Microwave heating history

In conclusion, is it necessary to obtain a microwave athermal effect to justify microwave chemistry Obviously not - it is not necessary to present microwaves effects in a scientific disguise. There are many examples in which microwave heating results in specific time-temperature histories and gradients which cannot be achieved by other means especially for solid materials. Hence, rather than claiming nonther-mal effects it is better to claim a means or a tool which induces a specific thermal history. 

Santos T, Valente MA, Monteiro J, Sousa J, Costa LC (2011) Electromagnetic and thermal history during microwave heating. Appl Therm Eng 31 3255-3261... 

Fig. 7 A schematic of the time-temperature history of the processing cycle. Typically for conventional heating, the time at Thoid. the sintering or joining temperature, is in the order of 1 hr to several hours. For microwave processing, the time at temperature Thoid is 1020 min or less.

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