This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop microwave thermal containment packages for processing of ultrahigh temperature (UHT) nanomaterials using microwave energy. The Phase I work will also assess the strength and wear resistance of key materials processed with this method. Microwave work above 1800 °C is severely limited by lack of availability of suitable thermal packaging for microwave systems. Microwave processing offers low-cost, energy-efficient, and rapid fabrication for nano-powders and sintered products. Microwave heating has been demonstrated to yield fine grained products without the shape and size limitations of spark plasma sintering. This research will enable scientific exploration of these benefits for UHT materials by developing a set of thermal packages for reliable, reusable, UHT microwave processing. Using high temperature microwave frequency dielectric data, modeling, and laboratory experiments, packages will be designed and tested. These thermal packages will provide critical data to evaluate microwave processing at ultrahigh temperatures, as a prerequisite for the design and construction of commercial UHT microwave systems. In conjunction with Florida International University, we will sinter commercial silicon carbide powders, as well as mixtures of in-situ carbon nanotubes and silicon carbide.
The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be the development of ultrahigh temperature microwave processing systems. This technology will have a commercial impact in several industries, including aerospace, armor, thermal barrier coatings, and heat sinks. This is a largely unexplored area in materials science with the potential to harness the advantages of nanomaterials for high-performance structural applications. Microwave heating has the potential to open new markets for UHT products by lowering the cost of manufacturing. Microwave sintering is extremely energy efficient, reducing by over 50% the energy and carbon footprint of UHT materials manufacturing. The combination of scalability, freedom of geometry, and cost reduction differentiates microwave processing from competing technologies such as spark plasma sintering, hot pressing, and hot isostatic pressing. Much of the published UHT microwave research is difficult to validate or reproduce, and no commercially available solutions exist. This proposal will result in the generation and dissemination of new data on UHT microwave processing, which will further educate industrial professionals - as well as undergraduate and graduate students - in the innovative area of microwave materials processing.
