Small beads out of industrial flowers (from Chinese Science Daily 2013-11-05 Seventh Edition)

Song Guangzhi and Zhang Jingjie, researchers at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have devoted themselves to research for more than ten years, have explored industrialization for several years, and promoted scientific research results to serve the national economy.

The workers are working on the production line.

Zheng Jinwu

On October 11, the Center for Energy-saving Materials of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology (Jingjiang) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was established in Jingjiang City, Jiangsu Province. Liu Xinxin, vice-director of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the Institute of Physical and Chemical Technology), and Zhao Ye, mayor of Jingjiang, jointly unveiled the Center.

In Zhao Ye's view, the engineering center of the Institute of Physics and Chemistry can be located in Jingjiang in a very short time, making Jingjiang's industry climb up to the "high relatives" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will certainly lead to the upgrading of Jingjiang's industry and structural adjustment.

"Over the years, we have only one mind, is to continue to tackle key problems, continue to improve the performance of hollow glass beads, while effectively promoting the industrialization of results, truly for the competitiveness of enterprise products and local economic development to do something." Song Guangzhi and Zhang Jingjie, researchers at the Institute of Physics and Chemistry, were a little excited when they were interviewed by a reporter from China Science Journal.

Great use of small beads

As a kind of lightweight inorganic non-metallic multifunctional material, hollow glass beads have many excellent properties, such as low density, low thermal conductivity, low dielectric constant, high mechanical strength and corrosion resistance.

For a long time, although enterprises in the United States, Japan, Germany and other countries have been able to produce hollow glass beads worldwide, only the United States 3M company can provide a series of high-performance products. Based on the competitiveness of its products, 3M has almost monopolized the global market, and the related products embargo on China.

In the early 1990s, some domestic enterprises invested heavily in introducing German technology. However, it was found that the imported technology was far from that of the United States, the yield of production process was not high, and the product performance was backward, especially the pressure resistance of hollow glass beads was poor, which could not meet the actual demand.

Subsequently, with the support of the National 863 Project and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Project, Song Guangzhi carried out a series of research on the new technology of preparing transparent ceramic microspheres with high refractive index, and developed the advanced preparation technology of hollow glass microspheres, which enabled China to have its own intellectual property rights in this field.

The Institute has applied for the national patent of the invention and has been authorized. At the same time, the research group has also carried out pilot production with related enterprises, and introduced nano-scale coated beads, crystalline beads materials and other products.

After his mentor retired, Zhang Jingjie was duty bound to undertake the mission of continuous research on hollow glass beads. With the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Zhang Jingjie has carried out a series of research on the surface modification of hollow glass beads. Zhang Jingjie also participated in presiding over the completion of the "863" project and other national scientific research tasks, research and development of a great impact on the national economy and great market prospects for the development of new micro-spherical powder materials, Zhang Jingjie at this stage is the focus of research.

After years of intensive research, the Institute of Physics and Chemistry has now owned the independent intellectual property rights of the project, established a small batch of multi-variety production base, mastered the key technology of preparation of high-performance hollow microspheres, filled the gaps in China.

In December 2006, the technical achievement was appraised by the relevant departments and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Expert Group believes that the Institute of Physics and Chemistry is advanced in the world, and has broken the passive situation that the related products of hollow microspheres are monopolized by foreign countries, and has promoted the advanced position of China in the field of preparation technology of high-performance hollow microspheres.

Industrialization of fruits

The hollow bead project can be settled in Jingjiang, with its inevitable background and occasional opportunities.

Over the years, China has been promoting the application and industrialization of scientific and technological achievements. Especially this year, the central leadership made intensive investigations and inspections of Wuhan Optical Valley, Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park and other high-tech industrial parks, emphasizing the importance of industrialization of scientific and technological achievements, and striving to open up the channels for scientific and technological and economic transformation.

