Preparation of Hollow Microspheres

Hollow microspheres were developed by SOHIO Chem. Co. (1-5), and are produced by Emerson Cuming, Inc. Microballon is the trade name of a phenolic resin-based hollow microsphere produced by Emerson Cuming, Inc. and used to prevent evaporation in crude oil tanks. 

The raw materials for making hollow microspheres include glass, phenolic resin, epoxy resin, polystyrene, silicone rubber, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol. SOHIO Chemical Co. developed two methods, as shown below. 

Name Description Particle Size Bulk Density, G/ml 

Kaiiaiiiite grade 200 Unicellular hollow clay spheres, primarily aluminum silicate 90% 35-60 mesh 10% 20-200 mesh 0.9 

Colfoam microballons Urea-formaldehyde spheres 90% 20-100 mesh 10% through 200 mesh 0.2-0.5 

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Y. Zhang, L. Liu, M. Ren, C. Zhao, and W. Yang, Preparation of hollow microspheres with hydrophilic/hydrophobic asummetric surface and loading of magnetic nanoparticles, Acta Polym. Sinica, 0 (5), 502-508, 2011. 

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