Thermoexpandable microspheres

Figure 21.1 Schematics of thermoexpandable microspheres and their corresponding scanning electron micrographs.

Suppliers of thermoexpandable microspheres are Expancel (Eka Chemicals AB, Akzo Nobel), Sweden Matsumoto Yushi-Seiyaku Co. Ltd, Japan Sekisui Chemical Company Ltd, J apan, and Kureha Chemical Industry Co. Ltd, Japan. Suppliers of solid microspheres are Microbeads AS, Norway Matsumoto Yushi-Seiyaku Co. Ltd, Japan, and Sekisui Chemical Company Ltd, Japan. Supplier of microcapsules for release purposes is Microbeads AS, Norway. Supplier of phenolic microspheres is Asia Pacific Microspheres, Malaysia. Supplier of EPS particles Kaucuk a,s-Unipetrol Group, Czech Republic Dow Chemical Company, Michigan, USA BASF SE, Germany. Suppliers of metal coated microspheres Microbeads AS, Norway and Sekisui Ghemical Gompany Ltd, Japan. 

Microsphere F (Matsumoto) [4] are thermoexpandable microspheres (Fig. 7.1), the particles having a wall of copolymers of vinyhdene chloride, acrylonitrile. They are mixed with various resins and formed into a layer containing separate pores at low temperatures for a short time through the steps of coating or impregnation. 

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