Effect of copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) in the thermal decomposition of modified nitrotriazolone

Abstract

Nano-crystalline copper ferrite (CuFe₂O₄) was prepared by a co-precipitation method and physicochemically characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Its catalytic effect was studied by the thermal decomposition of nitrotriazolone (NTO, 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one) and nano-NTO using thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry-differential thermal analysis (TGA-DSC-DTA). XRD showed the amorphous structure of the CuFe₂O₄ nanoparticles with the crystallite size found to be between 18 and 29 nm, whereas the nanoparticle size of modified NTO was 10–45 nm. For the purpose of comparison, variations in particle size, absorbance, Raman small shift and kinetics, and differences in the thermal decomposition peak temperature were observed. All samples showed absorbance in the ultraviolet region at 200–400 nm. Kinetic parameters confirmed that the prepared CuFe₂O₄ catalyst enhanced the thermolysis of nano-NTO as compared to the pure NTO, nNTO, and NTO + CuFe₂O₄.