Advanced Materials to Improve Moisture Management for Prosthetic Socket Liners

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In modern prosthetics a suction liner provides a mechanical connection to the rigid socket by “gripping” the residual limb of the patient by either skin traction or suction. Conventionally, liners are made from materials that are impermeable to water such as silicone and polyurethane. Prolonged moisture accumulation inside the liner adversely affects fit and contributes to issues such as maceration (tissue softening from constant water exposure), breakdown, and infection, as well as issues of comfort and hygiene.  Managing this issue could revolutionize the clinical implementation of this widely used suspension system. We propose to develop a new type of advanced-material prosthetic liner system that maintains skin traction and suction but also absorbs, wicks, channels, and manages the water from sweat. This material will improve clinical practice by providing a more stable, comfortable, and less problematic interface between the limb and socket. Our objective is to develop a highly cross-linked prototype hydrated material system, for use in place of the water-impermeable silicone liner, to maintain airless skin traction and suction while managing sweat and keeping a static volume in relation to water content. This new liner material will require the development of two advanced materials, a sweat- transporting medium incorporating silicone cellulose nanocrystal nanocomposites (CNCs), and a polymer/clay aerogel which can absorb and retain moisture until it is deliberately removed. Both of these materials will be developed and tested to optimize their mechanical and sweat-diffusion properties. Finally, these materials will be layered along with a third, sealant layer made of standard liner silicone into a three-layered prototype for further mechanical, sweat management, durability, and regeneration testing as well as hygiene examination coupled to functional evaluation of the material in a rigid  walking boot. Improving water management in this critical component will fundamentally improve standard of care for a large population of lower and upper limb amputees.