Preparation of Special Ceramics by Microwave Heating: a Review

doi:10.15541/jim20220002

Abstract

Abstract:

Special ceramics are widely used in aerospace, electronics, information, new energy, machinery, chemical industry, and other emerging industries. Their high temperature preparation process is still dominated by traditional gas kilns and electric heating furnaces with high carbon emissions and high energy consumption. The energy conservation-emission reduction situation is grim at present. Therefore, China is facing great pressure to achieve ‘double carbon’ goal, badly needing research and promotion of clean and efficient heating technology. Microwave heating uses the dielectric loss of the material itself to absorb microwave and convert electromagnetic energy into heat energy at molecular level. In this way, heat is generated simultaneously both inside and outside the whole material, leading the temperature gradient very low in the whole material. In addition to the volumetric heating, selective heating, power redistribution, thermal upheaval, and microwave plasma effect are important characteristics of microwave sintering. Microwave heating has the advantages of energy conservation, environmental protection, improved product performance and reduced combustion carbon emissions. There are many reports on microwave synthesis of various oxides, carbides, nitrides ceramic powders, and microwave sintering ceramic composites domestic and abroad. In this paper, the basic theories of microwave sintering and microwave mixed sintering are reviewed firstly, and then the latest research progress on preparation of ceramic powders by microwave heating and ceramic materials preparation by microwave sintering is introduced. Finally, microwave heating used in sintering of ceramic engineering products is introduced, which shows the superiority of microwave sintering. The key problems and the future development direction of special ceramics prepared by microwave sintering are also proposed.

Key words: microwave heating, ceramics powders, ceramics sintering, energy conservation and environmental protection, review

CLC Number:

TQ174

CHEN Yongqiang, WANG Yixue, ZHANG Fan, LI Hongxia, DONG Binbin, MIN Zhiyu, ZHANG Rui. Preparation of Special Ceramics by Microwave Heating: a Review[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2022, 37(8): 841-852.

Figures/Tables 14

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of microwave heating and conventional heating methods

Fig. 2 Schematic diagram of the insulation structure of α-Al2O3 powder prepared by microwave pyrolysis[44] (1—High alumina lightweight mullite foam brick head cover; 2—95 alumina crucible; 3—High alumina lightweight mullite foam brick insulation cylinder; 4—SiC auxiliary heating rods; 5—Infrared thermometer hole)

Fig. 3 SEM images of samples obtained from microwave pyrolysis of two precursor powders at different temperatures [44] (a) Aluminum ammonium sulfate dodecahydrate as prcursor, (b) Aluminum hydroxide as precursor

Fig. 4 SEM images of zirconia powders obtained at different microwave pyrolysis temperatures and conventional pyrolysis at 750 ℃[45] (a) 700 ℃; (b) 750 ℃; (c) 800 ℃; (d) 850 ℃; (e) 900 ℃; (f) conventional pyrolysis at 750 ℃

Fig. 6 Images of green body and samples[58] (a) Green body; (b) Sample; (c) Core-shell structure of sample

Fig. 6 SEM images of the synthesized SiC crystals by microwave heating at 1100 ℃ and holding for 30 min[56] (a) Spatial growth of SiC crystals; (b) SiC transistors; (c) SEM images of SiC whiskers at (c) low magnification and (d) high magnification

Fig. 7 XRD patterns and SEM images of KNN synthesized by microwave heating at different temperatures[61] (a) 650 ℃; (b) 700 ℃; (c) 750 ℃; (d) 800 ℃

Fig. 8 Effect of Na2CO3 content on the surface morphology of the samples obtained by microwave sintering at 1600 ℃[63] (a) 3%; (b) 5%; (c) 7%; (d) 9%

Fig. 9 SEM images of fracture of 3Y-ZrO2 ceramic after sintering at 1550 ℃[70] (a, c) Microwave sintering; (b, d) Conventional sintering

Fig. 10 SEM images of ZTA ceramics doped with different molar contents of La2O3[31] (a-d) Microwave sintering at 1550℃ for 30 min at La2O3 content of (a) 0, (b) 1.5%, (c) 3%, and (d) 5%; (e) Conventional sintering at 1600℃ for 3 h at La2O3 content of 1.5%

Fig. 11 Fracture morphologies of Al2O3-SiC (~5 μm) specimens sintered by microwave at different temperatures[86] (a) 1350 ℃; (b) 1400 ℃; (c) 1450 ℃; (d) 1500 ℃

Fig. 12 Photo of microwave-sintered ZTA ceramic products[89] Left: ZTA blank; Right: ZTA product after sintering

Fig. 13 Comparison picture of zirconia ceramic ring before (left) and after (right) microwave sintering, and its XRD pattern after sintering[88]

Fig. 14 Photo of silicon carbide sticks before and after microwave sintering[91]

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