design and creativity

Challenge Summary

MICROWAVE SUSCEPTORS

Microwave susceptors have long been used in microwave heating of food. Since its first commercial use in the 1970s, the basic susceptor - a thin metal film coated on a PET substrate - has remained essentially unchanged. While the basic susceptor technology has enabled many innovative package designs, many challenges remain. Good temperature control, including temperature self-regulation; differential temperature control where different parts of the package are heated differently (e.g. multi-compartment microwave containers); and heating uniformity - both surface uniformity and heating of the interior of the food can be problematic with current susceptors.  The challenge seeks the invention of new susceptor technologies for addressing the above problems and for improving the overall microwave cooking experience. The recent trends in food preparation, the emergence of new materials and process technologies such as graphene and 3D printing, the development of new and low cost sensor technologies, and new understanding of microwave technology including metamaterials concepts present great opportunities for obtaining new and disruptive susceptor technologies that can greatly enhance the microwave cooking experience to enable new innovations in food preparation. Keywords: Microwave, microwavable food, susceptor, microwave absorption, transmission, reflection, temperature self-limiting, magnetic induction, Curie temperature, phase transition, phase changing materials, nanoparticles, metamaterials, multitextured food, packaging, thermal runaway, resonance, skin effect, sensors.