Accelerating the industrialization of achievements and strengthening the guidance of technology to industry are important tasks of the institutes of Chinese Academy of Sciences. For many years, the Institute of physics and chemistry of Chinese Academy of Sciences has always been the pacesetter of the Academy of Sciences in promoting the industrialization of achievements.

Back in the late 1990s, Song Guangzhi and Zhang Jingjie of the Institute of Physics and Chemistry, supported by the National 863 Project and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Project, completed the research on the key technology of industrialization of transparent ceramic beads with high refractive index, and carried out large-scale production in relevant enterprises in Shandong Province, successfully breaking through the technological monopoly of foreign enterprises.

Since then, with the continuous support of the National "863" Program and other projects, the Institute of Physics and Chemistry of hollow glass beads in-depth research, preparation technology and production process optimization, product performance continues to improve.

In 2008, the Institute of Physics and Chemistry signed a technology transfer contract with the Maanshan Institute of Mining and Research of China Steel Group for the production and preparation of high-performance hollow glass microspheres used in the oil field, and established a production base for glass microspheres. The performance of the products is comparable to that of the similar products of 3M Company. Some products are exported to Nordic Europe, and good results have been achieved.

In the second half of 2012, Jingjiang science and Technology Bureau led Jingjiang enterprises to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Lu Jianping, chairman of Jingjiang Huaxing Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. took a fancy to the hollow bead project of physics and Chemistry Institute. After several rounds of exchanges, under the impetus of the Institute of Physics and Chemistry and the Jingjiang Science and Technology Bureau, the two sides have reached a cooperation on the industrialization project of the new technology of hollow microspheres and its heat insulation board technology, and jointly established the China Science and Technology China Star Jingjiang New Material Engineering Co., Ltd.

"We must promote industrialization of achievements, and really do something to enhance the competitiveness of enterprises' products and economic development." In line with the mission of promoting science and technology to promote industrial development, Song Guangzhi and Zhang Jingjie are determined to help enterprises realize the industrialization of hollow glass beads.

Running to the enterprise has become a norm.

Up to now, nearly 100 achievements of the Institute of Physics and Chemistry have been transferred to enterprises, providing technical cooperation and services for nearly a thousand enterprises in China, and have been generally recognized and praised by enterprises and local governments.

In order to promote the successful settlement of the hollow microsphere project in Jingjiang, the leaders of the Institute of Physics and Chemistry also support the industrialization of the project. Liu Xinjian, deputy director of the Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Li Shiyuan, Zhang Yanqi and others from the Industrial Planning Department of the Institute of Physics and Chemistry, have been to Jingjiang many times to coordinate with the local government and enterprises, and personally to the scene for guidance.

In order to fulfill the desire of industrialization, Zhang Jingjie and Song Guangzhi poured a lot of painstaking efforts in Jingjiang. Since the project was officially launched in January this year, Zhang Jingjie and Song Guangzhi have made many trips between Jingjiang and Beijing. "Running to enterprises has become a normalization work."

Every time they came to Jingjiang, Zhang Jingjie and Song Guangzhi stayed the most, which was the production workshop of hollow beads. From equipment selection to process design, from formulation and process optimization, every step of the scientific and rigorous procedures, Song Guangzhi and Zhang Jingjie and other researchers are spare no effort, as long as the enterprise needs, they always put their best efforts to help the enterprise, and overcome difficulties with the enterprise.

Scientific researchers and enterprises can work hard on the same road and maintain a high degree of recognition, which is the key to the successful industrialization of achievements. In the early design, China Science and Technology Huaxing hollow microspheres products will be first applied to building energy conservation and environmental protection, in order to make the industrialization of the results out of the real road of development. In the foreseeable future, Zhonghua Huaxing's hollow bead products will become a strong competitive force in the market.

Nevertheless, Song Guangzhi and Zhang Jingjie both believe that there is still a gap between hollow glass beads and 3M products in China. The research and development in the field of "micro-beads" in China is just at the beginning. The follow-up research needs not only the strong support of the state, but also the consensus and support of the society.