Abstract: An absorbent composite comprising a bound particulate absorbent polymer in which two or more nearly spherical absorbent polymer particles are bound to each other and a web-like absorbent polymer, wherein the bound particulate absorbent polymer and the web-like absorbent polymer are bound to a substrate. The composite has a large absorption and a high absorbing speed in which the absorbent polymer is kept uniformly dispersed on the support throughout before and after absorption.

Abstract: In a method of redox polymerization of monomer by the use of a non-metal reducing agent and a non-metal oxidizing agent, a transition metal compound is used in addition to the reducing agent and the oxidizing agent in an amount of from 0.01 to 100 ppm by weight in terms of the metal thereof relative to the monomer, whereby the polymerization speed is significantly increased. Using this, water-absorbent resin composite and an absorbent article can be produced.

Abstract: Disclosed is a water-absorbent polymer composite and composition thereof comprising a water-absorbent polymer particle and two or more fibers, wherein said polymer particle has a substantially spherical shape, at least one of said two or more fibers is partially wrapped in the polymer particle and partially exposed to outside the particle, and at least one of said two or more fibers is unwrapped in the polymer particle and partially adhered to a surface of the polymer particle. This water-absorbent polymer composite is characterized in that the fibers are stably fixed to the water-absorbent polymer not only in dry but also in wet through water absorption for swelling, the water-absorbent polymer content can be enlarged relative to the fibers, the polymer can be uniformly fixed to the fibers, the composite is flexible and can be thinned, opened and mixed with any other material uniformly.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for preparing a water-absorbent polymer composite comprising the steps of contacting a droplet containing a solvent and said polymerizable monomer before polymerization and/or under polymerization with first fibers fed through a first supply port of said reactor in a gas phase, proceeding with polymerization of said polymerizable monomer, contacting the resultant droplet containing said solvent, the polymerizable monomer under polymerization and said first fibers with second fibers fed through a second supply port of said reactor in a gas phase, and proceeding with further polymerization of said polymerizable monomer to form said water-absorbent polymer composite.

Abstract: A polymerization method in which a first liquid and a second liquid are mixed in a gas phase and polymerized in the form of droplets is disclosed, wherein a polymerizable monomer and a polymerization initiator are each contained in at least one of the first liquid and the second liquid, and at least one of the first liquid and the second liquid is injected in a spatially expanding film shape. By employing the polymerization method of this invention, high-quality polymer can be efficiently produced in large quantity by the droplet polymerization even using a polymerizable monomer with a rapid reaction rate.

Abstract: In a method of redox polymerization of monomer by the use of a non-metal reducing agent and a non-metal oxidizing agent, a transition metal compound is used in addition to the reducing agent and the oxidizing agent in an amount of from 0.01 to 100 ppm by weight in terms of the metal thereof relative to the monomer, whereby the polymerization speed is significantly increased. Using this, water-absorbent resin composite and an absorbent article can be produced.

Abstract: An absorbent article containing a water-absorbent resin composite comprising one nearly spherical water-absorbent resin particle and two or more fibers, wherein one or more of the fibers are partially embedded in the resin particle and are partially exposed from the resin particle, and wherein one or more of the fibers are never embedded in the resin particle but partially adhere to the surface of the resin particle. In the absorbent article, the water-absorbent resin particle is uniformly fixed on the fiber before, during and after water absorption, so that the water-absorbent resin can exist at a higher ratio to the fiber. Thus, the absorbent article characteristically has great softness and high shape stability.

Abstract: A method comprising bringing droplets of an aqueous solution of a polymerizable monomer into contact with a fibrous substrate with polymerizing the monomer to thereby fix a water-absorbing resin particle precursor to the fibrous substrate, then adding thereto an aqueous solution of a crosslinking agent in such a manner that the temperature of the water-absorbing resin particle precursor is 60° C. or lower after the addition, and heating the precursor composite in an atmosphere at 90° C. or higher within 2 minutes after the addition to thereby crosslink the precursor. This method can provide a water-absorbing composite having a sufficient water-absorbing capacity under pressure and an excellent water-holding capacity.

