The effect of purity on the high-temperature oxidation of hafnium

The oxidation kinetics of hafnium of different purities were studied in the temperature range of 800–1200°C. This paper concerns the structure studies of the oxidized samples. TGA, XRD, SEM methods, and microhardness measurements were used. Hafnium oxidation follows the parabolic rate law, changing with time to the linear one. Oxidation-reaction products are HfO2(moncl) and α-solid solution of oxygen in hafnium. Anomalous oxidation behavior of hafnium having a high impurity content was found in the range 800–950°C. Activation energies for the parabolic and linear oxidation stages were calculated.