Physical Insight to Microwave Special Effects: Nonequilibrium Local Heating and Acceleration of Electron Transfer

Two microwave special effects are reported to be phenomena at the interface of solids induced under microwave irradiation in chemical reaction systems. Nonequilibrium local heating is the heat generation observed at contact points between solids and intersurfaces of solids under microwave irradiation. Nonequilibrium local heating was detected in cobalt metal particles dispersed in DMSO by in-situ observation with Raman spectroscopy under microwave irradiation. Nonequilibrium local heating can enhance dehydration of alcohol in the pores of zeolite by preparing zeolite particles with carbon cores. Acceleration of electron transfer at the interface of solids under microwave irradiation was observed for photoreduction of violegen derivatives by cadmium sulfide and water oxidation at the surface of hematite electrodes.