Abstract: Disclosed is a water-absorbent polymer composite and composition thereof comprising a water-absorbent polymer particle and two or more fibers, wherein said polymer particle has a substantially spherical shape, at least one of said two or more fibers is partially wrapped in the polymer particle and partially exposed to outside the particle, and at least one of said two or more fibers is unwrapped in the polymer particle and partially adhered to a surface of the polymer particle. This water-absorbent polymer composite is characterized in that the fibers are stably fixed to the water-absorbent polymer not only in dry but also in wet through water absorption for swelling, the water-absorbent polymer content can be enlarged relative to the fibers, the polymer can be uniformly fixed to the fibers, the composite is flexible and can be thinned, opened and mixed with any other material uniformly.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for preparing a water-absorbent polymer composite comprising the steps of contacting said polymerizable monomer with one or more fibers having a contact angle against water of 0 to 60 degrees in a gas phase, and proceeding with the polymerization of said monomers to form the water-absorbent polymer composite. The method can provide a water-absorbent polymer composite characterized in that the fibers are stably fixed to the water-absorbent polymer not only in dry but also in wet through water absorption for swelling, the water-absorbent polymer content can be enlarged relative to the fibers, the polymer can be uniformly fixed to the fibers, the composite is flexible and can be thinned, and it can be opened by itself and can be uniformly mixed with any other material.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for preparing a water-absorbent polymer composite comprising the steps of contacting a droplet containing a solvent and said polymerizable monomer before polymerization and/or under polymerization with first fibers fed through a first supply port of said reactor in a gas phase, proceeding with polymerization of said polymerizable monomer, contacting the resultant droplet containing said solvent, the polymerizable monomer under polymerization and said first fibers with second fibers fed through a second supply port of said reactor in a gas phase, and proceeding with further polymerization of said polymerizable monomer to form said water-absorbent polymer composite.

Abstract: A polymerization method in which a first liquid and a second liquid are mixed in a gas phase and polymerized in the form of droplets is disclosed, wherein a polymerizable monomer and a polymerization initiator are each contained in at least one of the first liquid and the second liquid, and at least one of the first liquid and the second liquid is injected in a spatially expanding film shape. By employing the polymerization method of this invention, high-quality polymer can be efficiently produced in large quantity by the droplet polymerization even using a polymerizable monomer with a rapid reaction rate.

Abstract: This invention discloses a continuous production method of water-absorbing composite which comprises a complexation step for producing a particle-substrate composite by dropwisely supplying an aqueous solution of polymerizable monomers consisting mainly of an unsaturated carboxylic acid where 20% or more of the carboxyl groups in the unsaturated acid is neutralized, while allowing polymerization to proceed in the droplets, onto a fibrous substrate fed to the drop point to allow the incompletely polymerized polymer particles to adhere thereon, and by completing the polymerization thereafter; and a surface crosslinking step for reacting the composite with a crosslinking agent, having two or more functional groups capable of reacting with carboxyl group and/or carboxylate group, in the presence of 1 to 100 weight parts of water per 100 weight parts of polymer particles derived from the polymerizable monomer contained in the composite.

Abstract: This invention discloses a continuous production method of water-absorbing composite which comprises a complexation step for producing a particle-substrate composite by dropwisely supplying an aqueous solution of polymerizable monomers consisting mainly of an unsaturated carboxylic acid where 20% or more of the carboxyl groups in the unsaturated acid is neutralized, while allowing polymerization to proceed in the droplets, onto a fibrous substrate fed to the drop point to allow the incompletely polymerized polymer particles to adhere thereon, and by completing the polymerization thereafter; and a surface crosslinking step for reacting the composite with a crosslinking agent, having two or more functional groups capable of reacting with carboxyl group and/or carboxylate group, in the presence of 1 to 100 weight parts of water per 100 weight parts of polymer particles derived from the polymerizable monomer contained in the composite.

