Mechanistic aspects of in - situ combustion synthesis: Low Temperature gadolinium oxide formation during the high temperature interactions between gadolinium nitrate hexahydrate and glycine through solid state route

•In-situ combustion synthesis using GdNH–Glycine solid state interactions.•Low temperature Gd2O3 formation in inert atmosphere.•Intermediate characterization with TG–DTA-EGA, EDS and PXRD techniques.•Formation of oligopeptide as intermediate product during glycine decomposition.•Thermal decomposition mechanisms have been proposed for GdNH, glycine & GdNH–Glycine mixtures. Current studies describe the application of simultaneous TG–DTA–EGA(FTIR) techniques in the in-situ synthesis of nano - sized gadolinium oxide through solid state route, using the high temperature interactions between Gadolinium nitrate hexahydrate and Glycine through in-situ combustion. Individual decomposition behavior of gadolinium nitrate hexahydrate, glycine and their interaction, in three different mole ratios, has been studied in inert and oxidative environments and respective reaction mechanisms have been proposed. It has been confirmed through thermal studies that gadolinium nitrate hexahydrate and glycine decompose independently in fuel deficient mixture. Results obtained from TG – DTA – EGA (FTIR), EDS and PXRD match well and suggests the formation of Gd2O3 at 400 0C. These studies confirm the formation of Gd2O3 at low temperature in inert environment using stoichiometric and fuel excess ratio mixtures.