Thermal evolution of titanium hydride optimized for aluminium foam fabrication

The thermal decomposition of a commercial titanium hydride was investigated in situ by isothermal X-ray diffraction. Phase fractions as a function of time were fitted to an unreacted-core-shrinking model, showing that the reaction proceeded faster with increasing temperatures. A systematic shift of the endothermic peak with increasing temperature was observed by differential thermal analysis, indicating that the hydride is very sensitive to the temperature of the oxidizing treatment. The activation energies for hydrogen loss on as-received and heat-treated hydrides were estimated.