Active Thermitic Material
Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe
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pp.7-31 (25) Authors: Niels H. Harrit,
Jeffrey Farrer, Steven E. Jones, Kevin R. Ryan, Frank M. Legge, Daniel
Farnsworth, Gregg Roberts, James R. Gourley, Bradley R. Larsen
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doi: 10.2174/1874412500902010007
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Abstract |
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We have discovered distinctive red/gray chips in all the samples
we have studied of the dust produced by the destruction of the World Trade
Center. Examination of four of these samples, collected from separate sites,
is reported in this paper. These red/gray chips show marked similarities
in all four samples. One sample was collected by a Manhattan resident about
ten minutes after the collapse of the second WTC Tower, two the next day,
and a fourth about a week later. The properties of these chips were analyzed
using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy
dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
The red material contains grains approximately 100 nm across which are largely
iron oxide, while aluminum is contained in tiny plate-like structures. Separation
of components using methyl ethyl ketone demonstrated that elemental aluminum
is present. The iron oxide and aluminum are intimately mixed in the red material.
When ignited in a DSC device the chips exhibit large but narrow exotherms
occurring at approximately 430 °C, far below the normal ignition temperature
for conventional thermite. Numerous iron-rich spheres are clearly observed
in the residue following the ignition of these peculiar red/gray chips. The
red portion of these chips is found to be an unreacted thermitic material
and highly energetic.
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Keywords:
JScanning electron microscopy, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy,
Differential scanning calorimetry, DSC analysis, World Trade Center, WTC dust,
9/11, Iron-rich microspheres, Thermite, Super-thermite, Energetic nanocomposites,
Nano-thermite |
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen,
DK-2100, Denmark. |
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