Oxidation characteristics of boron particles

The oxidation characteristics of boron particles, boron-A with the diameter of 2.545 µm and boron-B with the diameter of 10.638 µm, at low temperature (<1500 K) have been investigated by thermogravimetry (TG) coupled with simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared and mass spectra. A rapid oxidation stage of boron particles, followed by a slow oxidation stage of sintered particles, is found from the TG and DSC curves. The onset temperatures of the oxidation process of boron-A particles are in the range of 806–889 K, which are at least 105 K lower than those of boron-B at the same condition. As the partial pressure of oxygen increases from 5% to 35%, the onset temperature of boron-A or boron-B particles decreases. However, when the partial pressure of oxygen is above 35%, the onset temperature becomes constant, implying a saturation effect of oxygen on the reaction rate. It indicates that the chemical adsorption of oxygen, i.e. chemical reaction, on the particle surface is the rate-limited step at the beginning of the rapid oxidation stage. Therefore, the first-order chemical reaction model is used to simulate the oxidation of boron particles, even that of the sinter. The average activation energies of the particles are 291.3 kJ/mol for boron-A and 338.4 kJ/mol for boron-B. While the average activation energies of the sintered particles are 36.35 kJ/mol for boron-A and 31.87 kJ/mol for boron-B. The pre-exponential factor of the particles is ~10 4 , while that of the sinter is 10 -1 . The oxidation rate constant of boron is qualitatively mainly affected by the specific surface of the sample and the thickness of the oxide layer.