Ultraviolet (UV) Mitigation of Dimethylsilanediol (DMSD)

The presence of dimethylsilanediol (DMSD) within the water supply of the International Space Station (ISS) causes issues with the Water Processing Assembly (WPA). This paper presents the liquid phase mitigation of DMSD produced from dimethoxydimethylsilane under both long and short wavelength ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The results of this study showed that the DMSD reacted into progressively larger moieties which eventually form large insoluble components which included their attachment to various accessible surfaces. This study will also present the behavior of the methanol under UV exposure and its implications to the International Space Station.