Structure–Reactivity Study of Mechanically Activated Zinc Ferrite

Changes in the structure and reactivity of zinc ferrite as a result of mechanical activation and thermal relaxation have been studied. The transition of zinc ferrite into a metastable state is the result of the mechanically induced inversion and the partial deformation of the anion sublattice. The inversion is reversible and the stresses around the deformed bonds may relax during heating. Chemical changes serve as one possible channel of the relaxation. The deformation in octahedral geometry has been hypothetically connected to promotion of the Zn dissolution in diluted acids. A conception on the reason of high-temperature reactivity of mechanically activated zinc ferrite was suggested.