combustion synthesis

Combustion synthesis is a materials processing technique that utilizes the intense heat generated by a chemical reaction to create new materials. This process is a modification of methods like the Pechini process, where nitrate solutions react with fuels such as glycine. The reaction auto-ignites at moderate temperatures and rapidly exceeds 1,000°C, converting the material into fine, well-mixed crystallites of the desired complex oxide. This method is also known as the glycine-nitrate process. Another related technique is self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS), where reactive metal particles ignite and their exothermic reactions propagate rapidly through precursor powders, forming ceramics like borides, carbides, and nitrides. Combustion itself is a chemical reaction, usually involving oxygen, that produces heat and light.12