Kinetics of solid state reaction between zirconium and copper(I) chloride

Abstract

The kinetics of the reaction between Zr and CuCl powders have been studied under vacuum by means of thermogravimetry in the range from 250 to 330°C. The reactivity of the Zr–CuCl system is significantly affected by the mixing operation, the ratio of Zr and CuCl in the mixture and the thickness of the ZrO₂ film on the Zr particles. It is established that the kinetics of reaction was governed by a nucleation and growth mechanism with an apparent activation energy of 93±3 kJ mol⁻¹ and for these low reaction temperatures only Cu and Cu₅Zr were identified.