Dynamic magnetic fields transform pivoting H₂SiO₃ particles to hollow microspheres with nanofibrous interior

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Physical Chemistry

Background:

• Controlling internal structures of sealed hollow microspheres without shell damage is a significant challenge.
• Existing methods often lack efficiency or scalability for producing complex internal architectures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel dynamic magnetic field fluxes stirring (DMFFS) technology.
• To demonstrate the rapid formation of sealed SiO2 hollow microspheres with internal fibrous structures.
• To explore the properties and potential applications of these novel microspheres.

Main Methods:

• Utilized dynamic magnetic field fluxes stirring (DMFFS) to manipulate H2SiO3 particles.
• Leveraged the Barnett effect for magnetization of rotating SiO2 particles.
• Controlled fiber formation through magnetic field interactions and stirring parameters.

Main Results:

• Successfully transformed H2SiO3 into sealed SiO2 hollow microspheres with internal SiO2 micro-nano fibers (MNF) within 30 seconds.
• The MNF-structured microspheres exhibit low density (0.1 g/cm³), high transparency (85.6%), and excellent thermal stability (1200 °C).
• Demonstrated uniform incorporation of fluorescent additives and potential for tunable nanofibrous interiors.

Conclusions:

• DMFFS technology provides an efficient and rapid method for producing SiO2 microspheres with complex internal fibrous structures.
• The resulting microspheres possess desirable properties for applications requiring low density, high transparency, and thermal stability.
• This work offers new insights into manipulating non-magnetic materials using magnetic fields.