Combustion Behaviour of Fe2O3-coated Zirconium Particles in Air

Zirconium metal powder is widely used in aerospace and military as a metal fuel because of its high combustion rate and heat. This powder is used to produce flash powder, fireworks, artillery shells, timing bomb fuses and solid propellant rocket fuel. To comply with the special requirements for aerospace and military applications, zirconium particles are coated with Fe2O3 ferrite magnetite nanoparticles to form a core-shell structure. This process alters the combustion performance of the coated zirconium dust. In this study, the combustion behaviour of Fe2O3-coated zirconium particles in the air is explored. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry are used to examine the micromorphology, phase composition, crystal structure, thermal stability and reactivity of Fe2O3-coated zirconium particles. The combustion behaviour is presented, with the coating layer of Fe2O3-coated zirconium particles generating a replacement reaction with the inner core zirconium. The inner zirconium induced an oxidation-reduction reaction with oxygen and pure Fe was oxidised at high temperatures. The decomposition reaction was due to the residue of Fe2O3 that did not react with zirconium.