Abstract: A water-absorbing composite, containing water-absorbing polymer particles immobilized on a fibrous substrate wherein at least a part of said water-absorbing polymer particles consist of primary particles having an average particle diameter of about 50-1000 &mgr;m, wherein about 30% by weight or more of said primary particles are combined to form agglomerates having a shape satisfying the conditions below while nearly maintaining their primary particle shapes and a part of particles of said agglomerates are not adhered to said fibrous substrate. This water-absorbing composite shows excellent water-absorbing properties and a high water-absorbing speed, and most of the highly water-absorbing polymer is stably immobilized on the fibrous substrate and the immobility of swollen gel after absorbing water is also excellent.

Abstract: A water-absorbing composite, containing water-absorbing polymer particles immobilized on a fibrous substrate wherein at least a part of said water-absorbing polymer particles consist of primary particles having an average particle diameter of about 50-1000 &mgr;m, wherein about 30% by weight or more of said primary particles are combined to form agglomerates having a shape satisfying the conditions below while nearly maintaining their primary particle shapes and a part of particles of said agglomerates are not adhered to said fibrous substrate. This water-absorbing composite shows excellent water-absorbing properties and a high water-absorbing speed, and most of the highly water-absorbing polymer is stably immobilized on the fibrous substrate and the immobility of swollen gel after absorbing water is also excellent.

Abstract: This invention discloses a continuous production method of water-absorbing composite which comprises a complexation step for producing a particle-substrate composite by dropwisely supplying an aqueous solution of polymerizable monomers consisting mainly of an unsaturated carboxylic acid where 20% or more of the carboxyl groups in the unsaturated acid is neutralized, while allowing polymerization to proceed in the droplets, onto a fibrous substrate fed to the drop point to allow the incompletely polymerized polymer particles to adhere thereon, and by completing the polymerization thereafter; and a surface crosslinking step for reacting the composite with a crosslinking agent, having two or more functional groups capable of reacting with carboxyl group and/or carboxylate group, in the presence of 1 to 100 weight parts of water per 100 weight parts of polymer particles derived from the polymerizable monomer contained in the composite.

Abstract: A water-absorbing composite, containing water-absorbing polymer particles immobilized on a fibrous substrate wherein at least a part of said water-absorbing polymer particles consist of primary particles having an average particle diameter of about 50-1000 &mgr;m, wherein about 30% by weight or more of said primary particles are combined to form agglomerates having a shape satisfying the conditions below while nearly maintaining their primary particle shapes and a part of particles of said agglomerates are not adhered to said fibrous substrate. This water-absorbing composite shows excellent water-absorbing properties and a high water-absorbing speed, and most of the highly water-absorbing polymer is stably immobilized on the fibrous substrate and the immobility of swollen gel after absorbing water is also excellent.

Abstract: There is provided a water-absorptive composite comprising a fibrous substrate bearing water-absorptive polymer particles. A process for producing the water-absorptive composite comprises the steps of: allowing an aqueous monomer solution containing a polymerizable monomer capable of providing a water-absorptive polymer to initiate polymerization by the use of a redox polymerization initiator; applying the resultant reaction mixture, which is in the course of polymerization, dropwise onto a fibrous substrate; and allowing the polymerization to proceed and finish on the substrate.

Abstract: A method of preparing a water-soluble resin, which comprises the steps of: subjecting an aqueous solution of a first water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer to a first-stage water-in-oil type of reverse-phase suspension polymerization using a water-soluble radical polymerization initiator in a hydrophobic organic solvent in the presence of an emulsifier and optionally a crosslinking agent, thereby forming a slurry containing hydrous polymer gel particles; adding to said slurry a nonionic or anionic surface active agent having an HLB of at least 7 and higher than that of said emulsifier and an aqueous solution of a second water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer so as to absorb the aqueous solution of the second monomer in said hydrous polymer gel particles; and carrying out a second-stage polymerization of said second monomer.