Study of dynamic features of highly energetic reactions by DSC and High-Speed Temperature Scanner (HSTS)

The dynamic features of Al2O3 - polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and Al - PTFE reactions in non-isothermal conditions are presented. The Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and High-Speed Temperature Scanner (HSTS) were used to characterize the Al2O3/Al – PTFE reactions at different heating rates. The study shows that the HSTS instrument can give more information about the reaction mechanism and kinetics than the conventional DSC measurements. In this work we show that high heating rates may reveal exothermic reaction between Al2O3 and PTFE that were previously unidentified. The PTFE can potentially remove the oxide layer from aluminum in the initial period of the reaction and increase the direct contact area between oxygen and aluminum, which increases the reaction velocity and improves the energy release abilities of the system

Fabrication of Cu-W Nanocomposites by Integration of Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis and Hot Explosive Consolidation Technologies

Manufacturing W-Cu composite nanopowders was performed via joint reduction of CuO and WO3 oxides with various ratios (W:Cu = 2:1, 1:1, 1:3, 1:13.5) using combined Mg–C reducer. Combustion synthesis was used to synthesize homogeneous composite powders of W-Cu and hot explosive consolidation (HEC) technique was utilized to fabricate dense compacts from ultrafine structured W-Cu powders. Compact samples obtained from nanometer sized SHS powders demonstrated weak relation between the susceptibility and the applied magnetic field in comparison with the W and Cu containing micrometer grain size of metals. The density, microstructural uniformity and mechanical properties of SHS&HEC prepared samples were also evaluated. Internal friction (Q-1) and Young modulus (E) of fabricated composites studied for all samples indicated that the temperature 1000 °С is optimal for full annealing of microscopic defects of structure and internal stresses. Improved characteristics for Young modulus and internal friction were obtained for the W:Cu = 1:13.5 composite. According to microhardness measurement results, W-Cu nanopowders obtained by SHS method and compacted by HEC technology were characterized by enhanced (up to 85%) microhardness

PTFE–Al2O3 reactive interaction at high heating rates

Differential scanning calorimetry and a high-speed temperature scanner were used to characterize dynamic features of the reaction between polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and Al2O3 under heating rates ranging between 20 and 780 °C min−1. Exothermic reaction behavior between PTFE and Al2O3 was observed at heating rates of 150 °C min−1 and higher. Thermodynamic calculations predicted an adiabatic temperature of 1,425 K for the PTFE/Al2O3 stoichiometric ratio. At lower heating rates, endothermic decomposition of PTFE dominated the interaction, where PTFE decomposes into gaseous products that escape the system without interacting with alumina. The enthalpy of the PTFE–Al2O3 exothermic reaction was estimated to be −103 kJ mol−1 with activation energy of 21 kJ mol−1. This study shows that, for energetic formulation of Al–PTFE, the Al2O3 layer on the aluminum particles can exothermically react with PTFE, producing AlF3 and carbon monoxide

Production of Ti/Tib master alloy by SHS process for the obtention Ti/Tib composites for the automotive industry

High technology transport sectors are looking for higher performance materials, competitive in terms of cost, lighter than conventional titanium alloys and recyclable, which could improve efficiency of several components and reduce fuel consumption through weight reduction. This work has been carried out in the framework of Growth NEWTIRAL project (Contract N°G5RD-CT01-00529) financially supported by the European Commission, which investigates the production of in situ Ti/TiB master alloy (with a high volume fraction of reinforcing phase) that is further melted together with titanium ingots. This way a composite with controlled TiB reinforcement volume fraction can be obtained via conventional casting route. This study focuses in the investigation of the production technique of the Ti/TiB master alloy, which is produce by SHS (Self Propagating High temperature Synthesis). This technique is a self-sustaining combustion process of any chemical compound that results in the formation of valuable condensed products. The SHS is based on the principle of maximum utilization of chemical energy of reacting substances (exothermicity) for obtaining inorganic compounds, materials, and items of various application purposes and also for organizing highly efficient technological processes. The obtained product is characterised using different techniques: XRD, SEM, and mechanical properties.Peer reviewe

Nickel Oxide Reduction by Hydrogen: Kinetics and Structural Transformations

We studied the reduction kinetics of bulk NiO crystals by hydrogen and the corresponding structural transformations in the temperature range of 543–1593 K. A new experimental approach allows us to arrest and quench the reaction at different stages with millisecond time resolution. Two distinctive temperature intervals are found where the reaction kinetics and product microstructures are different. At relatively low temperatures, 543–773 K, the kinetic curves have a sigmoidal shape with long induction times (up to 2000 s) and result in incomplete conversion. Low-temperature reduction forms a complex polycrystalline Ni/NiO porous structure with characteristic pore size on the order of 100 nm. No induction period was observed for the high-temperature conditions (1173–1593 K), and full reduction of NiO to Ni is achieved within seconds. An extremely fine porous metal structure, with pore size under 10 nm, forms during high-temperature reduction by a novel crystal growth mechanism. This consists of the epitaxial-like transformation of micrometer-sized NiO single crystals into single-crystalline Ni without any crystallographic changes, including shape, size, or crystal orientation. The Avrami nucleation model accurately describes the reaction kinetics in both temperature regimes. However, the structural transformations during reduction in both nanolevel and atomic level are very complex, and the mechanism relies on both nucleation and the critical diffusion length for outward diffusion of water molecules