Patent ID: 7358282

Claim:
A low-density, open-cell, thermoplastic, absorbent foam, comprising: a base resin, a surfactant, a plasticizing agent, and about 20% to about 50% by weight of a thermoplastic elastomer; wherein the foam has an open cell content of greater than 55% and a fluid intake flux of about 1 ml/sec/in 2 or greater upon a first insult, about 1 ml/sec/in 2 or greater upon a second insult, and about 1 ml/sec/in 2 or greater upon a third insult; the foam is soft and flexible, and has a compression resistance of about 20% compression set or less; and the thermoplastic elastomer is selected from the group consisting of styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS), styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), styrene-isoprene-butadiene-styrene (SIBS), styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS), styrene-ethylene/propylene-styrene (SEPS), polyolefin-based thermoplastic elastomers including ethylene α-olefin copolymers, hydrogenated butadiene-isoprene-butadiene block copolymers, stereoblock polypropylenes, ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer (EPDM), ethylene-propylene random copolymers (EPM), ethylene propylene rubbers (EPR), thermoplastic polyether ester elastomers, ionomeric thermoplastic elastomers, polyamide thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic polyurethanes, and combinations thereof.