Blacklight sintering of ceramics

For millennia, ceramics have been densified via sintering in a
furnace, a time-consuming and energy-intensive process. The need
to minimize environmental impact calls for new physical concepts
beyond large kilns relying on thermal radiation and insulation. Here,
we realize ultrarapid heating with intense blue and UV-light.
Thermal management is quantified in experiment and finite element
modelling and features a balance between absorbed and radiated
energy. With photon energy above the band gap to optimize
absorption, bulk ceramics are sintered within seconds and with
outstanding efficiency (~2 kWh/kg) independent of batch size.
Sintering on-the-spot with blacklight as a versatile and widely
applicable power source is demonstrated on ceramics needed for
energy storage and conversion and in electronic and structural
applications foreshadowing economic scalability.