Parametric review of microwave-based materials processing and its applications

The realization of microwave's heating ability is a significant discovery in the history of scientific research. The thermal ability of microwave has led to the invention of devices and processes that could replace conventional heating methods and reduce humankind's dependency on fossil fuels. In the early days, microwave heating was limited to food processing and drying. Researchers over the years have examined the utility of microwave in materials processing and showed encouraging outcomes. Currently, microwave-based materials processing research is aligned toward exploring the processing of novel materials and achieving greater reliability and control in the existing processes. This, in turn, requires extensive knowledge of the parameters of the microwave heating processes. This review provides insights into microwave-based heating parameters and their effect on the response parameters of major microwave processing applications. Four significant parameters viz., heating mechanisms, dielectric and magnetic properties, load and applicators have been identified and factors influencing these parameters have been critically examined to understand the requirements of efficient microwave-based materials processing. This review analyzes the existing state of research and identifies the future scope of research in this field. It reveals optimization studies, commercialization of the process at large scale, simulation studies for better understanding of heating mechanisms and innovation in processing set-ups as few of the potential areas with a wide scope for investigation. Keywords: Cladding, Heating, Joining, Melting, Microwave