Investigation of the process of microwave iron-production with the integrated microscopic imaging spectrometer

This paper reports on spectroscopic observations of the process in microwave carbothermic reduction of magnetite with the integrated microscopic imaging spectrometer (IMIS) that has been introduced in order to demonstrate microscopic- thermal activation of material due to microwave selective and/or localized heatings. The IMIS allow capturing spectroscopic image including the specimen body, the specimen-plasma interface, and plasma above the specimen. It is expected that the continuous spectrum, which has been found in microwave iron productions and believed to be due to cathodoluminescence of magnetite, will be observed mainly at the specimen surface. The localization of the continuous spectrum can be a strong evidence of the cathode-luminescence of magnetite, leading the importance of plasma-surface interaction for the reaction process of the microwave iron making.