A study of the explosion of Fe–C hybrid xerogels and the solid products Original Research Article

Fe–C hybrid xerogels were prepared by mixing an aqueous pitch (AP) sol with an iron nitrate solution. The explosion behaviors of the hybrid xerogels and the related reactions were studied by explosion experiments, thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results show that the presence of iron nitrate significantly promotes the explosion of the AP. The structures of the explosion products were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which showed iron–carbon nano-materials of particle sizes of 5–50 nm. Furthermore, nano-particles of iron carbide encapsulated by carbon shells were found. The encapsulation effectively prevents the reductive iron species from oxidation by air. It was also found that the formation of the encapsulation structure is greatly dependent on the explosion conditions.