Patent ID: 11964873
Assignee: PLASSEIN TECHNOLOGIES LTD LLC
Field: Materials, metallurgy (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C  B | IPC B  C

Claim 0:
1. A method for producing hollow microspheres including a metal, said method comprising:
providing a mold;
providing hollow microspheres including silicon;
placing a consumable plug in an opening in a bottom of said mold below said provided hollow microspheres to keep said provided hollow microspheres in place in said mold;
placing said provided hollow microspheres in said mold;
providing transforming solution including metal atoms, said transforming solution including a molten metal; and
reacting said transforming solution with said hollow microspheres to replace silicon atoms of the hollow microspheres with said metal atoms of said transforming solution to produce hollow microspheres including said metal, said step of reacting including
introducing said transforming solution into said mold through said opening by consuming said consumable plug, thereby creating a mixture of said hollow microspheres and said molten metal, and
controlling the temperature of the hollow microspheres and the transforming solution within a range sufficient to facilitate the replacement of silicon atoms in said walls of said hollow microspheres with said metal atoms of said transforming solution to produce hollow microspheres with walls including said metal atoms; and
lowering the temperature of said hollow microspheres with walls including said metal atoms to solidify said transforming solution and form a casting including said produced hollow microspheres with walls including said metal atoms suspended in said solidified transforming solution.