Can a small tube furnace be made into a double tube structure for laboratory use?

The small tube furnace used in the laboratory can be designed as a double tube structure, which significantly improves experimental flexibility and efficiency through independent temperature control or collaborative operation. The specific advantages and implementation methods are as follows:

1. Advantages of dual tube structure
Independent experimental environment
The dual tube design allows for simultaneous experiments under two different conditions (such as different temperatures, atmospheres, or materials) without the need for multiple furnace transfers of samples, saving time and reducing pollution risks. For example, in catalyst research, oxidation conditions can be tested in one tube and reduction conditions can be tested in another tube.
Collaborative processing capability
Some double tube furnaces support sliding or linkage control of the furnace body, achieving rapid temperature rise and fall or gradient processing of samples. For example, a 1200 ℃ small dual furnace sliding TCVD furnace can simultaneously evaporate/sublimate raw materials and deposit thin films through bidirectional guide column slides.
Efficient utilization of resources
The dual tube structure shares a heating system and vacuum/atmosphere control module, reducing equipment costs and space occupation. For example, the double tube vacuum tube furnace adopts a single set of vacuum pump and gas circuit system, serving two furnace tubes at the same time, which is suitable for batch experiments.

2. Technical Implementation of Double Tube Structure
Independent temperature control system
Each furnace tube is equipped with independent heating elements (such as silicon carbide rods, resistance wires) and temperature control modules (such as PID controllers), supporting 30-50 stage program temperature control, with a temperature control accuracy of ± 1 ℃. For example, the two heating zones of a dual temperature zone tube furnace can have independent heating programs, with a maximum constant temperature gradient of 200 ℃.
Furnace tube and sealing design
Furnace tubes are usually made of high-purity quartz or corundum, with stainless steel flanges sealed at both ends to support vacuum or atmospheric environments. Some models offer accessories such as quartz tube plugs and crucibles to improve the cleanliness of the furnace. For example, double tube vacuum tube furnaces use multi ring sealing technology to ensure airtightness and maintain stable vacuum or atmosphere.
Modularity and Scalability
The dual tube furnace body design is compact, supporting horizontal or vertical operation, and can expand modules such as gas path control, electric slide rail, plasma RF power supply, etc. For example, a dual furnace sliding tube furnace can be equipped with a gas supply system controlled by a mass flow meter to build a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) device.

3. Application scenarios of double tube furnace
Material synthesis and characterization
In the fields of nanomaterials, thin film materials, ceramic materials, etc., dual tube furnaces can simultaneously perform synthesis and annealing treatment to optimize material properties. For example, graphene growth requires a high temperature of over 1000 ℃ and a specific atmosphere. A dual tube furnace can produce graphene in one tube and perform subsequent processing in the other tube.
heat treatment process
The heat treatment of metal materials (such as quenching and tempering) and semiconductor materials (such as annealing and oxidation) requires precise control of temperature and atmosphere. Double tube furnaces can meet different process requirements and improve experimental efficiency.
Catalysis and Energy Research
Catalyst preparation requires multi-step processing (such as loading, activation, and testing), and dual tube furnaces can simultaneously complete experiments at different temperatures or atmospheres, accelerating catalyst development. For example, in the research of electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries, dual tube furnaces can simultaneously carry out precursor mixing and high-temperature solid-state reactions.