Dynamic magnetic fields transform pivoting H<sub>2</sub>SiO<sub>3</sub> particles to hollow microspheres with nanofibrous interior.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41381502.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-67205-6 and PMC identifier 12804902.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Reorganizing the internal structures of hollow microspheres after shell sealing, without damaging the shell, remains a major challenge. Here, we show a dynamic magnetic field fluxes stirring (DMFFS) technology that can transform H<sub>2</sub>SiO<sub>3</sub> particle to a sealed SiO<sub>2</sub> hollow microsphere with fibrous interior within 30 s. The fibrous structure is composed of SiO<sub>2</sub> micro-nano fibers (MNF). As dynamic magnetic field drives the SiO<sub>2</sub> particles to rotate, the rotated SiO<sub>2</sub> particles become magnetized along the rotation axis according to the Barnett effect. Magnetized SiO<sub>2</sub> interacts with magnetic field to form fibers. This MNF-structured microsphere exhibits low density (0.1 g cm<sup>-</sup><sup>3</sup>), high transparency (ca. 85.6%), superior thermal stability (1200 °C) and thermal insulation performance. Fluorescent additives can be uniformly incorporated into the MNF-structured microspheres, enabling distinctive and reproducible fluorescent functionality. In addition, a sealed SiO<sub>2</sub> hollow microsphere with nanofibrous interior can be obtained by extending the stirring time or increasing the magnetic field strength. The DMFFS process provides an alternative route to rapidly produce mass SiO<sub>2</sub> microspheres containing SiO<sub>2</sub> micro/nano-sized fibers. Furthermore, our findings have provided an insight for manipulating non-magnetic materials.