Oxidation kinetics of large nickel particles

Oxidation of polycrystalline nickel particles with an approximate median diameter of 158 mu m has been studied by thermogravimetric measurements in the temperature range 773-1473 K. The oxidation was found to be thermally activated with an apparent activation energy of about 1.9 eV at temperatures below 1073 K and 1.2 eV at higher temperatures. Our data showed the qualitative features expected for oxidation of spherical metal particles. The kinetics was compared with a homogenous field coupled-currents theory for oxidation of spherical metal particles. Calculations using a median particle size or a distribution of particle sizes could only give a satisfactory fit to part of the experimental data. Possible explanations for the deviations in terms of space charge, grain boundary diffusion, grain growth, and sintering are discussed in this paper. Scanning electron microscopy studies of the particles after oxidation showed that a large difference exists in the surface structure and the degree of sintering between the particles oxidized at low and high temperatures.