Cenosphere, also called Microsphere, which is a kind of excellent thermal insulation and refractory materials, which are widely used in the production of light castables and oil drilling. Of course, the application of Cenosphere can not only be this, but also can be used in thermal insulation materials, filling materials and other industries.

Application fields of Microsphere/Cenosphere

　　
1. Thermal insulation

(1) Thermal insulation brick
The Cenosphere have the characteristics of hollow, low thermal conductivity and good insulation effect. When pressed into insulating bricks for furnace lining, the thermal insulation performance is better than that of aluminum silicate fiber, which is green and energy-saving.

(2) Thermal insulation cap
The floating ball can also be used in the casting industry as a thermal insulation cap for holding molten steel. It is understood that China successfully developed the floating ball thermal insulation cap in 1984. After adding the floating ball, the thermal insulation cap has significantly improved the compressive strength and fire resistance, and the thermal conductivity and constant temperature line change rate are small. This discovery has improved the steel production rate and saved the cost of molten steel.

(3) Thermal insulation coating
Using Cenosphere as raw materials, it can also be made into thermal insulation coating, which has excellent thermal insulation effect and is applicable to low temperature, normal temperature and high temperature environment. It has been applied in many departments such as electric power, chemical industry and chemistry, and has been mass produced. 　

2. Refractory

(1) Fire resistant coating
It is reported that the floating bead refractory coating was developed in China in the early 1980s. The refractory coating made of it has low thermal conductivity, good insulation and high fire resistance. Compared with ordinary inorganic fire-resistant coatings, the temperature difference is as high as 20 ℃ ~ 50 ℃ at the same temperature. Cenosphere have the characteristics of non combustion, non deformation and smokeless under high temperature. They belong to fire-resistant and flame-retardant inorganic non-metallic materials and are good fillers for the production of fire-retardant coatings.

(2) Fire resistant insulation board
In 1986, China developed the floating bead fire-resistant insulation board, which is mainly used in the iron and steel industry. The floating bead insulation board is resistant to the corrosion of molten steel and has a good thermal insulation effect. The steel products produced have a high billet rate, smooth surface and small shrinkage hole.

3. Filling material

(1) Reinforcing agent
Cenosphere can be added to rubber as a reinforcing agent to improve the mechanical properties and low strength of natural rubber and synthetic rubber. And the cost of Cenosphere is low, and its application will bring better economic results. The results show that carbon black can be replaced by Cenosphere in natural rubber, while carbon black and Cenosphere can be added simultaneously in synthetic rubber to reduce the amount of carbon black and reduce the cost.

(2) Plastic filling
Cenosphere can also be used as plastic filling materials. After adding Cenosphere, the insulation, strength and stability of the plastic are improved, while the density of the matrix is reduced, and the performance is excellent.

(3) Waterproof coating
The water absorption rate of the Cenosphere is low, about 5%, and the water droplets appear as dew drops on the Cenosphere, indicating that the Cenosphere have good waterproof performance and can be used as fillers for waterproof coatings.　　

(4) Other industries
Cenosphere is used as catalysts for certain chemical reactions in the petroleum and chemical industries; In the electrical industry, it can be used as raw materials for high-voltage electric porcelain, light electrical insulation materials and sealing materials; It has also shown good application prospects in the field of high-tech materials. Copper plating on the surface of Cenosphere can improve its conductivity and can be used to prepare composite materials for special purposes.

Advantages of Microsphere/Cenosphere

1. Thermal insulation
The floating bead wall is thin and hollow, and the cavity is semi vacuum, with only a small amount of gas, and the heat conduction is slow and micro. Therefore, the Cenosphere are not only light in weight (volume weight 250-450 kg / m3), but also excellent in thermal insulation.

2. High fire resistance
The main chemical components of the Cenosphere are oxides of silicon and aluminum. The melting point of silicon dioxide is as high as 1725 ° C, and the melting point of aluminum oxide is 2050 ° C. both are high refractory materials. Therefore, the Cenosphere have high fire resistance, generally up to 1600-1700 degrees Celsius, making them excellent high-performance refractory materials.

3. Good insulation
The Cenosphere after removing the magnetic beads are excellent insulating materials and non-conductive. Generally, the resistance of insulators decreases with the increase of temperature, while that of Cenosphere increases with the increase of temperature.

4. High hardness
As the Cenosphere are hard glass bodies formed by silicon aluminum oxide mineral phases (quartz and mullite), the hardness can reach Mohs 6-7, the static pressure strength is as high as 70-140mpa, and the true density is 2.10-2.20g/cm3, which is equivalent to the rock, so the Cenosphere have very high strength.

5. Fine grain size
The natural particle size of Cenosphere is 1-250 μ m, and the specific surface area is 300-360cm2 / g, which is similar to that of cement. Therefore, the Cenosphere can be directly used without grinding, and the fineness can meet the needs of various products.