Waterproof Breathable Membrane Using Encapsulated Active Particles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing waterproof membranes are non-breathable, leading to moisture accumulation and discomfort, while anti-static and stealth materials face challenges in maintaining performance without compromising flexibility and other desirable properties.
Innovation Solution
A method for creating an active particle-enhanced membrane by encapsulating active particles in a removable protective substance, which maintains their activity during production and can be reactivated to improve moisture transport, anti-static, and stealth properties without degrading other material characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a water-proof membrane is made non-breathable to prevent moisture penetration, then water-proof performance is improved, but moisture vapor transport capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane structure is designed with different local properties: the base material provides water-proof performance while active particles provide moisture vapor transport capability. This local differentiation allows simultaneous achievement of water-proofness and breathability through functional zoning within the membrane structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines base material with active particles to create a composite membrane structure. The base material ensures water-proof performance while the incorporated active particles enable moisture vapor transport, achieving both contradictory requirements through material composition rather than structural modification alone.
2Productivity
If active particles are incorporated to improve moisture vapor transport, then breathability is improved, but particle deactivation during production deteriorates performance
Solution Approach 1:
The active particles are pre-encapsulated in a protective substance before being incorporated into the membrane. This preliminary protection ensures particles remain active during the membrane production process, preventing deactivation from occurring too early in the manufacturing sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
A removable protective substance acts as an intermediary between the active particles and the harsh production environment. This intermediary layer shields the particles from deactivating influences during manufacturing, then can be removed later to restore full particle activity without compromising particle integrity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If anti-static materials are used to protect electronic components, then anti-static capability is improved, but flexibility and transparency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Anti-static active particles are locally incorporated into the membrane structure at specific concentrations and distributions. This localized approach provides anti-static protection only where needed, rather than requiring the entire material to have anti-static properties, thereby preserving overall flexibility and transparency.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane is formulated as a composite combining base material with anti-static active particles. This composite structure provides anti-static capability through the particles while the base material maintains flexibility and transparency, avoiding the need to use bulk anti-static materials that would compromise these properties.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If stealth materials are used to eliminate infra-red signatures, then stealth capability is improved, but flexibility and hand-and-feel deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Stealth-active particles are incorporated locally into the membrane at optimized concentrations. This localized incorporation provides infra-red signature reduction capability while minimizing impact on the bulk material's flexibility and tactile properties, as the active particles are dispersed rather than forming a continuous layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane is designed as a composite material combining base material with stealth-active particles. The base material provides flexibility and hand-and-feel properties while the dispersed particles provide stealth capability, allowing both requirements to be met through material composition rather than using bulk stealth materials.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The membrane achieves improved moisture vapor transport, anti-static, and stealth capabilities while maintaining the desired physical and chemical properties of the base material, such as flexibility and durability, and can be reactivated to enhance performance.
Implementation Method 1
The breathable membrane includes a base material solution and active particles... improve the breathable, anti-static, or stealth properties of the membrane
Implementation Method 2
The active particles are encapsulated in at least one removable encapsulant in an amount effective to prevent at least a substantial portion of the active particles from being deactivated prior to removal of the removable encapsulant
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A method for producing a water-proof breathable membrane comprises encapsulating a plurality of active particles with an amount of at least one removable encapsulant to prevent at least a substantial portion of the plurality of active particles from being substantially permanently de-activated prior to removal of the removable encapsulant. The encapsulated active particles are mixed with a base material solution to obtain a mixture solution. The mixture solution is converted into non-solution form to produce the breathable membrane. The membrane comprises a moisture vapor transmission rate, MVTR, from 621g/m2/day (Up Cup MVTR) to 10385g/m2/day (Inverted Cup MVTR), the MVTR due at least in part to one or more reactivated portions of the active particles.