Oxidation kinetic studies of tic-particles using x-ray diffraction

The use of metal particles on the micro and nano scale in blast enhanced explosives has been investigated quite extensively in recent years. There is a growing interest in the characterization of such systems and in analyzing the effects of using new metal particles with varying sizes. In order to use metal particles in explosives with an increased blast rate, it is paramount to know at what speed the metal particles oxidize and what energy is released during the underlying reaction. The present work deals with the reaction kinetics of slow oxidation of metal particles as a partial aspect. Therefore the oxidation reaction kinetics of titanium carbide (TiC) using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric measurements in the temperature range of 25-1500 °C in air is determined. The oxidation processes are analyzed by XRD to determine the extent of oxidation and the oxide structure. In combination with non-isothermal measurements using simultaneous thermal analysis (STA) with varying heating rates, the intermediate and end products of the reaction can be identified, and also the course of the reaction can be determined by performing In-situ XRD measurements.