Is even microwave cooking not fast enough for you? Researchers from Saga Ceramic Research Laboratory in Japan and the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and Materials Research Institute at Pennsylvania State University report in Chemistry of Materials that their new ceramic materials heat up faster and retain heat longer than conventional microwave cookware, all while using less energy.

In the new study, Sridhar Komarneni, Hiroaki Katsuki, and Nobuaki Kamochi note that researchers long have sought a commercially feasible method for using microwaves in the production of new genres of sturdy-heat-resistant ceramic materials. However, no optimal process had been developed.

Researchers are reporting new ceramics, such as the rice cooker above, that heat faster and stay hot longer than conventional microwave cookware. Credit: Sridhar Komarneni

The scientists describe preparation of ceramic plates from mixtures of magnetite and petalite, Fe₂O₃−Li₂O−SiO₂−Al₂O₃ composition made from a mixture of Fe₃O₄ and petalite mineral, two naturally occurring minerals. Those new composite plates heated faster and retained heat for longer periods than commercially available microwave cookware, researchers say.

They also have potential applications as an energy-saving component in microwave-based systems in remediation of organic contaminants by facilitating ultrafast decomposition upon microwave irradiation as demonstrated with cooking oil as an example.

Article: Hiroaki Katsuki, Nobuaki Kamochi, and Sridhar Komarneni, 'Novel Energy-Saving Materials for Microwave Heating', Chem. Mater., 10.1021/cm801138n