Several types of heat treatments are commonly used in nanotechnology:
Annealing: This involves heating the nanomaterial to a specific temperature and then cooling it slowly. Annealing can relieve internal stresses, improve crystallinity, and enhance electrical properties. Quenching: This involves rapid cooling, often in water or oil, to lock in a material's microstructure. Quenching is used to increase hardness and strength. Tempering: This is usually performed after quenching to reduce brittleness and improve toughness. It involves reheating the material to a lower temperature and then cooling it again. Sintering: This involves heating powdered nanomaterials to a temperature below their melting point to form a solid mass. Sintering is commonly used in nanoceramics and nanocomposites.
