Patent ID: 8247499

Claim:
A water-absorbing polymer structure, which is based at least to 50 wt. % on carboxylate groups containing monomers wherein the water-absorbing polymer structure has been dried and comminuted into dried water-absorbing polymer structure particles wherein at least 50 wt % of the dried water-absorbing polymer structure particles have a particle size of from 300 μm to 600 μm wherein the dried water-absorbing polymer structure particles have an inner region and an outer region surrounding the inner region wherein the surface of the water-absorbing polymer structure particles has been brought into contact with a combination of an organic post-crosslinker, a metal salt of a bivalent or trivalent metal cation and zinc oxide, wherein at least 50 wt. % of the zinc oxide have a particle size in a range of 10 to 5,000 nm and wherein the metal salt is a water-soluble metal salt wherein the metal salt has a water-solubility at a temperature of 25° C. of at least 100 g in 1 liter of distilled water; and the contacted water-absorbing polymer structure particles have been heated to a temperature of from 150° C. to 250° C. whereby the outer region of the water-absorbing polymer structure particles is more strongly crosslinked than the inner region.