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Near-ambient oxidation of melt-processed aluminum-mercury alloy compounds under air with controlled humidity

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Abstract

Aluminum-mercury alloys prepared by a thermal processing route were exposed to humid air environments under controlled temperature and humidity. The mass changes and energetics associated with the ensuing reaction were monitored by thermal analysis techniques, and it was found that a surprising inverse relationship exists between reaction rate and temperature under constant mass flow rate of water vapor. Additionally, at constant temperature there exists a water mass flow rate threshold below which no reaction occurs. The presence of mercury in the alloy at a gravimetric loading of 120 ppm or less produces no measurable reaction with humid air under the conditions employed, while higher mercury loadings result in the formation of voluminous low-density alumina filaments. Increasing the surface area of a bulk alloy sample through mechanical attrition reduces the rate and extent of reaction, contrary to the behavior of typical surface-moderated reactions. These findings demonstrate that “homogeneously” distributed Hg in Al, as produced by our thermal processing route, generally retains its strongly activating behavior in air. Furthermore, the systematic variation in Hg composition and reaction conditions has quantified the thresholds required for sustaining air-reactivity of such materials.

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Acknowledgments

Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of Energy or the United States Government.

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  1. Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, 87185, USA

    Eric N. Coker, Leo J. Small, Nathan T. Hahn & Lisa A. Deibler

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  1. Eric N. Coker
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Correspondence to Eric N. Coker.

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Coker, E.N., Small, L.J., Hahn, N.T. et al. Near-ambient oxidation of melt-processed aluminum-mercury alloy compounds under air with controlled humidity. Journal of Materials Research 37, 1771–1779 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43578-022-00577-3

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