Research progress on hollow glass microspheres-based solid buoyancy materials
ZHANG Jianfeng
ZHANG Zheng
LIU Lei
LI Manjiang
WANG Jun
LIU Yahui
LI Gaiye
XU Chuanhua
Abstract：Significance Hollow glass microspheres(HGMs)-filled solid buoyancy materials have attracted widespread scientific and tech-nological attention due to their key role in deep-sea exploration and marine resource exploitation.These materials exhibit the advantages of low density,high strength,and exceptional water resistance,making them highly suitable for marine equipment,underwater operations,and deep-sea submersibles.Over the past few decades,advancements in HGMs have made them an ideal material for lightweight and high-strength composites.However,conventional HGMs-filled composites still face chal-lenges,including limited compressive strength and insufficient long-term durability in extreme deep-sea environments.This paper provides a systematic review and analysis of the current research on HGMs-filled solid buoyancy materials,aiming to guide the future development of high-performance composites and further advance deep-sea marine resource exploitation and sci-entific activities.
Progress To improve the performance of solid buoyancy materials,researchers have explored various approaches focusing on matrix,filler,and composite methods.Studies have explored matrices such as geopolymer,modified epoxy resin,and phenolic resin to achieve solid buoyancy materials with low water absorption and high-temperature resistance.Other efforts have focused on HGM modification through high-temperature treatment and surface grafting,effectively enhancing interfacial bonding with epoxy resin and improving material properties.Currently,the primary molding methods for HGMs-filled solid buoyancy materi-als include stir casting,vacuum impregnation,and molding.Stir casting method,though has a simple preparation process,exhibits limitations such as uneven HGM distribution,breakage,and matrix porosity.To address these issues,a heap-firing method has been developed to prepare HGMs-based porous ceramics,which were then used as preforms.High-performance buoyancy materials were produced by combining these preforms with epoxy resin through vacuum impregnation.
Conclusions and Prospects In the preparation process of HGMs-filled solid buoyancy materials,key factors such as resin selec-tion,filler type and distribution,additives,structural design,and molding methods should be considered.Future research could leverage neural network algorithms for constitutive relationship analysis and mechanical behaviour simulations to further optimize formulations for deep-sea applications,ultimately yielding higher-performance materials.For HGM preparation and surface modification,future research should focus on the development of novel hollow glass sphere materials with controllable wall thickness,uniform size,and enhanced compatibility with polymer matrices.Vacuum impregnation method is particularly promising,as it promotes uniform sphere distribution and reduces bonding defects between resin and hollow spheres,thus sig-nificantly improving compressive strength.Moreover,optimizing the particle size grading system for HGMs could achieve high-density sphere filling in the matrices,thereby yielding solid buoyancy materials with excellent overall performance.
Keywords：solid buoyancy materialhollow glass microsphereforming processresearch progress
Publication Date：2025-05-01
Online Publishing Date：2026-05-22(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：11( 32-42 )