KINETIC AND THERMODYNAMIC INSIGHTS INTO THE HYDROGENOLYSIS OF FERROCENE

Abstract: The thermal reduction of ferrocene in a hydrogen atmosphere was investigated over the temperature range of 573–1173 K, focusing on both the gaseous and solid products formed during the process. The gas-phase products (hydrocarbons) and solid products (nanosized iron particles) formed during the reaction were identified. It was shown that, in contrast to the pyrolysis of ferrocene, which produces nanosized iron particles, iron carbide, and carbon, the thermal decomposition of ferrocene in a hydrogen flow yields only nanosized iron particles as the solid product. Furthermore, it was observed that the presence of hydrogen during decomposition leads to the formation of smaller nuclei, which enhances the initiation and growth of nanoparticles more intensively. FMR spectra and X-ray diffraction patterns of the solid residues from the thermal decomposition of ferrocene were obtained and analyzed. The dependence of these patterns on the conditions of thermal decomposition was also demonstrated. The presented results provide direct experimental evidence of the initial stages of the decomposition of Fe(C5H5)2 through detailed analysis of the gas-phase composition. These findings can be applied to improve the modeling of processes involved in the growth of ultra-high-temperature materials (UHTs) and thin films, thereby enabling more efficient synthesis of nanomaterials.