What are the effects of hydrogel polymers when mixed with water in

microgravity vs. on Earth? Burleson Independent School District

Burleson, TexasThe Academy at Nola Dunn

5th GradeTeacher Facilitator-Susan Mundt,

Burleson Independent School District Delaney Storey- Principal Investigator

Kylie Morton-InvestigatorWestley Mitchell-InvestigatorBryston Baker –Investigator

We watched many videos of daily life on the space station such as brushing teeth and drinking water. We were fascinated by this and had many questions about the water simply floating around. This led to our initial wonder about how water is stored, reused, and absorbed.

Background

PurposeThe purpose of this experiment is to observe the effect of polymers and if they will absorb less or more water in microgravity.  Polymers are an important material as they are used in a variety of items on earth. They are used in credit cards, bottles, spandex, eyeglasses, and first aid packs. It is important to study the polymers and their absorption because this will one day help when families are living on the space station and not just astronauts.

We propose to answer the question of what hydrogel polymers do when mixed with water in space. Our team is looking forward to finding out if these polymers (sodium polyacrylate) will absorb more or less water in a microgravity environment. Our research into polymers has shown us that polymers are capable of absorbing and holding large amounts of water. On earth, the amount of water absorbed relies on the ability of water to diffuse. Since diffusion is the breaking apart of water molecules, gravity seems to play a large part in the amount of water absorbed. While we think that the water will still be absorbed in space, we believe that the diffusion process will be slower, which would make the amount of water absorbed by the polymers less than the amount absorbed on Earth.

The Question

2 grams of hydrogel polymers (sodium polyacrylate) (Target brand diapers)

Type 2 FME Mini Lab 2 plastic faucet aerator screens by NEOPERL 2.0 ml of local Burleson, TX tap water

3/10 gram of one piece of cotton ball (Up & Up brand from Target)

Materials

Assembly Procedures

1. We will know the differences in the absorption of the hydrogel polymers in space vs. on Earth.  2. We will compare the retention volume of the polymers in our classroom compared to space. 3. We will have a better understanding of the behavior of water in a microgravity environment and possibly the working of the water cycle.

4. We believe it is important to understand basic interactions to ultimately live in space for long periods of time.

Conclusion

Acknowledgements