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Science and Technology of Energetic Materials

Vol.70, No.4 (2009)

Research paper

Influence of the physical properties of carbon on the thermal decomposition behavior of ammonium nitrate and carbon mixtures
Yu-ichiro Izato, Atsumi Miyake, Hiroshi Echigoya
p.101-104

Abstract

To understand the influence of the physical properties of carbon on the thermal decomposition behavior of ammonium nitrate (AN) and carbon mixtures, Raman spectroscopic analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry- differential thermal analysis with infrared spectrometry (TG-DTA-IR), thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry (TG -MS), and flash pyrolysis mass spectrometry (Py-MS) were carried out. From DSC scanning analysis, AN mixed with activated carbon or carbon nanotubes exhibited violent reactions after the melting of AN, while AN mixed with graphite or fullerene showed mild exothermic peaks, the same as for pure AN. From the TG-IR results, the formation of carbon dioxide was more pronounced for AN and activated carbon and AN and carbon nanotube mixtures than other mixtures. Mass spectra of decomposition gases for AN and activated carbon and AN and graphite mixtures showed different patterns at a heating rate of 100 K min-1 with TG-MS, but they showed similar spectra when instantaneous heating with a flash pyrolyzer was performed. It is concluded that AN mixed with carbon of low crystallinity showed violent reactions after melting, while AN mixed with carbon of high crystallinity showed the same behavior as pure AN. The thermal decomposition behavior of AN/carbon mixtures was not influenced by the crystallinity of carbon when heated instantaneously.

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Keywords

Ammonium nitrate, Carbon, Thermal decomposition, Evolved gas analysis

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