New Facilitated Transport Membrane for Glove Humidity Reduction

Since ventilation is limited in space suit gloves, humidity and water tends to accumulate in the glove, leading to finger injuries like onycholysis.nbsp; TDA Research is proposing to develop a new composite material that allows facilitated water transport for sweat and humidity removal.nbsp; The new fabric will be a hybrid of polyamide (Nylon) and a chemically-modified fabric which will transport the moisture out of the gloves.nbsp; In the Phase I project, we will carry out proof-of-concept experiments to demonstrate the viability of the new water transporting composite under representative conditions.nbsp; Composite samples will be subjected to rigorous testing to assess their performance, as well as processability and endurance.nbsp; Optimized layered combinations will be subjected to various water challenges in an environmental chamber.nbsp; Finally, we will also carry out a high-fidelity engineering analysis to estimate the cost of the composite materials as a function of production volume.