Kinetics and mechanisms of phase transformations induced by ball-milling in anatase TiO2

Ball-milling is a way of inducing phase transformations, chemical reactions, and changes in the reactivity of solids. It is a complex process for which several models have been developed to predict the evolution of systems and to describe its physics. These models sometimes empirically need experimental data to be ascertained and to confirm general theories of system evolutions. In this work, we investigate the effect of two milling parameters, the powder to ball weight ratio R and the nature of the grinding media, on the kinetics of phase transformations in anatase TiO2 powder. These experiments established that R affects only the reaction rate. The kinetics are faster with alumina than with steel grinding tools for a given R, specific injected powers being similar. It has been demonstrated that the phase transformations induced by grinding TiO2 occur without fracturing of particles and mechanisms are commented upon. (C) 2000 Academic Press.