Nanoporous Materials to Provide CO2 and Humidity Control for the xEMU with Minimal Power Requirements and Low Volume and Mass

In this Phase I SBIR, XploSafe proposes to develop and confirm the nbsp;technical feasibility of the use of beads, pellets made from pure and surface functionalized nanoporous silica as a vacuum regenerable sorbent within the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) for carbon dioxide (CO2) and humidity control. The proposed self-cleaning technology shall not require heat based regeneration, reduce power draw, volume envelope, and mass while maintaining the current CO2 and humidity removal capacity in the desired operating conditions. Higher sorption capacities for carbon dioxide and moisture and more rapid sorption rates that could lead to reduced weight and size requirements while providing a longer service life. In this investigation, the sorption rate and capacity for spacesuit CO2 and humidity will be determined. The ability for these contaminants to be removed from the sorbent by exposure to a moderate vacuum at ambient temperature will be demonstrated. Once the uptake capacities and rates are known for the OSU-6nbsp; sorbent and the logistics for vacuum regeneration of the sorbent have been determined, it will be possible to create a concept design for the prototype vacuum regenerable element that could be integrated into the xEMU. This design will be used in Phase II to produce and test prototypes.