ABSTRACT
Microwave (MW) is an electromagnetic radiation with a frequency range between 300 MHz to 300 GHz. When a material is irradiated with MWs, it reflects, transmits, and/or absorbs the MW energy. Materials that allow MW to pass through them with negligible interactions or attenuation are called insulating materials. Lastly, materials that absorb the MW radiations are called absorbing materials. Microwave heating has been commercially used for many years with applications in wood drying, pharmaceuticals, and food industry for cooking, thawing, pasteurization and preservation of food materials. There are several aspects that has to be taken into consideration while designing/selecting a MW reactor: penetration depth, MW frequency, mode of the reactor, and material of construction. On a laboratory scale, MW-assisted synthesis is mainly focused on catalyst and reactor design, method development, and optimization of the operating parameters.
