STRUCTURE-REACTIVITY STUDY OF MECHANICALLY ACTIVATED ZINC FERRITE

Changes in the structure and reactivity of zinc ferrite as a result of mechanical activation and thermal relaxation have been studied. The t ransition of zinc ferrite into a metastable state is the result of the mechanically induced inversion and the partial deformation of the ani on sublattice. The inversion is reversible and the stresses around the deformed bonds may relax during heating, Chemical changes serve as on e possible channel of the relaxation. The deformation in octahedral ge ometry has been hypothetically connected to promotion of the Zn dissol ution in diluted acids. A conception on the reason of high-temperature reactivity of mechanically activated zinc ferrite was suggested. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.