Investigation on thermal kinetic behavior of 5 aminotetrazole/sodium periodate gas generator

This study presents the design of a gas-generating formulation with a stoichiometric 5-aminotetrazole/sodium periodate. TG-FTIR-MS analysis was used to investigate the thermal decomposition behavior of the gas generator. The thermal kinetic parameters were calculated by non-isothermal kinetic methods to gain insight into the reaction mechanism. The results of this study demonstrate a distinct decomposition process for this gas-generating agent compared to conventional 5AT-based formulations. Specifically, it eliminates the formation of melamine through deamination polymerization and subsequent deamination polymerization processes, directly decomposing into amino cyanic acid (NH₂CN), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), ammonia (NH₃), and nitrogen gas (N₂). Kinetic calculations were performed using model-free methods and model-fitting methods. With the addition of NaIO₄, the decomposition activation energy of the first stage was reduced to 180 kJ/mol by 100 kJ/mol, making the decomposition of 5AT easier. The reaction process in the first stage followed a reaction order model of F3/2. The results of this study contribute to better understanding of the thermal kinetics and reaction mechanism of 5AT/NaIO₄ system, which is significant for improving the decomposition efficiency of 5AT and for gas generator design.