Impact of Thermal Reduction in an Hydrogen Stream on the Composition of Ferrocene Degradation Products

The gas-phase and solid products formed during the thermal reduction of ferrocene in a hydrogen flow in the temperature range of 373–1073 K were investigated. The identified gas-phase products include methane, ethane, propane, butane, n-pentane, n-hexane, and cyclopentadiene, while the solid products consist of nanosized particles of iron and carbon. The temperature dependences of the concentrations of the detected gas-phase products were obtained. It was shown that the formation of iron nanoparticles during the thermal decomposition of ferrocene in a hydrogen atmosphere proceeds with the simultaneous formation of metallic iron, iron carbide, and amorphous carbon. Their relative contents in the solid residue strongly depend on the reaction conditions. The nucleation process under hydrogen atmospheres occurs with the formation of smaller nuclei, which promotes a more intense formation and growth of nanoparticles. The composition of the solid residues can be controlled by varying the experimental parameters, such as reaction time, temperature, and iron precursor concentration. The magnetic properties of the resulting solid products may also be tuned through modulation of particle structure and phase composition.