High ramp rate thermogravimetric analysis of zirconium(II) hydride and titanium(II) hydride

Zirconium and titanium hydride are utilized in liquid phase metal foam processing techniques. This application results in immediate exposure to molten metal and almost immediate decomposition at high temperatures. Most decomposition characterization techniques utilize slow heating rates and are unable to capture the decomposition behavior of hydrides under foam processing conditions. In order to address this issue a specialized high ramp rate thermogravimetric analyzer was created from a xenon arc image refiner. In addition to thermogravimetry, complimentary techniques including X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to characterize hydride decomposition and compare the results to literature. Hydrides were partially oxidized and separated into particles size ranges to evaluate the influence of these factors on decomposition. Oxidizing treatments were found to decrease decomposition rate only at temperatures below 933 K (660 °C) while particle size effects appeared to be negligible. Several improvements to the unique TGA apparatus presented in the current work are suggested to allow reliable kinetic modeling and analysis.