Method for introduction of gases into microspheres

Patent · Mon Mar 23 23:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:6208640

Hendricks, C D; Koo, J C; Rosencwaig, A

A method for producing small hollow glass spheres filled with a gas by introduction of the gas during formation of the hollow glass spheres. Hollow glass microspheres having a diameter up to about 500 mu with both thin walls (0.5 to 4 mu ) and thick walls (5 to 20 mu ) that contain various fill gases, such as ar, kr, xe , br, dt, h2, d2, he, n2, ne, co2, etc. In the interior thereof, can be produced by the diffusion of the fill gas or gases into the microsphere during the formation thereof from a liquid droplet of glass-forming solution. This is accomplished by filling at least a portion of the multiple-zone drop-furnace used in producing hollow microspheres with the gas or gases of interest, and then taking advantage of the high rate of gaseous diffusion of the fill gas through the wall of the gel membrane before it transforms into a glass microsphere as it is processed in the multiple-zone furnace. Almost any gas can be introduced into the inner cavity of a glass microsphere by this method during the formation of the microsphere provided that the gas is diffused into the gel membrane or microsphere prior to its transformation into glass. The process of this invention provides a significant savings of time and related expense of filling glass microspheres with various gases. For example, the time for filling a glass microballoon with 1 atmosphere of dt is reduced from about two hours to a few seconds.

• Assignee: Department of Energy
• Patent Number(s): US 4257798
• OSTI ID: 6208640
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ARGON
BROMINE
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CONFINEMENT
CONTROL
DEUTERIUM
DEUTERIUM COMPOUNDS
DEUTERIUM TRITIDES
DIFFUSION
DIMENSIONS
ELEMENTS
ENCAPSULATION
FABRICATION
FLUIDS
FUELS
GASES
GLASS
HALOGENS
HELIUM
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
IMPLOSIONS
INERTIAL CONFINEMENT
ISOTOPES
KRYPTON
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LASER IMPLOSIONS
LASER TARGETS
LIGHT NUCLEI
MEMBRANES
MICROSPHERES
NEON
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLASMA CONFINEMENT
PRESSURE CONTROL
RARE GASES
STABLE ISOTOPES
TARGETS
THERMONUCLEAR FUELS
THICKNESS
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
XENON