Microsphere

Microsensor Microsensors Microsil Microsmatic Microsoft Microspheres... 

Fig. 12. Scanning electron micrograph of sonochemicaUy synthesized hemoglobin microspheres.

Water-in-od emulsion explosives have been made as typified by a formulation containing 20% water, 12% oil, 2% microspheres, 1% emulsifier, and 65% ammonium nitrate. The micro droplets of an emulsion explosive offer the advantage of intimate contact between fuel and oxidizer, and tend to equal or outperform conventional water-based slurries. 

Physical Dilution. The flame retardant can also act as a thermal sink, increasing the heat capacity of the polymer or reducing the fuel content to a level below the lower limit of flammabiHty. Inert fillers such as glass fibers and microspheres and minerals such as talc act by this mechanism. 

The number of microencapsulated commercial oral formulations available and the volume of these formulations sold annuaUy is comparatively smaU. This may reflect the difficulty of developing new dmg formulations and bringing them successfully to market or the fact that existing microencapsulation techniques have had difficulty economically producing mictocapsules that meet the strict performance requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. One appHcation that is a particularly active area of development is mictocapsules or microspheres for oral deUvery of vaccines (45,46). 

The development of injectable mictocapsules for deUvery of chemotherapy agents remains another active area of research. The ultimate goal is to achieve targeted deUvery of chemotherapy agents to specific sites in the body, ideaUy by injection of dmg-loaded mictocapsules that would seek out and destroy diseased ceUs. Intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy is a direct approach to targeted deUvery. The clinical appHcations of microspheres and mictocapsules in embolization and chemotherapy have been assessed (49) (see Chemotherapeutics, anticancer). 

The catalyst is employed in bead, pellet, or microspherical form and can be used as a fixed bed, moving bed, or fluid bed. The fixed-bed process was the first process used commercially and employs a static bed of catalyst in several reactors, which allows a continuous flow of feedstock to be maintained. The cycle of operations consists of (/) the flow of feedstock through the catalyst bed (2) the discontinuance of feedstock flow and removal of coke from the catalyst by burning and (J) the insertion of the reactor back on-stream. The moving-bed process uses a reaction vessel, in which cracking takes place, and a kiln, in which the spent catalyst is regenerated and catalyst movement between the vessels is provided by various means. 

An example of such a product is Sterile Medroxyprogestrone Acetate Suspension used for its contraceptive property. Such an injection is designed to provide up to three months of contraceptive activity. Another such product is a depot injection of leuprolode acetate, an analogue of gonadatropin-releasing hormone (see Drug delivery systems). In this case, the product is a sterilized powder of microspheres to be suspended upon the addition of an appropriate diluent and intended for monthly injection. 

Emerson Gumming, Inc. eventuaUy bought the rights to the Sohio process and produced a variety of microspheres. Union Carbide was Hcensed to produce the phenoHc microspheres offered under the name PhenoHc MicrobaUoons (Table 16). When PhenoHc MicrobaUoons are introduced into a cmde-oU storage tank, they form a fluid seal that rises and faUs with the level of the oU. A continuous vapor-barrier seal is formed, which reduces evaporational losses up to 90%. Tests have been conducted under various mechanical and weather conditions and with cmde oUs of varying vapor pressure. 

The most important role of UO3 is in the production of UF4 [10049-14-6] and UF [7783-81-5], which are used in the isotopic enrichment of uranium for use in nuclear fuels (119—121). The trioxide also plays a part in the production of UO2 for fuel peUets (122). In addition to these important synthetic appHcations, microspheres of UO3 can themselves be used as nuclear fuel. Fabrication of UO3 microspheres has been accompHshed using sol-gel or internal gelation processes (19,123—125). FinaHy, UO3 is also a support for destmctive oxidation catalysts of organics (126,127). 

Uranium and mixed uranium—plutonium nitrides have a potential use as nuclear fuels for lead cooled fast reactors (136—139). Reactors of this type have been proposed for use ia deep-sea research vehicles (136). However, similar to the oxides, ia order for these materials to be useful as fuels, the nitrides must have an appropriate size and shape, ie, spheres. Microspheres of uranium nitrides have been fabricated by internal gelation and carbothermic reduction (140,141). Another use for uranium nitrides is as a catalyst for the cracking of NH at 550°C, which results ia high yields of H2 (142). 

As previously stated, uranium carbides are used as nuclear fuel (145). Two of the typical reactors fueled by uranium and mixed metal carbides are thermionic, which are continually being developed for space power and propulsion systems, and high temperature gas-cooled reactors (83,146,147). In order to be used as nuclear fuel, carbide microspheres are required. These microspheres have been fabricated by a carbothermic reduction of UO and elemental carbon to form UC (148,149). In addition to these uses, the carbides are also precursors for uranium nitride based fuels. 

Expandable VDC copolymer microspheres are prepared by a microsuspension process (191). The expanded microspheres are used in reinforced polyesters, blocking multipair cable, and in composites for furniture, marble, and marine appHcations (192—195). Vinylidene chloride copolymer microspheres are also used in printing inks and paper manufacture (196). 

Studies of the pharmacokinetics of this deHvery system in two animal models have been reported in the Hterature. After iajection of these microspheres at three doses, leuproHde concentrations were sustained for over four weeks foUowing an initial burst (116). The results iadicated that linear pharmacokinetic profiles in absorption, distribution, metaboHsm, and excretion were achieved at doses of 3 to 15 mg/kg using the dmg loaded microspheres in once-a-month repeated injections. 

Truly porous, synthetic ion exchangers are also available. These materials retain their porosity even after removal of the solvent and have measurable surface areas and pore size. The term macroreticular is commonly used for resins prepared from a phase separation technique, where the polymer matrix is prepared with the addition of a hq-uid that is a good solvent for the monomers, but in which the polymer is insoluble. Matrices prepared in this way usually have the appearance of a conglomerate of gel-type microspheres held together to... 

Most commercial lithium-ion cells maufactured today use graphitic carbons from region 1 of Fig. 2. These are of several forms, with mesocarbon microspheres and natural graphites being the most commonly used. The specific capacity of these carbons is near 350 mAh/g. 

Microspherical polymer beads are widely used as packing materials for chromatography and a variety of other applications. Size exclusion chromatography is based on pore size and pore-size distribution of microbeads to separate... 

Two-phase suspension systems produce beaded products with broader particle-size distribution (e.g., 1-50 /rm). The microspherical particles usually need to be classified repeatedly to reduce the particle-size distribution in order to improve the resolution and efficiency in the separation for use in chromatography. The actual classification process depends on the size range involved, the nature of the beaded product, and its intended applications. Relatively large (>50 /rm) and mechanically stable particles can be sieved easily in the dry state, whereas small particles are processed more conveniently in the wet state. For very fine particles (<20 /rm), classification is accomplished by wet sedimentation, countflow setting, countflow centrifugation, or air classification. 

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