| abstract |
An improved absorbent article includes a layer of absorbent material (10) which has a length, a width and a thickness (26). Particles of superabsorbent material (24) are distributed within the absorbent material layer, and these superabsorbent particles are disposed to form a substantially continuous, non-step-wise, positive concentration gradient of superabsorbent through at least a portion of the thickness (26) of the absorbent layer. The superabsorbent particles (24) may be of the same dimension or the average particle size may vary throughout the thickness (26) of the layer of absorbent material. The article provides for absorbent structures wherein the superabsorbent produced gel is adequately isolated away from body surfaces of a person using the article while gel blocking is also adequately reduced. |