29001

Hwy 160
Durango, CO 81301
(970) 247-2474
_______________________________________________________________________
December 10, 2013
TYR Sport
Attn: Product Design
85 Sherwood Ave.
Farmingdale, NY 11735
Dear TYR Sport,
I have been a competitive swimmer for eleven year and Ive been through many different
brands and styles of goggles. I continue to run into the same problem, my goggles fog up.
I know that all goggle companies put an anti-fog agent such as, surfactants that minimize
the surface tension of the water or hydrophilic coatings that maximize the surface energy.
Most goggles have hydrophilic coatings because polymer and hydrogels seem to work
well for this purpose. But no matter what gets put on the goggles, they still fog up.
However, I believe that there is a better way to use hydrophilic coatings to create a
goggle that will stay completely fog-free the entire workout.
Goggles fog up because of the difference between the water temperature and the persons
temperature and water vapor existing in the goggle cavity, this causes condensation in the
goggles and nowhere for it to go. My proposed idea is to create a coating that will push
water through a one-way vent on the side. To do this you would need to have a
hydrophilic coating with a gradient from hydrophobic to hydrophilic that will push the
water to the outside through the vent. This will ensure that the goggles stay clear and
water-less.
A hydrophobic element is made up of molecules that repel the mass of water. The
molecules physical and chemical properties cause it to not only repel water but also
make water more strongly attracted to itself, which makes it form droplets. A
hydrophobic molecule tends to be non-polar, which means that it will only align with
other non-polar molecules, water is a polar molecule, which explains why hydrophobic
elements repel water. A hydrophilic element is the exact opposite, made up of molecules
that love, are attracted to, and are dissolved by water. This molecules physical and
chemical properties cause it to attract water. A hydrophilic molecule is polar, which
means they will line up with other polar molecules, like a magnet. Water, again, is a polar
molecule which explains why hydrophilic elements have the properties they do.

Silica nano-coating would be a suitable hydrophobic element to use for the hydrophobic
layer in the gradient on the goggles. This element is non-polar which means it will repel
the water, moving it towards the hydrophilic layers of the gradient. A cyclodextrin
coating would be a suitable hydrophilic element to use for the hydrophilic layer in the
gradient on the goggles. This element is polar which means it will attract the water. Using
both these elements will help ensure that the water will be moved to the side with the
vent. This is because starting off with a hydrophobic coating will make it form water
droplets and as the gradient decreases the water will be pulled toward the hydrophilic
coating and out through the vent. When putting these elements in a sufficiently thin
gradient, you can still maintain desired optical properties.
I think that the best way to create this goggle would be to start with a normal goggle, one
that is used by swimmers everywhere. You would add another layer of plastic between
the eye and the outside layer, in between these layers would be the hydrophobic to
hydrophilic gradient. On the outside of the goggle there would be a one-way vent from
the inside of the goggle out for the water to leave. I believe this idea would create a truly
anti-fog goggle that swimmers everywhere would love and be grateful for.
I appreciate you consideration of my idea and would welcome your feedback on this
product idea. Please feel free to contact me either at the address provided in the letterhead
or by email at b.joyner15@animashighschool.com.
Sincerely,
Bryn Joyner