The Growing Use and Market for Microspheres

18 December 2016

Today’s material science is growing at a hyperbolic rate. It seems that every day a ground breaking new substance is being discovered, be it graphene, biological nylon, breathable polyethylene textiles, or biodegradable polymers. But sometimes, older technologies come to the fore as the world finds greater uses for forgotten technology.

One such product is microspheres, a decades old invention that up until today had a set number of uses. But as scientists continue to push the boundaries of chemical engineering, they are finding more and more uses for these tiny balls. It seems that the microsphere industry might be about to really take off.

For example, microspheres have recently been developed as a raw material for the manufacture of cheaper, brighter greenhouses, with global manufacturer 3M recently announcing, that it will add glass microspheres to the polymer films it makes for greenhouses for the agricultural industry.

The reason for this is clear, as industry journal Plastic News, explains, “Using microspheres can allow producers to make more amounts of low density and linear low density film with the same amount of resin.”

Furthermore, adds Fernando Cervantes, Application Development Engineer at 3M, “Microspheres also can provide whiteness to films, allowing for the replacement of titanium dioxide. The materials also can spread light over a greater area, which helps plant growth.”

Whilst the use of microspheres in growing houses will not change the chemical industry, it is a sign of a small revolution taking place. Microspheres are having a larger and more diverse role in modern manufacturing, than ever before. They are being seen as a well-priced and versatile feedstock with all manner of uses. In making lighter car parts for the automobile industry, in being used as to repair weak bones in the pharmaceutical industry, in improving the sealant effect of corks, or in making greenhouses brighter and cheaper, microspheres are showing that they are an industrial raw material to be considered.

Moreover, as more products become dependent on microspheres and as global standards of living rise, possibly the only concern for the market is whether microsphere supply can keep up with microsphere demand.

 

 

Photo credit:  Apex greenshouses