Introduction to Hollow Glass Microspheres:
Hollow glass microspheres are small spherical powders that are hollow and contain inert gases. They belong to non-metallic inorganic materials and are known as “materials of the space age”.
Hollow glass microspheres are widely used in fields such as building materials, plastics, rubber, coatings, petrochemicals, metallurgy, deep-sea, and aerospace, especially in the oil well cementing industry. They have irreplaceable important applications, and as the unique properties of hollow glass microspheres are further recognized, their application fields will continue to expand.
Hollow glass microspheres are a type of hollow, inert gas containing small spherical powder of hollow glass. It belongs to non-metallic inorganic materials.
Surface modification of hollow glass microspheres:
Hollow glass microspheres are inorganic fillers with poor compatibility with organic polymers. If directly added to the polymer without modification, the interaction force between the two phases is weak, and the interfacial bonding effect is small, which may form stress concentration points and weaken the material performance.
Application of hollow glass microspheres:
1. Application in composite materials:
It can be filled in most thermosetting and thermoplastic resin products, and can improve or determine the properties of the material.
2. Application in solid buoyancy materials:
***Buoyant materials have high compressive strength and high safety reliability.
3. Application in oil well cement:
Improve the effective compressive strength of cement slurry.
4. Applications in aviation and aerospace materials:
Non combustible, thermal insulation, electrical insulation, and chemical inertness, formulated as microsphere adhesive or microsphere sealant.
5. Application in coatings:
Efficient filling ability, adding 5% (weight percentage) can increase the finished product by 25%, 6-35% coating area percentage, and reduce unit volume cost.
6. Application in rubber and plastic products:
As a filler, its filling amount reaches 40-80%, which can improve the strength and wear resistance of rubber products, and its main performance is superior to other fillers.
7. Other applications
Hollow glass microsphere powder has a low density, and after surface metallization treatment, it can replace metal powder with higher density for electromagnetic wave absorption or preparation of electromagnetic shielding materials.
Application of Hollow Glass Microspheres in Paint Coatings:
Hollow glass microspheres have a small specific surface area and low oil absorption, which can reduce the use of other production components in coatings.
The surface of hollow glass microspheres with vitrified material is more resistant to chemical corrosion and has a reflective effect on light.
The paint coating has anti fouling, anti-corrosion, UV protection, anti yellowing, and scratch resistance effects.
The tightly arranged hollow glass microspheres contain thin gas inside, and their thermal conductivity is low, so the coating has a very good thermal insulation effect.
Hollow glass microspheres can effectively enhance the flow and leveling properties of coatings.
The gas contained in the hollow glass bead has good resistance to cold and heat shrinkage, thus enhancing the elasticity of the coating, * * * reducing the cracking and falling off of the coating due to Thermal expansion.
On the premise of high filling content of hollow glass microspheres, the viscosity of the coating does not increase significantly, so the use of solvents can be reduced, which can reduce the emission of toxic gases during the use of the coating and effectively reduce the VOC index.