Effect of Copper Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, and Lithium Fluoride on the Thermal Behavior and Decomposition Kinetics of Ammonium Nitrate

Ammonium nitrate (AN) is crystallized along with copper oxide, titanium dioxide, and lithium fluoride. Thermal kinetic constants for the decomposition reaction of the samples were calculated by model-free (Friedman's differential and Vyzovkins nonlinear integral) and model-fitting (Coats-Redfern) methods. To determine the decomposition mechanisms, 12 solid-state mechanisms were tested using the Coats-Redfern method. The results of the Coats-Redfern method show that the decomposition mechanism for all samples is the contracting cylinder mechanism. The phase behavior of the obtained samples was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and structural properties were determined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). The results indicate that copper oxide modifies the phase transition behavior and can catalyze AN decomposition, whereas LiF inhibits AN decomposition, and TiO2 shows no influence on the rate of decomposition. Possible explanations for these results are discussed. Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of the Journal of Energetic Materials to view the free supplemental file.