Precise microwave welding induced by localized surface plasmon: A novel high-quality large-scale plastic joining method with low energy consumption

Abstract

Traditional methods of polymers joining for industrial applications are limited to lasers, induction, or conduction heating. It is difficult to achieve precision and efficiency in large-scale applications simultaneously. In this paper, we report a precise microwave welding method induced by localized surface plasmons of metallic macro-gaps under microwave excitation. The proposed method uses energy from well-developed commercial microwaves and benefits from the precision of localized surface plasmons, an oscillating electron cloud excited by electromagnetic waves, which is currently under investigation only at the micro or nanoscales. This method is employed in plastic microwave welding, and the numerical analyses and experimental results reveal that, in comparison to traditional microwave heating methods, this process effectively focuses microwave energy to achieve precision area heating of a diameter of 4 mm or less; this results in a temperature increase at a rate of 333.8 °C/s, and the maximum tensile strength of the welded samples reaches as high as 668 N, which is comparable to that of the base material. The results demonstrate that the processing method is an environmentally friendly approach characterized by high quality, efficiency, and low energy consumption.