Absorbent structures and methods of manufacture are disclosed. In one embodiment, an absorbent structure may comprise a first layer, a second layer, and a mixture of particles and adhesive disposed therebetween, the superabsorbent particles being disposed at greater than 400 gsm and less than 600 gsm, and the adhesive being disposed at greater than 4% and less than 5%, by weight, of the weight of the superabsorbent particles. The adhesive may form a three-dimensional mesh network comprising network adhesive filaments with the superabsorbent particles immobilized within the mesh network, and the network adhesive filaments extending substantially throughout a three-dimensional space defined by the network adhesive filaments and the superabsorbent particles, and wherein the absorbent structure has a SAM Capture Value greater than or equal to 98, according to the SAM Capture Test Method.

The present invention is directed to a method of forming a laminate absorbent structure, and a resulting package containing a single continuous running web of the laminate material. Notably, formation of the material is effected by blending a curtain of adhesive fibers with a curtain of particulate material, and depositing the mixture on a moving substrate, preferably provided in the form of a tissue layer. A second substrate, also preferably comprising a tissue layer, is applied on top of the deposited mixture, and pressure applied to form the laminated structure. Notably, attendant to packaging of the laminated material, adjacent layers of the material tend to nest into one another, to form a sandwich in which the density of the material in the package is more than 1.5 times the density of the material after its removal from the package.

A configuration in which an upper auxiliary layer of an absorber includes a super absorbent nonwoven fabric having a surface exposed on an uppermost surface of the absorber and having a Klemm water absorptiveness of 100 mm or more, first super absorbent polymer particles adjacent to a back surface of the super absorbent nonwoven fabric. The main absorption layer of the absorber is a cell absorbing sheet including second super absorbent polymer particles contained in the cells arranged at intervals. A convex bulging upward is formed at each cell in an upper sheet. The first super absorbent polymer particles are fixed to the upper surface of the upper sheet. An adhesion amount of the first super absorbent polymer particles on the upper surface of the upper sheet increases from the top of a convex toward the bottom of a valley between a convex and a convex adjacent each other.

The present invention provides an absorbent body comprising: a base material and a water absorbent resin powder fixed on the base material by a fixing agent, wherein the base material is a fiber base material having a mass per unit area in a range from 10 g/m.sup.2 to 500 g/m.sup.2, and the fixing agent is a copolymer having an acid value in a range from 20 mgKOH/g to 150 mgKOH/g and including a structural unit (X) derived from at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of an olefin and a vinyl aromatic compound and a structural unit (Y) derived from a monomer having an acidic group. The absorbent body has excellent water absorbent resin powder supporting property.

A biodegradable, disposable absorbent article, such as a diaper, having a non-woven inner layer of natural fibers and a non-woven outer layer of natural fibers and a treatment applied to at least one surface thereof. The treatment includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of waxes, urethanes, silicones, fluorocarbons, and non-fluorochemical repellants. The absorbent article has a core of natural fibers or fibrous material, and optionally polyacrylate superabsorbent particles, positioned between the inner layer and the outer layer. The article may contain polylactic acid films between the layers.

An absorbent member (1) according to the present invention includes: an absorbent sheet (2) that includes a substrate layer (20) and an absorbent layer (21) that includes water-absorbent polymers (P1) that are fixed to one side of the substrate layer (20); and an entangled fiber layer (3). The water-absorbent polymers (P1) of the absorbent layer (21) and the entangled fiber layer (3) are adjacent to each other. The water-absorbent polymers (P1) of the absorbent layer (21) are preferably fixed to one side of the substrate layer (20) using a hot melt adhesive. The absorbent member (1) configured as described above has excellent absorbency and shape stability while being thin.

An absorbent member (20) includes an absorbent sheet (10) in which absorbent polymer (12) is fixed to a base sheet (11) and a cover sheet (21) covering at least a first surface of the absorbent sheet (10). The absorbent sheet (10) has an absorbent polymer fixing proportion of 40% or more. The absorbent member (20) has high fixing performance of the absorbent polymer (12) to the base sheet (11) and is less likely to suffer from detachment of the absorbent polymer (12) even after liquid absorption. The absorbent polymer (12) is preferably fixed to the base sheet (11) with a base sheet fixing adhesive (13) interposed therebetween. The adhesive (13) is preferably an acrylic, silicone-based or rubber-based adhesive, and is preferably a hot-melt adhesive.

An absorbent member (4) of the present invention includes fiber clusters (11) containing synthetic fibers (11F) and includes water absorbing fibers (12F), and a plurality of the fiber clusters (11) are interlaced with each other or with the water absorbing fibers (12F). The content mass ratio of the fiber clusters (11) to the water absorbing fibers (12F) (fiber cluster ratio) is smaller in the side of a skin-facing surface (the side of a topsheet (2)) than in the side of a non-skin-facing surface (the side of a backsheet (3)) of the absorbent member (4). The fiber cluster (11) includes a main portion (110) formed by two opposite base surfaces (111) and a body surface (112) intersecting the base surfaces (111).

An absorbent core for use in an absorbent article, the absorbent core including a first absorbent layer comprising a first substrate, a layer of first superabsorbent polymer particles deposited on the first substrate on a deposition area and a fibrous layer of thermoplastic adhesive material covering the layer of first superabsorbent polymer particles, and a second absorbent layer comprising a second substrate and a mixed layer comprising a mixture of second superabsorbent particles and cellulosic fibers deposited on the second substrate. The first and second absorbent layers are combined together such that at least a portion of the fibrous thermoplastic adhesive material of the first absorbent layer contacts at least a portion of the mixed layer of the second absorbent layer.

A biodegradable, disposable absorbent article, such as a diaper, having a non-woven inner layer of natural fibers and a non-woven outer layer of natural fibers and a treatment applied to at least one surface thereof. The treatment includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of waxes, urethanes, silicones, fluorocarbons, and non-fluorochemical repellents. The absorbent article has a core of natural fibers or fibrous material, and optionally polyacrylate superabsorbent particles, positioned between the inner layer and the outer layer. The article may contain polylactic acid films between the layers.