 C08J 3/24

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. An absorbent polymer comprising: a) a hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer; and b) an antimicrobial agent, wherein the antimicrobial agent is benzalkonium chloride or chlorhexidine; A hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer coated with an antimicrobial agent, which is coated with the antimicrobial agent after the crosslinking treatment. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the polymer to the antimicrobial agent is from 100: 0.01 to 100:
2. A hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer coated with the antimicrobial agent of claim 1. 3. Coating the hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer with a benzalkonium chloride or chlorhexidine antimicrobial agent after the surface cross-linking treatment of the absorbent polymer.
A method for producing a hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer coated with an antimicrobial agent. 4. Produced by the method of claim 3,
Hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer coated with antimicrobial agent. 5. A disposable absorbent comprising the hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer coated with the antimicrobial agent of claim 1. 6. A disposable diaper comprising a hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer coated with the antimicrobial agent of claim 1. 7. An absorbent core comprising a hydrogel-forming absorbent polymer coated with the antimicrobial agent of claim 1, a) a backsheet; b) a topsheet; c) an uptake / distribution layer; A disposable absorber, wherein the absorber has a final product take-up speed of 1.9 ml / sec or more in the first ejection and 0.3 ml / sec or more in the fourth ejection, and a folding stack height of 9.9 mm or less per pad. The above-described absorber, wherein the topsheet retains 0.5 to 1 g or less of liquid as measured by a final product wetness test.