A composite particle includes a discrete, hollow, ceramic spheroid and a fluoropolymer layer disposed thereon. The fluoropolymer is a homopolymer or copolymer of a perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether; a perfluoroalkoxy vinyl ether; at least one fluoroolefin independently represented by formula C(R).sub.2CFRf, wherein Rf is fluorine or a perfluoroalkyl having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms and R is hydrogen, fluorine, or chlorine; or a combination thereof. Methods of making the composite particles, composite materials, and articles including them are also disclosed.

A glass bubble includes a hollow glass body having an outer surface with a diameter of between about 16 micrometers and about 25 micrometers and a surface roughness of about 0.01% to about 0.1% of that diameter. A low density sheet molding compound incorporating a plurality of glass bubbles and resin is also disclosed.

A method for producing foam glass with high open pore content using recycled waste glass. The size of the pores of the foam glass is small and uniform, and such foam glass is suitable for building material with thermal insulating and sound proofing properties. The foam glass produced by this method is lightweight, durable and has high compression strength.

Controlling foam in apparatus downstream of a melter by adjustment of alkali oxide content in the melter. One method includes feeding a feedstock into a submerged combustion melter (SCM) apparatus having an internal space containing a flowing or non-flowing molten mass of foamed glass comprising molten glass and bubbles entrained therein, the molten mass having glass foam comprising glass foam bubbles on at least a portion of a top surface of the molten mass. The molten mass from the SCM is routed to a downstream apparatus, stability of the glass foam in the downstream apparatus is observed, and alkali oxide percentage fed to the SCM apparatus is adjusted based on the observation to positively or negatively affect the foam stability. Systems for carrying out the methods, and the products of the methods are also considered novel and inventive.

Methods for coating a cellular glass insulation material and a coated cellular glass insulation system for insulating the roof of a structure. The method comprises applying a coating system to at least one surface of a cellular glass block, the coating system comprising a first coating and a second coating, wherein the coating system provides durability and prevents water vapor intrusion. The coated cellular glass insulation system is comprised of blocks of coated cellular glass insulation and a membrane.

Methods for coating a cellular glass insulation material and a coated cellular glass insulation system for insulating the roof of a structure. The method comprises applying a coating system to at least one surface of a cellular glass block, the coating system comprising a first coating and a second coating, wherein the coating system provides durability and prevents water vapor intrusion. The coated cellular glass insulation system is comprised of blocks of coated cellular glass insulation and a membrane.

A porous glass base material manufacturing system that does not require the manufacturing apparatus and building to be hazardous material-compatible and that can provide a stable supply of raw materials, even when organic siloxane raw material is used as raw materials to produce silica fine particles includes a raw material supplying apparatus and a porous glass base material manufacturing apparatus. The raw material supplying apparatus includes: a raw material tank in which organic siloxane raw material in a liquid state is stored and the remaining space is filled with inert gas; a liquid feed pump to pump the organic siloxane raw material from the raw material tank; a circulating piping and a branch piping through which the raw material pumped is passed; a liquid mass flow controller that controls the flow rate of organic siloxane raw material passed through the branch piping to a predetermined flow rate; and a vaporizer.

An object of the present invention is to provide an opaque quartz glass containing pores with irregular shapes and having sufficient heat ray reflecting, heat ray blocking and light shielding properties, and further to provide a method for producing the opaque quartz glass. The opaque quartz glass of the present invention is an opaque quartz glass containing pores with irregular shapes dispersed in a glass body, wherein the opaque quartz glass has a pore size distribution of the pores having D.sub.50 of 4 to 30 ?m, a proportion of pores with pore sizes of 5 ?m or less of 1 to 50%, and a proportion of pores with pore sizes of 15 ?m or less of 30 to 90%, and an area ratio of pores in a microscopic image at a cross section of 5% or more. The opaque quartz glass of the present invention is obtained by mixing a plurality of types of the specific silica powders having different particle size distributions from each other at a predetermined formulation, and sintering a pressure-molded article of the mixed powder.

An object of the present invention is to provide an opaque quartz glass containing pores with irregular shapes and having sufficient heat ray reflecting, heat ray blocking and light shielding properties, and further to provide a method for producing the opaque quartz glass. The opaque quartz glass of the present invention is an opaque quartz glass containing pores with irregular shapes dispersed in a glass body, wherein the opaque quartz glass has a pore size distribution of the pores having D.sub.50 of 4 to 30 ?m, a proportion of pores with pore sizes of 5 ?m or less of 1 to 50%, and a proportion of pores with pore sizes of 15 ?m or less of 30 to 90%, and an area ratio of pores in a microscopic image at a cross section of 5% or more. The opaque quartz glass of the present invention is obtained by mixing a plurality of types of the specific silica powders having different particle size distributions from each other at a predetermined formulation, and sintering a pressure-molded article of the mixed powder.

A color-stable, antimicrobial glass powder obtained by partial ion exchange at a temperature of 300 C. to 350 C. and an exchange time of 1 to 120 minutes, is formed of a mixture of porous glass particles having micropores and macropores made of borosilicate glass continuously foamed by extrusion having a Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 content <0.2 wt %, in which the obtained glass foam is subsequently comminuted by dry grinding to average particle sizes of 1.0 to 8.0 m. The mixture includes color stabilizers containing 0.1% to 0.2% of ammonium ions and antimicrobial metal ions from dissolved metal salts, wherein the metal ions may be silver and/or zinc and/or copper ions. A method for the production of a color-stable, antimicrobial glass powder and applications for using the color-stable, antimicrobial glass powder are also provided.