What materials can a customized experimental tube furnace handle?

Customized experimental tube furnaces, due to their flexible temperature, atmosphere, and structural control capabilities, can handle various types of materials, covering fields such as inorganic non-metallic, metal alloys, semiconductors, functional materials, and composite materials. The following is a detailed explanation of its core application materials and typical scenarios:

1. Inorganic non-metallic materials
ceramic materials
Application: Sintering and densification treatment of ceramics such as alumina, zirconia, and silicon nitride.
Advantages: By using high temperature (1600-1800 ℃) and atmosphere control (such as nitrogen and argon), pores are eliminated, and material strength and corrosion resistance are improved.
Case: Customized 1700 ℃ tube furnace for sintering zirconia ceramics, resulting in a 30% increase in hardness.
GLASS
Application: Melting, annealing of quartz glass and borosilicate glass, and crystallization treatment of microcrystalline glass.
Advantages: Rapid heating (10 ℃/min) and precise temperature control (± 1 ℃) can prevent glass cracking.
Case: Customized rapid cooling tube furnace reduces glass annealing time by 50%.

2. Metal and alloy materials
High-temperature alloy
Application: Solid solution treatment and aging strengthening of nickel based and cobalt based alloys.
Advantages: Multi zone design (such as dual zone gradient temperature control) can achieve complex heat treatment processes.
Case: Customized three zone tube furnace to increase alloy hardness to HRC45.
Lightweight metal
Application: Annealing and stress relief treatment of titanium alloys and magnesium alloys.
Advantages: Vacuum atmosphere (≤ 10 ⁻ ³ Pa) prevents oxidation and improves material purity.
Case: Vacuum tube furnace treatment of titanium alloy reduces surface oxide layer by 90%.

3. Semiconductors and Electronic Materials
Thin film deposition
Application: Epitaxial growth of silicon and silicon carbide, CVD preparation of oxide thin films (such as Al ₂ O3, ZnO).
Advantages: The purity of the atmosphere (above 99.999%) and the substrate rotation function (0-10rpm) ensure the uniformity of the film.
Case: Customized rotary tube furnace with increased uniformity of film thickness to ± 2%.
powder sintering
Application: Sintering of positive and negative electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries, such as LiCoO ₂ and graphite.
Advantages: The tilted furnace tube design (0-90 °) promotes uniform heating of the powder and increases battery capacity.
Case: The inclined tube furnace processed lithium iron phosphate, resulting in a 15% increase in discharge capacity.

4. Functional materials and nanomaterials
Catalytic materials
Application: Reduction and activation of supported catalysts (such as Pt/Al ₂ O3).
Advantages: Accurate control of the reduction process through hydrogen atmosphere (flow rate 10-100sccm) and programmed heating (1 ℃/min).
Case: Customized hydrogen tube furnace, catalyst activity increased by 40%.
nanomaterials
Application: Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthesis of carbon nanotubes and graphene.
Advantages: Transparent quartz furnace tube and rapid cooling system (air-cooled/water-cooled) for real-time observation of growth process.
Case: Visual tube furnace synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotubes with a diameter distribution of<1nm.

5. Composite materials and special materials
Metal matrix composite
Application: Hot pressing sintering of carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites.
Advantage: High pressure atmosphere (such as nitrogen pressurized to 5MPa) promotes interface bonding.
Case: Customized pressurized tube furnace, composite material bending strength increased to 800MPa.
biomaterial
Application: Sintering of hydroxyapatite ceramics and preparation of bioactive glass.
Advantage: Atmosphere switching function (such as air → water vapor) simulates the internal environment.
Case: Preparation of bioactive glass using an atmosphere switching tube furnace, resulting in a 25% increase in ion release rate.

6. Key considerations for customization
temperature range
Low temperature materials (such as polymers):<500 ℃, require cold wall design. High temperature materials (such as ceramics): 1600-1800 ℃, requiring high-temperature resistant furnace tubes (such as corundum). atmosphere control Oxidative atmosphere (such as air): suitable for metal oxidation treatment. Reductive atmosphere (such as hydrogen): Explosion proof design and hydrogen purification system are required. Heating rate and cooling rate Rapid heat treatment (such as 100 ℃/min): requires water-cooled jacket or liquid nitrogen cooling. Slow annealing (such as 1 ℃/min): high-precision PID temperature control is required. Sample size and shape Powder samples: Customized crucibles or sample boats are required. Thin film substrate: rotation function is required to ensure uniformity. 7. Purchase suggestions Clear experimental objectives Determine the material type, processing temperature, and atmosphere requirements to avoid functional redundancy or insufficiency. Example: If nano materials need to be prepared, transparent furnace tubes and rapid cooling functions are preferred. Choose a reliable supplier Verify manufacturer qualifications (such as ISO certification), industry experience (>10 years), and user cases.
Example: A customized tube furnace at a certain university failed the experiment due to incorrect furnace tube materials, and then chose an experienced manufacturer to solve the problem.
Validate customized solutions
Require suppliers to provide 3D design drawings, process parameter tables, and testing reports.
Example: A certain enterprise verifies the temperature field distribution and optimizes the furnace structure through simulation software.

By accurately matching material characteristics and equipment functions, customizing experimental tube furnaces can significantly improve material performance and experimental efficiency, providing key support for new material research and development.