What materials can be processed by a heat treatment tube furnace?

The heat treatment tube furnace, due to its high temperature stability, flexible atmosphere control ability, and precise temperature control system, can process various types of materials, including metals, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, composite materials, and nanomaterials. The following are the specific classifications and typical application scenarios of its materials that can be processed:

1. Metal materials
Steel and alloys
Processing techniques: annealing, quenching, tempering, normalizing, spheroidizing annealing.
Function: Eliminate internal stress, improve organizational structure, enhance hardness and toughness. For example, softening steel through annealing process facilitates subsequent processing; Improve the wear resistance of tool steel through quenching and tempering.
Typical materials: carbon steel, stainless steel, high-speed steel, mold steel.
non-ferrous metals
Processing techniques: aging treatment, solution treatment, recrystallization annealing.
Function: Optimize material properties, for example, aging strengthening of aluminum alloys can significantly improve strength; Annealing of copper alloys can improve conductivity.
Typical materials: aluminum alloy, copper alloy, titanium alloy, magnesium alloy.
Metal powders and composite materials
Processing technology: Powder metallurgy sintering, hot pressing forming.
Function: By combining powder particles under high temperature and high pressure, high-density alloys or metal based composite materials can be prepared. For example, sintering of hard alloy (WC Co) can improve tool hardness.
Typical materials: iron-based powder, nickel based alloy powder, and metal ceramic composite materials.

2. Ceramic materials
traditional ceramics
Processing technology: green body sintering, glass phase melting, grain boundary strengthening.
Function: Promote grain growth, eliminate pores, and enhance density. For example, sintering of alumina ceramics can prepare high hardness wear-resistant parts; The sintering of talc ceramics is used for electronic insulation components.
Typical materials: alumina, zirconia, silicon nitride, silicon carbide.
Functional ceramics
Processing techniques: doping modification, phase transition control, grain boundary engineering.
Function: endowing ceramics with special properties, such as polarization treatment of piezoelectric ceramics, which can enhance the piezoelectric coefficient; Annealing of ferroelectric ceramics can optimize their ferroelectric properties.
Typical materials: barium titanate, lead zirconate titanate (PZT), lithium niobate.

3. Semiconductor materials
Silicon based materials
Processing technology: oxide layer growth, diffusion doping, annealing activation.
Function: The key structure for preparing transistors, diodes, and other devices. For example, growing a silicon dioxide layer on the surface of a silicon wafer through thermal oxidation process; By annealing, doping atoms are activated to form PN junctions.
Typical materials: monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon.
Compound semiconductor
Processing technology: epitaxial growth, annealing to repair defects.
Function: Improve material crystallization quality and optimize device performance. For example, in the preparation of gallium nitride (GaN) epitaxial wafers, a tube furnace can control the growth temperature and atmosphere, reducing defect density.
Typical materials: Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), Indium Phosphide (InP), Silicon Carbide (SiC).
Thin film materials
Processing techniques: chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD) post-treatment.
Function: Improve film adhesion, crystallinity, and electrical properties. For example, by using annealing process to eliminate internal stress in silicon thin films deposited by CVD, device stability can be improved.
Typical materials: silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, metal thin films (such as aluminum, copper).

4. Polymer materials
thermoplastic
Processing technology: Annealing to eliminate internal stress, heat setting to stabilize dimensions.
Function: Improve the mechanical properties of materials and prevent deformation. For example, annealing polycarbonate (PC) products can reduce the risk of cracking.
Typical materials: PC, ABS, PE, PP.
Thermosetting plastics
Processing technology: Post curing enhances performance.
Function: Further crosslink polymer chains to improve heat resistance and chemical stability. For example, post curing of epoxy resin can increase its glass transition temperature (Tg).
Typical materials: epoxy resin, phenolic resin, unsaturated polyester.
functional polymer
Processing technology: Carbonization preparation of conductive materials, cross-linking modification.
Function: endows polymers with special functions, such as carbonization of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to prepare carbon fibers; The cross-linking of silicone rubber can enhance its high temperature resistance.
Typical materials: PAN, polyimide (PI), silicone rubber.

5. Composite materials
Metal Matrix Composite Materials (MMC)
Processing technology: Powder metallurgy sintering, hot press diffusion bonding.
Function: Combining the advantages of metal and reinforcement to prepare high-strength and high modulus materials. For example, sintering of aluminum based silicon carbide (Al/SiC) composite materials can enhance the wear resistance of aviation components.
Typical materials: Al/SiC, Mg/Al ₂ O3, Ti/B ₄ C.
Ceramic based composite materials (CMC)
Processing techniques: reaction sintering, hot isostatic pressing (HIP).
Function: Enhance the toughness of ceramics and prevent brittle fracture. For example, the sintering of silicon carbide fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (SiC/SiC) composite materials can be used for high-temperature gas turbine blades.
Typical materials: SiC/SiC, C/C, Al ₂ O3/ZrO2.
Polymer based composite materials (PMC)
Processing technology: hot pressing molding, post curing.
Function: Optimize the interface bonding between fibers and matrix, and enhance mechanical properties. For example, hot pressing of glass fiber reinforced epoxy resin (GFRP) can be used to manufacture lightweight structural components.
Typical materials: GFRP, CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic), aramid fiber reinforced plastic.

6. Nanomaterials
nanoparticle
Processing technology: controllable synthesis, surface modification.
Function: Adjust particle size and morphology, optimize catalytic or optical performance. For example, preparing nano metal oxide catalysts by pyrolyzing metal organic frameworks (MOFs) in a tube furnace.
Typical materials: TiO ₂, ZnO, Fe ∝ O ₄ nanoparticles.
Nanowires/nanotubes
Processing techniques: chemical vapor deposition (CVD), template synthesis.
Function: To prepare one-dimensional nanostructures for use in nanoelectronics or sensors. For example, CVD growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can control diameter and chirality.
Typical materials: Si nanowires CNT、 Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT).
two-dimensional materials
Processing technology: chemical peeling, annealing to repair defects.
Function: Improve the quality of material crystallization and optimize electrical properties. For example, annealing graphene can reduce defect density and improve carrier mobility.
Typical materials: graphene, molybdenum disulfide (MoS ₂), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN).