Researchers at the University of Illinois in the United States have ingeniously prepared silicone microspheres with a wide range of applications by ultrasonic atomization.
Silicone resin is the most important and widely used polymer in the world. It has high biocompatibility, chemical corrosion resistance, high temperature stability and hydrophobicity. Silicone polymers have been used in many fields, from bathtub plugs to medical catheters, and even as an approved food additive. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the most widely used silicone resin family.
_It has been proved that it is almost impossible to fabricate PDMS spheres whose size is strictly smaller than the diameter of a human hair filament (diameter_1 micron). This is mainly due to the high viscosity and low surface energy of PDMS oligomers. However, such nano- and micron-scale materials may create new technologies and applications in some scientific disciplines, such as sensors, brakes and additives for polymer resins.
_In the recently published Advanced Science, Kenneth S. Suslick and his colleagues proposed a very flexible, simple and scalable method for the production of silicone resin microspheres.
Ultrasound atomization was used to prepare microspheres with various properties, including some coloured, fluorescent or magnetic microspheres. With this new method, silicone microspheres can be easily synthesized, which promotes the exploration of techniques that have so far been only speculated. Now you can read the whole research report in the latest issue of Advanced Science.