Nanoparticles of Transition Metals as Accelerants in the Thermal Decomposition of Ammonium Perchlorate, Part 62

Four transition metal nanoparticles (TMNs) of 3d series (Cu, Co, Ni, and Fe) were prepared by hydrazine reduction of metal chloride in ethylene glycol at 60°C and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD pattern showed average particle sizes for Cu, Ni, Co, and Fe of 16.7, 40.5, 27.4, and 35.0 nm, respectively. The activity of these TMN accelerants on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) was investigated using thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and ignition delay studies. Isothermal TG data were used to evaluate the kinetic parameters by model fitting as well as an isoconversional methods. The activation energy for thermal decomposition of AP was found to be 66.8, 68.7, 78.5, and 85.4 kJmol-1, respectively, for Co, Cu, Ni, and Fe, when they were mixed with AP. Hence, the order of activity was found to be Co > Cu > Ni > Fe. The accelerant effect of nanoparticles of TMNs was found to be better than their respective nano-oxides. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.