Thermal Decomposition of 3-Nitro-1,2,4-Triazole-5-One (NTO) and Nanosize NTO Catalyzed by NiFe₂O₄

Nanosize Nickel ferrite (NiF) was synthesized by the co-precipitation methods, and its effect as a 5% by mass additive was studied on the thermal decomposition of micrometer and nanometer size NTO. In the presence of a 5% NiF additive, the thermal decomposition peak temperature of NTO was decreased from 276.36 to 260.18 °C and that of nanoNTO was decreased from 261.38 to 258.89 °C (β = 10 °C min⁻¹). The kinetics parameters confirm the catalytic activity of NiF for the thermal decomposition of NTO, and nNTO as the parameters such as activation energy (NTO =  ~ 25.45% and nNTO =  ~ 45.94% decrement), and pre-exponential factor (NTO =  ~ 21.94% and nNTO =  ~ 43.12% decrement) were decreased when 5% NiF additive was added to NTO, and nNTO. The rate of the decomposition process was increased in the presence of a 5% NiF catalyst, indicating the faster thermal decomposition of both NTO, and nNTO in the presence of a nickel ferrite catalyst.