Isothermal decomposition of γ -irradiated erbium acetate

Abstract

Isothermal decomposition of un-irradiated and pre-γ -irradiated erbium acetate has been investigated at different temperatures between 583 and 603 K. Irradiation was observed to enhance the rate of decomposition without modifying the mechanism of the thermal decomposition. Thermal decomposition of erbium acetate has been shown to proceed by a nucleation and growth mechanism (Erofe’ev model) both for un-irradiated and pre-γ -irradiated samples. The enhancement of the decomposition was found to increase with an increase in the γ -ray dose applied to the sample and may be attributed to an increase in point defects and formation of additional nucleation centers generated in the host lattice. Thermodynamic values of the main decomposition process were calculated and evaluated.