Microspheres are used in cosmetic and cleaning products, as fillers in polymeric materials or other composites, for controlled release of pharmaceutical agents and drug delivery, and in electronic displays and “e-paper”. Relatively monodisperse and/or tunable and reproducible particle size distribution is often desirable for such. Different particle structures and morphologies are often sought as well.
Such can be produced by spray drying or by spraying into a specifically-chosen solution or reactive medium. Sonaer manufactures particle generators, nebulizers, and nozzles that can be incorporated into spray drying systems, as well as full “turn-key” benchtop spray dryers.
Another example process for producing micro- or nano-particles is spray particle synthesis. Spray particle synthesis is a technique in which a liquid precursor or solution is sprayed into a medium of excess liquid or gas/vapor, where it then reacts to form small particles of a desired material. Such a technique could be useful in micro- or nano-particle or powder synthesis, as well as particle microencapsulation. By tuning the spray liquid concentration and spray droplet size produced, one may be able to tune the size of particles produced using this technique. Using a multiple hypo-needle attachment and/or dual microfeed tube, one can potentially synthesize gel, polymerized, or multi-material microspheres (such as “janus”/”dimer” microspheres or core-shell particles).
