Abstract
In this study, isothermal decomposition of unirradiated and gamma-irradiated zirconium acetylacetonate Zr(acac)(4) using 10(3) kGy absorbed gamma-ray dose was carried out in static air. The isothermal operating temperatures were selected to be 150, 170, 190 and 210 degrees C. The kinetics of the decomposition were followed using both model-fitting and model-free approaches. The results of the model-fitting approach with regard to the investigated data showed that the decomposition behaviour was best described by a first-order (F1) reaction model. The analysis of the data using the model-free approach signified the dependency of activation energy E-a on the extent of conversion (alpha). Pre-gamma-irradiation of zirconium acetylacetonate Zr(acac)(4) with 10(3) kGy absorbed gamma-ray dose had no significant effect on the thermal decomposition behaviour of Zr(acac)(4). The thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the decomposition process were calculated and evaluated.