Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: On-chip thermal processing is a key technology for materials discovery across all disciplines of the natural sciences. Here, we present a microfabricated heat-delivery platform that enables reaction-induced localized on-chip annealing up to 1400°C. A buried reactive multilayer combined with a nanometric diffusion barrier provide ultra-fast heating and quenching rates on the order of 10$^6$°C s$^{-1}$ as illustrated by the generation of ultra-high aspect ratio microstructures during rapid-solidification and the stabilization of dopant-free tetragonal zirconia at room temperature. Rapid kinetics also enable the observation of transient states of capillary-driven hole collapse in melts. Our work expands localized high-temperature processing routes and offers a material-independent approach for rapid screening of multidimensional nanomaterials on and off-equilibrium.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Institutions: ETH Zurich, Harvard University
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223149769