Kinetic analysis for non-isothermal decomposition of un-irradiated and gamma-irradiated potassium bromate

The thermal decomposition of un-irradiated and gamma-irradiated potassium bromate (KBrO3) was performed under non-isothermal conditions at different heating rates (5, 10, 15 and 20 K min-1). The data was analysed using isoconversional and non-isoconversional methods. The kinetic parameters of thermal decomposition process were obtained by three model-free isoconversional methods: Flynn-Wall-Ozawa, Kissinger-Alcahira-Sunose and Friedman. Irradiation enhances the decomposition and the effect increases with the irradiation dose. The activation energy decreases on irradiation. Kinetic analysis of data in view of various solid-state reaction models showed that the decomposition of un-irradiated and irradiated anhydrous KBrO3 is best described by the Avrami-Erofeev model equation, [-ln (l-α]1/2 = kt. (author)