| abstract |
ABSORBENT POLYMERIC MACROSTRUCTURES THAT ARE POROUS AND COMPRISE AN INTERPARTICLE CROSSLINKED AGGREGATE HAVING A CIRCUMSCRIBED DRY VOLUME GREATER THAN ABOUT 10.0MM3. THE INTERPARTICLE CROSSLINKED AGGREGATE COMPRISES A MULTIPLICITY OF PRECURSOR PARTICLES OF SUBSTANTIALLY WATER- INSOLUBLE, ABSORBENT, HYDROGEL- FORMING, POLYMER MATERIAL; AND AN INTERPARTICLE CROSSLINKING AGENT REACTED WITH THE POLYMER MATERIAL OF THE PRECURSOR PARTICLES TO FROM CROSSLINK BONDS BETWEEN THE PRECURSOR PARTICLES. BECAUSE OF THE PARTICULATE NATURE OF THE PRECURSOR PARTICLES, THE MACROSTRUCTURE HAS PORES BETWEEN ADJACENT PRECURSOR PARTICLES. THE PORES ARE INTERCONNECTED BY INTER- COMMUNICATING CHANNELS SUCH THAT THE MACROSTRUCTURE IS LIQUID PERMEABLE.(FIG. 1) |