Tiny Bubbles; Composite Cocktails for Medical Applications.

Tiny bubbles or glass microspheres/microcapsules are used in our society today in many ways. The microspheres can be solid or hollow and represent particles that are generally in the range of 0.1-100 μm. Solid and hollow microspheres have significantly different densities, properties, and capabilities and are commercially available. Special morphologies, formulations, and compositions can also be achieved by a variety of techniques in the laboratory. One of the most interesting morphologies of these tiny bubbles, are porous wall hollow glass microspheres, which are glass micro-balloons in which through-wall porosity was induced in the thin outer shells and controlled, on a scale of 10-100 nm. This unique porosity can be used to fill the microspheres with a variety of cargos of various contents that can later be released on demand. For medical applications, an interdisciplinary team investigated these tiny bubbles, as part of a new series of composites or medical cocktails. The microspheres are key components in the composites and can be used alone or mixed in various amounts and ratios, with a variety of contents, outer coatings, and/or biocompatible matrices, resulting in a wide range of medical cocktails designed and tailored for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]