Thermal decomposition study of ammonium nitrate in the presence of nickel-zinc ferrite additive

The catalytic influence of nanocrystalline Nickel-zinc ferrite (NiZnFe2O4) on the thermal decomposition of high energetic ammonium nitrate (AN) was investigated. A study of the thermal decomposition of pure AN and AN+NiZnFe2O4 composition was carried out using simultaneous thermal analysis data at three heating rates (5, 10, and 15 K min(-1)). Three non-isothermal methods were used to calculate the kinetic parameters of the decomposition of AN and AN+NiZnFe2O4. Moreover, the kinetic data were used to study the influence of NiZnFe2O4 on the thermodynamics of AN's thermal decomposition. The results confirm that the addition of 2 wt % NiZnFe2O4 in AN can decrease the activation energy barrier of AN's decomposition by 43 kJ mol(-1) without significantly decreasing (similar to 2 K at beta = 10 degrees C min(-1)) the thermal decomposition temperature of AN. 1.7 times decrement in the pre-exponential factor (ln A) of AN in the presence of 2 wt% NiZnFe2O4 confirms faster thermal decomposition of AN+NiZnFe2O4 than pure AN. Therefore, AN+ 2 wt% NiZnFe2O4 can be used as a potential candidate for substituting in AN-based energetic formulation to improve their thermal performance.