Ultra-Light Ultra-Strong Proppants
The present invention provides a method of preparing a proppant material by heating a reaction mixture comprising a plurality of oxides in a reactive atmosphere to a temperature above the melting point of the reaction mixture to form a melt, and then allowing the melt to solidify in a mold in the form of spherical particles. The present invention also provides a method of preparing a proppant material by heating a reaction mixture comprising a plurality of oxides and one or more additives in a reactive atmosphere to a temperature below the melting point of the reaction mixture to form a powder including one or more reaction products, and then processing the powder to form spherical particles. The present invention also provides a proppant material including spherical particles characterized by a specific gravity of about 1.0 to 3.0 and a crush strength of at least about 10,000 psi.