What experiments can be conducted using a small tube furnace in the laboratory?

Laboratory small tube furnaces are widely used in scientific research and industrial experiments due to their multifunctionality and high efficiency. They can complete various tasks such as material heat treatment, synthesis of new compounds, catalyst activation, chemical analysis pretreatment, semiconductor technology, material performance testing, biomass pyrolysis and gasification, and special atmosphere experiments. The specific application scenarios are as follows:

1. Material Heat Treatment and Synthesis
Metal material heat treatment: Tube furnace can be used for annealing, quenching, tempering and other treatments of metal materials to improve their properties and microstructure. For example, steel can be annealed at different temperatures and times in a tube furnace to obtain the required hardness and toughness.
Ceramic material sintering: A tube furnace can be used for the sintering process of ceramic materials to shape them and obtain the desired physical properties. For example, alumina ceramics can be vacuum sintered at 1600 ℃ in a tube furnace to achieve high density and good mechanical properties.
Synthesis of new compounds: Tube furnaces are also used for the synthesis of some new compounds, providing important experimental conditions for scientific research and industrial production. For example, high-purity TiO ₂ and SiC nanoparticles can be synthesized by pyrolyzing precursors at 1200 ℃ in an Ar atmosphere.

2. Catalyst activation and evaluation
Tube furnaces can be used for catalyst activation and evaluation, helping chemical companies optimize their production processes. For example, by calcining γ – Al ₂ O3 at 800 ℃ in an N ₂ atmosphere, catalyst supports with larger specific surface areas can be prepared for use as automotive exhaust purification catalysts.

3. Chemical analysis and pretreatment
Sample ashing and digestion: In chemical analysis, tube furnaces are commonly used for pre-treatment steps such as ashing and digestion of samples. For example, soil samples can be ashed in a tube furnace for accurate determination of their elements in the future.
Sample pretreatment in differential thermal analysis (DTA): In DTA, a tube furnace can be used for sample pretreatment to remove volatile impurities and improve testing accuracy. For example, removing volatile impurities at 1000 ℃ under Ar atmosphere can ensure the accuracy of differential thermal analysis results.

4. Semiconductor process
In the production process of semiconductor materials, tube furnaces are used for annealing, oxidation, and other processes to ensure the performance and quality of semiconductor devices. For example, 1200 ℃ N ₂ annealed silicon-based solar cells can reduce defect density and improve conversion efficiency.

5. Material performance testing
Under specific temperature conditions, tube furnaces can be used to test and evaluate the properties of materials to understand their performance under different conditions. For example, by controlling the temperature of the sample through a tube furnace for annealing treatment, combined with the oxidation effect of ozone, changes in the crystal structure, surface properties, or chemical composition of the material can be observed.

6. Biomass pyrolysis and gasification
Tube furnace can also be used for biomass pyrolysis and gasification experiments to study the gasification characteristics of biomass under different conditions. For example, five types of biomass including rice husk, sawdust, lignin, wheat straw, and corn straw were selected for gasification experiments in a small tube furnace, in order to provide important theoretical basis for the development and application of biomass pyrolysis, steam, and air gasification technologies in tube furnaces.

7. Special Atmosphere Experiment
Tube furnaces can be equipped with vacuum systems or atmosphere control systems, supporting the introduction of inert gases (such as argon and nitrogen) and reducing gases (such as hydrogen) to meet the needs of special atmosphere experiments. For example, in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) experiments, introducing SiH ₄+NH ₄ at 1000 ℃ can deposit a silicon nitride (Si ₄ N ₄) thin film on a silicon wafer with better thickness uniformity.