Synthesis of nano-TiO2 with slurry explosives of different densities and spread calculation

Titaniferous slurry explosives with different densities were obtained through the addition of expanded polystyrene. The explosives were made to explode in a reaction kettle to prepare nano-TiO2. The phases, morphology, and optical properties of the samples were characterized through X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and UV-vis spectrophotometry. The detonation parameters were calculated with the Becker-Kistiakowsky-Wilson state equation. Results showed that the TiO2 nanoparticles consisted of rutile and anatase phases. The nanoparticles were irregular and polygonal with a size of 10 nm to 20 nm. The density of the explosives exerted minimal influence on the phases and anatase content. However, it affected dispersity and size uniformity. As the density increased, the dispersity and size uniformity of the TiO2 particles improved, and the blue shift phenomenon appeared. The minimum band gap of the samples was 2.94 eV. A small explosive density led to low detonation pressure and velocity. To analyze the growth rule of the original nanoparticles in the expansion area, the spread velocity and diffusion range of the nanoparticles were studied. The detonation products dispersed radially with a spread range of 14.27×PCJ9 times the spherical cartridge radius. The maximum spread velocity was 1211.4 m/s to 1340.5 m/s. When the cartridge radius was 0.05 m, the minimum spread velocity was approximately 4.0 m/s, and the duration of detonation products was approximately 1.4 ms.