Microwave Applications in Chemistry and Materials Processing

Dear Colleagues,

The addition of external energy is important for applications in chemical engineering or materials processing. Thanks to the direct interaction between the electromagnetic waves and the molecular structures of the materials to be processed, microwave energy presents efficiency and rapidity of energy transfer that are much more advantageous than those of conventional electrical energy. In addition to rapidity, microwave heating is more selective, showing possible savings in raw materials. Chemical reactions or syntheses of materials can be accomplished in minutes by microwave heating, whereas conventional heating would require hours or even days. It is a promising heat source that meets the modern requirements of sustainable development.

Since the publication by Gedye and Guiguere in 1986 on the use of a microwave oven to accelerate organic reactions, a large number of applications using microwave energy have been developed with success in organic, inorganic, and green chemistry for the processing of materials such as organic compounds, polymers, nanomaterials, biomaterials, or plasmas. As the appearance of personal computers (PCs) in the early 1980s contributed to the democratization of computing, the easier access to microwave equipment and to electromagnetic and multiphysics simulation software favored, and still favors, the arrival of new university teams and new industrial players to explore and develop more and more innovative and rewarding applications in the microwave chemistry and microwave materials processing sector. In this context, further research is necessary to better understand the interaction mechanisms between electromagnetic waves and new materials, to develop and manufacture new equipment, to study the electromagnetic properties of new materials, and to identify technical barriers and find innovative solutions for their remediation.

This Special Issue, “Microwave Applications in Chemistry and Material Processing”, aims at showing the most recent advances in the following areas:

• Microwave irradiation in inorganic, inorganic, medicinal, and green chemistry;
• Microwave applications in plasma, ceramics, polymers, minerals, and food;
• Microwave processing of biomass and waste;
• Microwave applications in medical and biological sectors;
• Modeling of microwave power applications;
• Measurement of dielectric properties;
• Design and optimization of microwave processing equipment;
• Safety in microwave processing;
• Microwave-assisted preparation of new materials.

Prof. Dr. Junwu Tao
Prof. Dr. Kama Huang
Prof. Dr. Lionel Estel
Dr. Li Wu
Guest Editors

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