| Just recently, Lisa Nowak, the NASA astronaut, drove | | | | water outside the molecule. This mixture of water and |
| 900 miles wearing a diaper designed for space travel. | | | | crystals turns into a gel like substance. In fact, a pound |
| Have you ever wondered how it really works? | | | | of crystals can absorb about 50 gallons of water. |
| The design for this astronaut incontinence product is | | | | Since urine contains water and salts, and these salts |
| similar to what you see on the supermarket shelf. The | | | | impede the performance of the original sodium |
| astronaut design resembles a pair of bike pants. While | | | | polyacrylate. Scientists have modified the polymer to |
| retail consumers have a choice of diapers with tabs, | | | | counteract the affects of the salts in urine. |
| pull ups, undergarments and liners. | | | | The chaise of a diaper is usually made of plastic or a |
| If you cut open a diaper, you will notice a crystal like | | | | special designed cloth like paper that gives a diaper its |
| substance called sodium polyacrylate and usually called | | | | shape and contains the wetness. The next layer wicks |
| super absorbent polymer or SAP. These crystals | | | | the wetness away from the skin. Some of these |
| have a similar feel as fine sand. This polymer was | | | | layers have special one way funnels that the wetness |
| created by the scientists from the Dow Chemical | | | | moves in one direction and not resurface back to the |
| Company. | | | | skin. Finally the wetness drawn into the absorbent inner |
| When these crystals are exposed to water, the water | | | | core and locked in. This inner core is a combination of |
| drawn inside the sodium polyacrylate molecule through | | | | paper cellulose fluff and the sodium polyacrylate |
| osmosis. The polymer will continue to absorb water | | | | crystals. |
| until the water inside the molecule is equivalent to the | | | | |