What experiments can be conducted on the vacuum heat treatment electric furnace used in the experiment?

The vacuum heat treatment electric furnace used in experiments can simulate material reactions under extreme conditions by precisely controlling the vacuum environment (pressure can be as low as 10 ⁻³ Pa to 10 ⁻⁴ Pa) and temperature (usually up to 1600 ℃ -2200 ℃), and is widely used in the preparation and modification of materials such as metals, ceramics, and semiconductors. Let’s take a detailed look at what experiments can be conducted on vacuum heat treatment electric furnaces!

Commonly used vacuum sintering furnaces (click on the image to view product details)

1 .Heat treatment of metal materials
annealing
Purpose: To eliminate internal stress in metals, improve tissue uniformity, and reduce hardness.
Typical experiment:
Vacuum annealing of high-speed steel cutting tools (500-650 ℃) to avoid oxidation and decarburization;
Titanium alloy vacuum annealing (700-900 ℃) eliminates work hardening and improves plasticity.
Advantages: No formation of oxide layer, high surface smoothness, and more stable material properties.

vacuum tempering
Purpose: To eliminate quenching stress and adjust the balance between hardness and toughness.
Typical experiment:
Vacuum tempering of bearing steel (150-200 ℃) reduces brittleness and extends service life;
Vacuum tempering of tool steel (500-600 ℃) to optimize cutting performance.
Advantages: Avoiding temper brittleness and achieving more uniform material properties.

2. Ceramic material sintering
Vacuum pressureless sintering
Objective: To prepare ceramic materials with high density and low porosity.
Typical experiment:
Aluminum oxide ceramics (Al ₂ O3) are vacuum sintered (1600-1700 ℃), resulting in a significant increase in relative density;
Silicon nitride ceramics (Si ∝ N ₄) vacuum sintering (1700-1800 ℃) improves bending strength.
Advantages: Avoiding the introduction of oxidative impurities and improving the mechanical properties of materials.

Hot pressing sintering
Purpose: To promote densification by applying external pressure.
Typical experiment:
Silicon carbide (SiC) vacuum hot pressing sintering (2000-2200 ℃) greatly improves mechanical hardness;
Zirconium boride (ZrB ₂) vacuum hot pressing sintering (1900-2000 ℃) improves high temperature resistance.
Key equipment: A hydraulic system is required, and pressure uniformity is crucial.

3. Preparation of Semiconductor Materials
crystal growth
Purpose: To prepare single crystal or polycrystalline semiconductor materials.
Typical experiment:
Silicon (Si) single crystal vacuum direct drawing method (Czochralski method, 1420 ℃), used for integrated circuit substrates;
Gallium arsenide (GaAs) vacuum vertical gradient solidification method (VGF method, 1238 ℃), used for high-frequency devices.
Key parameters: Temperature gradient control (≤ 10 ℃/cm) to avoid dislocation defects.

Thin film deposition
Purpose: To deposit functional thin films on the substrate surface.
Typical experiment:
Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD): Vacuum deposition of silicon nitride (Si3N4) thin films (800-1000 ℃) for MEMS devices.
Advantages: High purity of the film, strong adhesion, and no impurity pollution.

4. Composite material synthesis
Metal ceramic composite materials
Purpose: To combine metal toughness with ceramic hardness.
Typical experiment:
Ti SiC vacuum hot pressing composite (1500-1600 ℃) for aerospace applications;
Aluminum based alumina (Al Al ₂ O ∝) vacuum stir casting (700-800 ℃) enhances wear resistance.
Key technology: Interface bonding strength control to avoid pore defects.

carbon-carbon composite material
Objective: To prepare lightweight, high-strength, and high-temperature resistant materials.
Typical experiment:
Carbon fiber reinforced carbon matrix (C/C) vacuum impregnation carbonization cycle (1000-2200 ℃), used for rocket nozzles;
Graphite fiber reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) vacuum reaction sintering (1600-1800 ℃), used for brake discs.
Advantages: Low density (1.7-2.0 g/cm ³), temperature resistance up to 2200 ℃.

5. Special Atmosphere Experiment
Vacuum+inert gas (Ar/N ₂)
Purpose: To prevent material oxidation while controlling the reaction atmosphere.
Typical experiment:
Copper based vacuum brazing (900-1000 ℃, Ar gas protection) improves joint strength.

Vacuum+reactive gas (H ₂/CO)
Purpose: To achieve a reduction reaction.
Typical experiment:
Powder metallurgy vacuum reduction (1000-1200 ℃, H ₂ atmosphere) is used to prepare high-purity metal powders.
Safety requirements: Hydrogen leak detection (sensitivity ≤ 1 ppm), explosion-proof design.

6. Preparation of nanomaterials
Vacuum thermal evaporation
Purpose: To prepare metal or semiconductor nanoparticles.
Typical experiment:
Vacuum evaporation of silver (Ag) nanoparticles (1000-1100 ℃) with a particle size of 5-20 nm;
Silicon (Si) nanowire vacuum vapor transport (1200-1300 ℃) with a diameter of 50-100 nm.
Key parameters: evaporation rate control (0.1-1 Å/s), substrate temperature gradient.

Vacuum ball milling
Objective: To prepare nanocrystalline metal powder.
Typical experiment:
Aluminum (Al) nano powder vacuum ball milling (room temperature, Ar gas protection), particle size<100 nm;
Titanium (Ti) alloy is subjected to vacuum ball milling (500-600 ℃), resulting in grain refinement to 50-80 nm.
Advantages: Avoid oxidation, high powder purity.

7. Key points of experimental parameter control
Vacuum degree:
Metal heat treatment: ≤ 10 ⁻ ² Pa (to avoid oxidation);
Semiconductor deposition: ≤ 10 ⁻⁴ Pa (reducing impurity pollution).
Temperature uniformity:
Furnace temperature difference ≤± 5 ℃ (precise experiments require ≤± 1 ℃);
Adopting zone temperature control or rotating sample racks to improve uniformity.
Heating rate:
Metal quenching: ≥ 50 ℃/min (quickly passing through the phase transition point);
Ceramic sintering: ≤ 10 ℃/min (to avoid cracking).
Cooling method:
Vacuum quenching: oil cooling/air cooling (controlling cooling rate);
Crystal growth: Slow cooling (≤ 5 ℃/min) reduces thermal stress.

Vertical graphite vacuum muffle furnace with a temperature of up to 2000 ℃ (click on the picture to view product details)

By using a vacuum heat treatment electric furnace, researchers can accurately control the phase transition, diffusion, and reaction processes of materials under extreme conditions, providing a good experimental platform for the development of high-performance materials.Click to learn more laboratory vacuum furnaces! Or click on online customer service to learn more about product information!