Thermal analysis study of ammonium nitrate in the presence of NiCuCr2O4 additive

Abstract

Nickel-copper chromite (NiCuCr2O4) was synthesized by the co-precipitation method using sodium hydroxide as a precipitating agent. The composition of ammonium nitrate (AN):NiCuCr2O4 (mass ratio 98:2) was used for the comparative thermal analysis study. The results suggested that ammonium nitrate containing nickel-copper chromite (AN + NiCuCr2O4) can act as a potential energetic material to replace AN in energetic applications. The activation energy of AN + NiCuCr2O4 was decreased by 85.7 kJ mol−1 compared to pure AN along with a reduction in the peak decomposition temperature. The lower activation energy and low pre-exponential factor can fasten AN + NiCuCr2O4’s decomposition at a lower temperature.

Keywords

• Thermal analysis
• Nanocomposites
• Metals and alloys