Hollow glass microspheres named expanded perlite have been prepared from perlite, but the size is usually above 20 µm. In the conventional preparation method, it is difficult to produce fine expanded perlite with particle size under 20 µm because the water contained in finely milled perlite particle, which is the origin of foaming, is evolved during heating process. A new fluidized sand-bedfurnace has developed and fine expanded perlite particles with particle size less than 15 µm and bulk density under 0.5 g/cm3 are prepared successfully. Using the fine expanded perlite, lightweight composites with alumina and lightweight pottery are successfully prepared by colloidal processing and subsequent heating.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.